TV HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY
Dermot Bannon’s New York Homes, RTE1, 9.30pm One of Ireland’s best-known architects visits some outstanding homes in America. Bannon meets homeowners, architects and realtors who show him around awardwinning homes and introduce him to some incredible living spaces. Tonight’s visits include a penthouse in a skyscraper with a 360-degree panorama of the city, a farmhouse in Hanger, New Jersey to the Hamptons, New York to snoop around a super home. Attenborough and the Giant Elephant, BBC1, 9pm The naturalist investigates the remarkable life and death of Jumbo the elephant, who is said to have inspired the movie Dumbo. Attenborough joins a team of scientists and conservationists to unravel the story behind this amazing animal. With access to Jumbo’s skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History, the team work to figure out how big he was and how he was treated in captivity. As well as Jumbo’s skeleton, Attenborough explores the lives of wild elephants and explains how our attitudes to captive elephants are changing. Would You Believe? The Secret of Christmas, RTE1, 10.30pm A collection of heartwarming and inspiring stories from across Ireland of kindly people who bring magic and meaning to Christmas. Sadly, the holiday can be hard for many and other people’s jovial celebrations can make people feel even more isolated. Here, volunteers work hard to ensure that no one goes hungry or feels lonely this festive season. Among them, Kate Durrant, who along with her St Vincent de Paul team puts together 2500 special Christmas hampers, and Pat Carey and his wife Margaret who put up a brilliant Christmas lights display around their house and garden, and invite donations in aid of the Mercy Cancer Appeal.
MONDAY
Nigella’s Christmas Table, BBC2, 8pm Against a glorious backdrop of crackling log fires and twinkling fairy lights, the cook shares her top tips for entertaining. The domestic goddess throws a party, serving platters of devilled eggs and a sparkling cocktail. She also creates a feast of roast duck with orange, soy and ginger alongside garlic and parmesan mashed potato gratin, and soursweet soused red cabbage with cranberries. For dessert, there’s a delectable sticky toffee pudding and no churn Brandy salted caramel ice-cream. Yummy. Bancroft, TV3, 9pm Sarah Parish takes the role of dedicated copper Ellie Bancroft in this four-part thriller. Bancroft has given her life to the force and is trusted and revered by her colleagues. Here, she is leading the charge against the violent Kamara gang. Meanwhile, DS Katherine Stevens (Faye Marsay) is given a cold murder case involving a woman who was stabbed 18 times in a frenzied attack in 1990. As the two women’s paths cross, Katherine learns that her case isn’t cut and dry and Ellie realises her secrets that might be difficult to hide. Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas, Channel 4, 5pm This 10-part crafty series offers an explosion of festive cheer, and features competitions, decorations, food, drink and gifts. Each episode, the cream of craft makers gather at Kirstie’s Christmas HQ for a competition that will culminate in a winner-takes-all showdown. Here, four sugar crafters race against the clock to create magical cakes. There are also beautiful baubles, personalised gift tags and a gorgeous Christmas garland you’ll want to use every year. The World’s Most Expensive Presents, Channel 4, 9pm It may be tricky to pick up the perfect gift for a loved one when your budget is tight, but what about when money is no object? For the lucky few, they have a network of high-end suppliers of luxurious goods at their fingertips. Among the grandiose gifts are a 24-carat gold-plated bike worth £250,000, a milliondollar watch and a beautiful ball gown costing an eye-watering £40,000 — for an exceedingly pampered pooch. How the other half live indeed. Motherland, BBC2, 10pm Comedy about the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood starring Anna Maxwell and Diane Morgan. In the finale, Julia’s childcare problems are solved after she finds the perfect nanny but one of her other relationships is suffering. Elsewhere, Amanda is keeping a low profile after Kevin blurted out her secret and the school caretaker is in hospital. After the Headlines, RTE2, 9.35pm Veteran journalist Charlie Bird returns to some of the most newsworthy stories in Ireland and meets those at the heart of each case. On Valentine’s night 1981, revellers were letting their hair down in the Stardust nightclub. At around 1.40am, a fire suddenly broke out, leading to one of the worst tragedies the country has ever known; 214 people were injured and 48 young people lost their lives. Bird covered the story at the time and what he saw in the days that followed will stay with him forever. He meets the survivors and families of the victims, who, all these years later, are still fighting for the truth.
WEDNESDAY
Tastes Like Home, RTE1, 7.30pm In the finale, Catherine visits Thousand Oaks in LA and Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary. In LA, the chef goes wine tasting, visits Malibu beach and samples the local seafood. Back in Carrick-on-Suir, she meets Ethel Power and her family, and learns how they cook their Aunt Bernadette’s beef stew. Catherine herself cooks up a dish of grilled prawns with mango and papaya. James Joyce: A Shout in the Street, RTE1, 9.35pm Angelica Huston tells the story of the life and works of James Joyce, widely regarded as one of the most important writers of the last century. Joyce’s story begins with his chaotic childhood in Dublin and what follows is a freight train of ambition, rejection, fame, madness and sacrifice. Huston has a special connection with Ireland and with Joyce’s work, and delivered a stirring performance in the last movie made by her movie director father John in an adaptation of Joyce’s short story The Dead. Vanished by the Lake, Channel 4, 10pm French crime drama from the Walter Presents strand, starring Barbara Schulz, Marie-Anne Chazel and Lannick Gautry. A homicide detective returns to her hometown to care for her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease. There, she discovers that a teenager has vanished during a local celebration. The case has alarming parallels with a personal tragedy she suffered 15 years before when her two best friends went missing at the same annual event. Could the two tragic incidents be linked?
THURSDAY
The Tunnel, Sky Atlantic, 9pm Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann (Stephen Dillane and Clemence Poesy) reunite to investigate another crossChannel case in this third and concluding chapter of the chilling drama. Here, Karl and Elise investigate when a French Eurotunnel worker meets a grisly end after being attacked by a plague of rats in Calais, and three British children go missing from their home in Kent. David Brophy’s Choir of Ages, RTE1, 10.15pm In the finale, friendships between the young and old continue to flourish as 10-year-old Saoirse and her sister Roisin come to pensioner Muriel’s aid by teaching her how to email the music video and Skype her grandson in Canada. The episode ends with the grand finale as the talented choir takes to the stage at the RDS and are joined by some very special guests including singers Una Healey, Paul Brady and Mary Coughlan.
FRIDAY
The Sweet makers at Christmas, BBC2, 9pm Treats are an integral part of Christmas, from candy canes and sugar mice to yule logs and chocolate coins. Here, four modern confectioners recreate the treats of Christmas past and discover how their predecessors helped create the many culinary festive traditions that we know and love today. I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out, TV3, 9pm After a stint in the jungle, the celebrities are ready to get back to their lives of luxury. This special follows the stars as they step off the famous footbridge to enjoy emotional reunions with their family and friends.
SATURDAY
Strictly Come Dancing; The Grand Final, BBC1, 6.30pm It’s a sure sign that Christmas is around the corner when the ball room extravaganza has its all-star final. Tess and Claudia are at the helm as the remaining four couples dance in the hopes of taking the Glitterball Trophy home. Tonight, each of the couples will dance three times. They’ll pick a dance routine from earlier in the series that they will hope to improve on, perform a showdance and finally, their favourite routine. The Graham Norton Show, TV3, 11pm The principals of the eagerly awaited latest instalment of the sci-fi saga Star Wars: The Last Jedi grace Graham’s red sofa. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill chat about their upcoming blockbuster. Music is from Sam Smith who will perform his latest single Pray.