Channel Hopping

ST PATRICK’S DAY FESTIVAL PARADE Today - RTÉ1, 12.15pm

EVEN if there hadn’t been a warning of inclement weather conditions, I’d have assumed as much. It is part of the tradition of March 17 that it is always bitterly cold, rain-lashed and overcast. I’d imagine it has been that way ever since the days of St Patrick himself. So if you want to see the parade, my advice would be to watch it somewhere that is surrounded by four walls and – most importantly of all – has a roof on top.

SHIRLEY Tomorrow - RTÉ2, 11.15pm

DURING my childhood, there seemed to be some sort of broadcasting regulation stipulating that Shirley Bassey had to be on the telly at least a dozen times per week. Even all these years later, I’m fairly sure I could perform a wordperfect version of Big Spender from memory alone. This 2011 biopic traces the rise of Shirley – the youngest in a family of eight children – from Cardiff’s Tiger Bay to international stardom. Ruth Negga stars as Shirley, left.

SPORT RELIEF Friday - BBC1, 7pm

HOSTED by Gary Lineker and Davina McCall, this year’s charity fundraiser will feature a live performance by Kylie Minogue. There is also a special footballers’ edition of Strictly Come Dancing featuring the ever so slightly ludicrous David Ginola.

FLEETWOOD MAC: DON’T STOP Friday – BBC4, 8pm

EVEN the begrudgers admit that Fleetwood Mac, left, made a few decent records in their day. But the drama behind the scenes has always been far more interesting than the actual music. As the BBC blurb puts it: ‘Their story, told in their own words, is an epic tale of love and control notation, of success and loss.’