TV HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY Keeping Canada Alive,
3e, 7pm Cameras follow the real-life stories of those cared for by Canada’s healthcare system. Hope, dreams and relationships are under the spotlight as staff and patients are thrust into dramatic life and death situations. It’s a fascinating exploration into human resilience against the odds.
Strike: Career of Evil,
BBC1, 9pm Private detective Cormoran Strike visits several London strip clubs in order to find out more about murder suspect, Niall Brockbank. Elsewhere, Robin’s relationship with Matthew hits the rocks and she’s left to ponder how she feels about commitment. Her mother arrives in London to try to convince her that getting married is the best option. However, things get dark once again when Matthew finds a severed thumb in the kettle and Robin returns to attempt to comfort him.
Room to Improve,
RTE1, 9.30pm Architect Dermot Bannon takes on one of his trickiest projects to date when he takes on the wishes of a very fussy client. Unfortunately, her lofty aspirations don’t match her budget. IT manager Christine has bought a red brick terraced house in Clontarf, north Dublin and she has big plans for her abode, but Dermot quickly discovers that her 130,000 Euro budget won’t cover her demands. Will Dermot be able to convince her to see reason?
MONDAY How’s Your Driving?
RTE1, 8.30pm The series concludes tonight with unsafe vehicles under the spotlight. Test drivers Adam and Aoife learn how bald and soft tyres can have a serious and very dramatic affect on their driving abilities. Viewers also get to see some of the dangers which are lurking under the bonnet and find out what the people who drive our nation’s roads for a living think of sharing them with the rest of us.
Collateral,
BBC2, 9pm The bristling drama starring Carey Mulligan draws to a close tonight. As dawn breaks on a new day, the police are able to use Fatima’s video footage to arrest Mehmet and Bhuran. In Westminster David Mars has a meeting with party leader Deborah Clifford and is given a chance to fall in line. Plus, at the station, Jack gives Kip a hard time for offering Fatima residency but Kip is determined to not let her down.
The 90th Academy Awards,
RTE2, 9.30pm Jimmy Kimmel presents the glittering bash from the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles. The great and the good of Hollywood will turn up in their finest to hear who will be honoured with the industry’s most prestigious gong. Among the Oscar nominees are Ireland’s Saoirse Ronan as well as Margot Robbie, while Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington are in the leading men’s category.
TUESDAY Stetsons & Stilettos,
RTE1, 7pm If you’re looking for love, a country and western festival might not be the first place which comes to mind as the songs are usually about splitting up, but it’s exactly where some find their partner. Thousands of young singles descend on a festival dedicated to pairing up country-loving individuals. It’s a good thing that the wifi is poor as the singletons must put in the effort in person if they want to secure a cheeky kiss, and the prospect of a future date. Some take it a step further with a couple agreeing to get hitched on the main stage and a proposal in the audience. Love really is in the country air.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off Stand Up to Cancer,
Channel 4, 8pm There’s only one thing better than baking cakes, and that’s baking them to raise money for charity. In each episode of this tasty favourite, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding are joined by four different celebrities hoping to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their baking skills. In the first episode, Harry Hill, Martin Kemp, Roisin Conaty and Bill Turnbull bake cupcakes and there’s a rather demanding showstopper challenge.
The Works Presents,
RTE1, 11.10pm The arts show returns with John Kelly grilling author Roddy Doyle about his life’s work. The man who penned cult classic The Commitments is mostly known for his portrayal of the resilience of working class people. In this programme, Roddy chats to John about his 11th ironically named novel Smile, and the inspiration behind it.
WEDNESDAY Neven’s Irish Food Trails,
RTE1, 8.30pm Chef Neven Maguire travels to Rathmooney, Co Dublin, home to the Country Crest farm, then on to Adare Manor, which has recently undergone an expensive renovation. Next, he travels to Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny to the Little Mill Company. Back home, Neven cooks up a delicious meal of bourguignon with mashed potato.
