Blindboy explores origins and evolution of early Christianity

TV WEEK

TOP SPECIALS (Wednesday 20th to Tuesday 26th)

My Brilliant Friend (Sky Atlantic, Wednesday 20th, 9pm)

Based on the best-selling novels by Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend follows Elena Greco and Raffaella ‘Lila’ Cerullo over 60 years. They are entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 1980s amid motherhood, career demands, betrayals and natural disasters.

After The Party (CH4, Wednesday 20th, 9pm)

Penny is a science teacher, basketball coach, mother and grandmother in her close-knit town of Wellington. But five years ago, her world imploded when she accused her husband of a sex crime – and nobody believed her. When her now ex-husband returns to town, Penny must decide what’s more important – the truth or rebuilding her relationships.

Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin (BBC 1, Thursday 21st, 9pm)

Howard Marks, aka Mr Nice, was one of the world’s most prolific cannabis smugglers. At the height of his illegal operations, he was trafficking tens of millions of dollars’ worth across the globe. For the first time, this series brings together Marks’ criminal inner circle and the law enforcers who spent years tracking him down, to tell the ultimate cat and mouse tale.

Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem (BBC 2, Friday 22nd, 9pm)

In 1994, editor James Brown spotted an opportunity to create a general interest men’s magazine in a world fixated on yuppies and the New Man. With a team of bucky young hopefuls, they birthed Loaded, a magazine that went on to define the lad culture of the 1990s.

Matlock (Sky Witness, Tuesday 26th, 9pm)

Inspired by the classic television series of the same name, Kathy Bates is Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanour and wily tactics to win cases.

Prime Time Leaders Debates (RTÉ 1, Tuesday 26th, 9.35pm)

As the voting day draws ever closer, Prime Time hosts the final campaign debate with leaders of the three largest political parties facing important questions from presenters Miriam O’Callaghan and Sarah McInerney.

WATCH OF THE WEEK

Blindboy: Land Of Slaves and Scholars (RTÉ 1, November 1st, 10.15pm)

Blindboy Boatclub, writer and podcaster, doesn’t believe in any god or religion. That aside, his curiosity drives him to explore the origins and evolution of early Irish Christianity, hermits, saints and monasteries, trying to discover who they were, what motivated them and what and did they contribute to the Irish writing tradition.

BEST FILMS

The Bucket List (RTÉ 2, Wednesday 20th, 9pm)

Billionaire Jack Nicholson and car mechanic Morgan Freeman are strangers with a common ailment of terminal cancer. With a desire to complete a list of things they want to do before they die, they ignore doctor’s orders and set out on the adventure of a lifetime.

The Mustang (CH4, Thursday 21st, 1.35am)

Brude Dern and Matthias Schoenaerts star in this uplifting tale about how the taming of a wild horse brings out the humanity in a violent convict. A visually beautiful and riveting story set around the cathartic connection between a troubled man and a wild horse.

A Fistful Of Dollars TG4, Friday 22nd, 9pm)

Clint Eastwood in the film that made him a global star. Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in a Mexican village during a power struggle between the sheriff and the three outlaw brothers. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold is waylaid by the brothers, Joe is hired to join the gang, but plays one side against the other.

Thanksgiving (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Monday)

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorises Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan.

CLASSIC MOVIE

The Mis-Education Of Bindu (RTÉ 2, Wednesday 20th, 9.40pm)

Starring Priyanka Bose and David Arquette, this teenage coming of age comedy drama focuses on a bullied Indian American schoolgirl who forges her mother’s signature to take a test that will allow her change schools. But when she discovers she has to pay a large test fee, she’s left with no choice but to turn for help to the students she desperately wants to avoid.

KIDS STUFF

Fungi: Web of Life (BBC 4, Wednesday 20th, 8pm)

Much of life on Earth is connected by a vast, hidden network that we are only just beginning to understand. Out of sight, between the world of plants and animals, another world exists, the kingdom of fungi. Through the eyes of passionate biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake, Fungi: Web of Life travels the world, exploring the secret world of fungi. Narrated by Björk.

If (Sky Cinema Premier, from Friday)

From writer and director John Krasinski, If follows a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends – and what she does with that superpower – as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten Ifs with their kids.

ON DEMAND

Bad Sisters (Apple TV)

It’s two years after the ‘accidental’ death of Grace’s abusive husband JP, and the close-knit Garvey sisters have moved on – only to encounter a new set of troubles to contend with. Eva, the eldest sister, now in her 50s, is seeking equilibrium in a life that’s both chaotic and rewarding.

Say Nothing (Disney+)

Based on the best-selling book by Patrick Radden Keefe, ranked on the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st century, it is a story of murder in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, and opens with the disappearance of Jean McConville, a single mother of 10 who was abducted from her home in 1972 and never seen alive again. It explores the extremes people will go to in their beliefs, and how society can tip over into conflict.

Cross (Amazon Prime)

Based on the novels by James Patterson, the series follows Alex Cross, a detective, forensic psychologist and family man, who is obsessive in digging into the minds of killers and victims in order to identify the victims and catch the killers.

SPORTS CENTRE

Autumn Internationals – Ireland v Fiji (Virgin Media 1, Saturday 23rd, 3pm)

Ireland face Fiji at the Aviva Stadium in the third of four autumn internationals. In their most recent encounter, Ireland beat the Flying Fijians 35-17 during the 2022 autumn series. This will be only the sixth time that the two teams have met in a Test match, and Ireland have won all five previous encounters.