TV HIGHLIGHTS
MONDAY
Eden, C4, 9pm Despite millennia of trying, there hasn’t been a successful Utopia created yet. Nearly two dozen men and women drop out of the rat race to see if they can build their own less frenetic world in the Highlands of Scotland – and we mean build – from scratch. Tension is now creeping into the settlement, as attractiveness and romance start to be factors. Meanwhile, one member is trying to create two camps, one consisting of all the good people, while casting out the lazy and good-for-nothings. Filmed over a year, this is the last visit to the camp for the moment. Brexit: The Battle for Britain, BBC2, 9pm The astonishing ramifications of June’s referendum in Britain which resulted in a vote to leave the EU has produced a cataclysm which will reverberate for years to come, and not only in the UK. BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg looks at why the referendum was held, why it produced that result, and what’s in store for the future. Naked Attraction, C4, 10pm It’s good to know that in this age of the internet a TV programme can still stir up controversy with a bit of nudity. Two new single people, mum Tracy and mobile phone salesman Matthew join host Anna Richardson for another episode as they are matched with someone after seeing them naked. It’s only then that they put on their clothes for a date, thus turning decades of dating etiquette on its head.
TUESDAY
Location, Location, Location, C4, 8pm You know you’ve made it in TV when you’re famous enough to be referred to by your first name. Kirstie and Phil are back with a new series helping those who can still afford it to buy their dream home. In tonight’s opener, they try to help first-time buyers Jenny and Tom beat the buyer’s market in Southampton, while Georgie and Will’s attempts to find a house in the New Forest are stymied by his working during the week in Belgium. Last Orders with Gay Byrne, RTE1, 9.35pm In this authored documentary, the broadcaster (a former past pupil of Synge Street CBS in Dublin) traces the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland, from the end of the penal days when it emerged as a champion of the Irish poor and downtrodden, through the late 19th century and most of the 20th century when it became a power in the land and almost a shadow State, to recent decades, when child abuse scandals, cover-ups and accusations of hypocrisy have humbled it and brought it low. Congregations are falling and vocations are collapsing. Dice, Sky Atlantic, 10.10pm Controversial comic and 1990s megastar Andrew Dice Clay plays a semi-fictionalised version of himself as he hits the comeback trail after years of living in suburban anonymity in Las Vegas. But can his unsubtle brand of comedy which used to sell out stadiums still offer him a way back to the big time as the sun begins to set on Barack Obama’s America? In the first of a double bill, we find him with gambling debts to pay off, his son’s heavy metal band to manage and dealing with fans of his one-time macho persona.
WEDNESDAY
Love Your Garden, UTV Ireland, 8pm Alan Titchmarsh makes over another sorry looking patch of land for a deserving person. Tonight, there’s a cruise ship theme going into the garden of Rosie Mitchell –including a prowshaped patio. She’s not only been a pediatric nurse for 30 years but she has often gone far and beyond the call of duty by setting up her own charity, which, to date, has raised more than £1.5m to buy life-saving equipment for the local hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. Horizon Special: Inside CERN, BBC2, 8pm For some time now the boffins at CERN have been running record amounts of energy through the Large Hadron Collider on the French-Swiss border. A mysterious bump has appeared on the data, which suggests to some of the scientists that a new particle might have been discovered, that could prove the existence of different dimensions and even explain the origin of the universe. But first, cameras follow the team as they try to prove the particle exists. Versailles, BBC2, 9pm The first series of the epic tale of the infamous ‘Sun King’ of France, Louis XIV, and how he cemented his grip on the country by moving the Royal court to Versailles, abstaining from sex long enough to murder people. There’s a traitor in court, and Duchess Henriette has fallen ill on her return from England, where she was seeing her brother. With fears that she may have been poisoned, Louis puts the court into lockdown, heightening tensions and feelings among the aristocracy. Things could get very messy in such an atmosphere.
ThUrSDAY
The Supervet: Bionic Specials, C4, 8pm Channel 4 returns to the amazing Fitzpatrick Referrals to look at how Irish vet Professor Noel Fitzapatrick is pushing the boundaries in vet care, and the science behind his surgeries. He surpasses himself tonight with the help of two new technologies: 3D printing and 3D milling. A 3D-milled titanium piece is used to replace a cancer-affected part of a dog’s skull, while 3D printing and a very intense six-hour operation could help to fix a birth defect in a dog’s leg. Love Child, more4, 9pm The trials and tribulations of Joan, the medic who arrived in Sydney just as the 1960s were beginning to swing, is horrified to learn that in a maternity unit in the city’s King’s Cross district forced adoptions are still very much prevalent in the country. Before she sorts the country out, she has to complete her own medical degree, and is surprised when she is supported by the least likely doctor in the hospital. But there’s still a nerve-wracking interview to get through. Plus, Annie’s new job could lead to the opportunity of a lifetime. The People vs OJ Simpson: An American Crime Story, RTE1, 10.10pm It’s a a real tribute to the cast and crew that a result that anyone over 30 knows hasn’t prevented such a gripping dramatisation of the OJ Simpson murder trial of the late 1990s. The former American football star refuses to testify in his own defence and the jury goes out to deliberate. However, much to everyone’s surprise, they’re only out for a few hours, and return with a verdict that will still be much debated in America 20 years down the line.
FrIDAY
Highlands – Scotland’s Wild Heart, BBC2, 9pm It’s now summer in the mountains, and all of the animals are obsessed with feeding and nurturing their young. For some this means a ceaseless round of feeding and fetching before it’s time for them to leave. Some leave more dramatically than others. On Handa island off Sutherland, 30,000 pairs of guillemots breed, and their young face a death-defying leap from a cliff edge in order to leave the nest. Ewan McGregor narrates. The Outlaws, more4, 9pm The bleak black comedy continues in the latest Walter presents... strand of subtitled drama. The insurance investigators, the DeWitt brothers, are still looking into the mysterious death of the husband of the only married sister of five. As it turns out, the four other siblings loathed Jean-Claude and have been trying to do away with him for ages. But the widow Goedele is forced to admit the couple had intimacy issues, and that he was more interested in work than marriage. Celebrity Big Brother: Live Eviction, TV3, 9pm Every year it seems, pub talk suggests that CBB is really stretching the definition of famous. Yet every year we keep at least on eye on the goings-on in the house as Big Brother toys with those who dare take the programme on. Time’s up for one of the contestants tonight, but which one? Emma Willis asks one of them to leave, while Marcus Bentley looks back at what the survivors have been up to in the last 24 hours.
SATUrDAY
BBC Proms 2016: Gershwin Gala with the John Wilson Orchestra, BBC2, 7.30pm The recent Proms tribute to David Bowie may have divided the critics and mystified The Thin White Duke’s fans, but we’re on safer ground tonight with a more traditional honour. The John Wilson Orchestra and its eponymous conductor take on two of the greats of music of any era – songwriters and composers George and Ira Gershwin. There’s a bumper crop of the brothers’ best tunes, including Fascinatin’ Rhythm, Love Walked In and a slice of An American in Paris. Immediately beforehand at 6.50pm, Katie Derham presents Proms Extra, with highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Holst’s Planets. Saturday Night with Miriam, RTE1, 9.50pm Pick your favourite beverage and curl up on the sofa to join Miriam O’Callaghan as she talks to the famous about their lives, loves and current projects. There is also often an emphasis on human interest stories, current affairs, sport and music. Saturday Kitchen Live, BBC1, 10am John Torode takes a break from critiquing the work of the MasterChef guests to present the food and drink programme. There are plenty of clips from the BBC food archive, while Peter Richards is the expert choosing the best wine to complement today’s selection of dishes.