One Born Every Minute,
Channel 4, 9pm This new run of the deeply moving and awe-inspiring series moves to Birmingham Women’s Hospital and follows the story of emotional parents as they welcome new life into the world. Rav and Sharon are expecting their second child while Rhiana and Lee are also waiting to meet their second son, and are hoping for a textbook waterbirth, but will it all go to plan?
Earth’s Natural Wonders,
BBC1, 9pm It’s the final episode of the series which looks at marvels of nature. In Brazil, the Kamayura people of the Xingu Indigenous Park believe the key to staying healthy is appeasing the spirits. At one key festival, the villagers must dance to the ‘bird spirit’ and the more they exert themselves, the happier the spirit will be. To make the festival a success, Perri and his family organise a massive fishing expedition to sustain the dancers for their endurance test. In Ethiopia, villagers in the Tigray region climb a huge, vertiginous mountainside to reach their church.
THURSDAY Cloch le Carn — Jimmy Magee,
RTE1, 7pm This show takes a look back at the career of broadcasting institution Jimmy Magee, known as the voice of Irish sport on RTE. Over the course of his impressive career, he provided commentary on 12 World Cups and 13 Olympic Games. Although born in America, Jimmy was raised in Co Louth. He left school at 15 to support his family after his father died and worked for a local pharmacy and British Rail before settling on a career in broadcasting. Jimmy also dabbled in the music business and compiled Ireland’s first ever Top 10 in the early 1960s. His first love was Gaelic football and he always had the ambition of commentating on the All-Ireland Final. Contributors include Sean Ban Breathnach, Tadhg de Brun and Michael O Muircheartaigh.
What Are You Eating?
RTE1, 8.30pm This new run of the informative culinary show sees Philip Boucher-Hayes take on the challenge of becoming vegan for a whole month. He eases himself in by learning to shop differently and by joining the Vegan in Ireland walking tour. In the kitchen, Hilary O’Hagan-Brennan teaches him how to make a delicious dish that satisfies some meat cravings without using either real or fake meat.
Eavan Boland: Is it Still the Same?
RTE1, 10.15pm Here is a vivid portrait of the writer who has been called “the first great woman poet in the history of Irish poetry”. The film explores Eavan’s unusual background, her experience of early exile in London and New York, her struggle to find her place in the male-dominated Dublin poetry scene and her involvement in the Irish Women’s Liberation movement.
FRIDAY Rough Justice,
More4, 9pm Belgian detective drama from the excellent Walter Presents strand, starring Hilde de Baerdemaeker, Luk Wyns, Lotte Pinoy and Bert Verbeke. No nonsense Superintendent Liese Meehout leads the homicide division of Antwerp’s police force. She and her dedicated team are not afraid to push the boundaries in their mission to serve up justice. Here, the body of a voracious newspaper hack is found near Antwerp’s harbour and Meehout and her team are thrust into a race against time before the killer strikes again.
Nashville,
Sky Living, 10pm If it’s Friday night escapism you’re after, here’s a glossy country music drama to sink your teeth into. Juliette is struggling to cope and after a public meltdown, she seeks to change her life and gets help from an unlikely source. Elsewhere, Deacon deals with crippling loneliness.
SATURDAY Hitchcock’s Shower Scene: 78/52,
BBC2, 9pm Director Alexandre O Philippe looks back on one of the most visually iconic, shocking scenes in cinematic history — Alfred Hitchcock’s shower-set murder in Psycho. He investigates the effort that went into filming it — a week-long shoot that required 78 camera set-ups and 52 edits in the cutting room — and the legacy that it left behind, not just for the director but for fright-filled cinema in general.
The Ray D’Arcy Show,
RTE1, 9.55pm The host returns for another thrilling instalment of his latenight chat show, as he welcomes more top names in for an intimate chat. As always he meets stars from the world of entertainment, sports and beyond.