Boybands Forever – inside story of stars of 1990s
TV WEEK (Wednesday 13th to Tuesday 19th)
TOP SPECIALS
The Real Fatal Attraction (ITV, Wednesday 13th, 9pm)
Documentary telling a real-life Fatal Attraction type story – the 2010 case where 22-year-old Anisha Ahmed sought the legal advice of barrister Iqbal Mohammed, which eventually led to an affair. But when Ahmed discovered Iqbal was married and broke off their illicit relationship, she embarked on a multi-layered plot of revenge that changed both their lives.
Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises On Wicked (Sky Max, Saturday 16th, 8pm)
After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen. Take a trip behind the scenes in this hour-long special filmed on the eye-popping Emerald City set. It features interviews with cast members Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum.
Dune: Prophecy (Sky Atlantic, Monday 18th, 9pm)
From the expansive universe of Dune, and inspired by The Sisterhood of the Dune by author Frank Herbert, this prequel is set 10,000 years before the Atreides era, and follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
Futureville Ireland (RTÉ 1, Tuesday 19th, 7pm)
An ambitious new three-part series that offers a vision of a new Irish city for 2050 – what would it look like? What would daily life be like for the residents and what are the latest innovations from the Irish research community that will make it possible? Co-presenters RTÉ’s Carla O’Brien and Dr Lorraine Mancey, UCD Innovation Academy, investigate Athlone’s choice to be re-imagined as a near future metropolis, a capital of the midlands and a new home for a quarter of a million people in 2050.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
Boybands Forever (BBC 2, Saturday 16th, 9pm)
Tells the inside story behind the success of some of the UK and Ireland’s most celebrated pop stars during the 1990s and early 2000s. Featuring searingly honest interviews with the artists, as well as the music label bosses and managers behind their ascent to fame, the series is a thoughtful look at the boy band phenomenon of that time and the cultural landscape it emerged from.
BEST FILMS
Adaptation (RTÉ 1, Friday 15th, 11.15pm)
Nicolas Cage plays twin roles here – as Charlie Kaufman, a confused LA screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt a book by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep), Kaufman’s life spins from pathetic to bizarre.
The Little Things (RTÉ 1, Saturday 16th, 1.05am)
Denzil Washington plays a deputy sheriff trying to catch a serial killer who’s terrorising Los Angeles. But the closer he gets to solving the case, the more of his own troubled past is uncovered in the chase, compromising his career.
Widow Clicquot (Sky Movies Premiere, from Saturday)
After her husband’s untimely death, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot flouts convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling champagne business and steering it through financial reversals to become one of the world’s first great businesswomen.
CLASSIC MOVIE
Non-Stop (RTÉ 2, Wednesday 13th, 9pm)
Liam Neeson plays alcoholic US Air Marshal Bill Marks who sees his air flight security job as a career dead-end. That is until a high-stakes crisis on a flight to London when he receives text messages demanding $150 million into an offshore account, or a passenger will die every 20 minutes.
KIDS STUFF
What’s Next? (RTÉ 2, Thursday 14th, 5.30pm)
What’s Next for the planet? Could it be jammy socks, hovercraft shoes or edible pond weed? RTÉjr pits children from across Ireland against each other in a competition to come up with the next big idea that could save the planet. Each episode will focus on a different theme: fashion, food, waste, transport and homes.
The Scavengers (RTÉ 2, Monday 18th, 4.05pm)
Set in Ireland in the year 3000, this crew are the first and only humans to live on earth in 1,000 years. Join Arrow (13) along with his sister Starla and best robot friend ARG, as they navigate the comedic chaos and unexpected dangers of life on future Earth.
ON DEMAND
Emilia Perez (Netflix)
Through song, dance and visuals, this crime drama odyssey follows four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing different paths. Fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so she can escape the criminal underworld to live as her true self. But it’s not that simple.
Citadel: Honey Bunny (Amazon Prime)
In the Indian series from the world of Citadel, stuntman Bunny and actress Honey team up for a high-stakes world of action, espionage and betrayal. But years later their dangerous past catches up, and the pair reunite to protect their daughter Nadia.
Silo Season 2 (Apple TV)
Delving deeper into the mystery of the silo’s origins, focused on the last 10,000 people on the planet, trying to stay alive in their titular mile-deep home underneath a desolate world above. Exiled to live outside the Silo, Rebecca Ferguson undertakes a mission across a desolate wasteland to unravel a web of lies about what really happened humanity.
Martha (Netflix)
A documentary which pulls back the curtain on one of America’s greatest self-made icons, Martha Stewart, from her start as a teenage model to her stint as a Wall Street stockbroker to her reign as the grand dame of entertaining and good taste. Interviews with her inner circle and never seen before footage illuminates the American Dream of a working class kid.
SPORTS CENTRE
UEFA Nations League (RTÉ 2, Thursday 14th, 7pm)
Live coverage of Republic of Ireland v Finland from the Aviva Stadium. Ireland have to win or draw – a defeat would automatically relegate them. It’s all to play for. KO 7.45pm.