Seven Days

MIKE MULVIHILL’S guide to the week’s TV

EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Sunday Mass

10AM, RTE ONE ★★★★

A Eurovision Mass, previously planned for Metz Cathedral, takes place instead in the Dominican Convent of St Jacques (St James the Great) in Paris, due to France’s COVID-related restrictions on indoor gatherings. Translation and commentary are by Fr Thomas McCarthy OP.

Countryfile 7PM, BBC1 ★★★★

The Countryfile presenters take a trip down memory lane as they pick out their favourite films from the archive, and so we get to see Anita Rani surfing in Snowdonia, Ellie Harrison counting gannets, and Matt Baker visiting an alpaca blood bank.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Celebrity Special 7PM, ITV ★★★★ Former footballer John Barnes, Pointless host Richard Osman and singer Charlotte Church are the stars braving the chair in this charity special. Jeremy Clarkson is quizmaster.

Food Unwrapped Does Chocolate 8PM, CH4 ★★★

You may not be able to head to the shops for Easter eggs this year, so here’s the next best thing as the Food Unwrapped team take a trip through the archives to look back at some favourite chocolatebased investigations.

The Nest 9PM, BBC1 ★★★★

As this increasingly deranged drama reaches its conclusion over the next two nights, things are running out of control – well, that’s the danger when you use a delinquent teenager as a surrogate mother for your baby. So, will Dan and Emily (Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle) end up playing happy families?

Belgravia 9PM, ITV ★★★

In the penultimate episode of Downtonlite, a jealous Oliver (Richard Goulding) threatens to ruin the lives of many as he makes a shocking discovery about Charles (Jack Bardoe), while John (Adam James) stoops to new lows when his plans are jeopardised.

EASTER MONDAY

Changing Ireland: My Big Idea 8.30PM, RTE ONE ★★★

The series catches up with more people who are working to make Ireland a better place. They’ve come up with ideas to tackle social problems ranging from housing and health to cutting down on food waste.

The Unteachables 9PM, VIRGIN ONE ★★★

In this new series, four teachers are taking on the ultimate challenge as they are faced with a class of teenagers who have all been labelled ‘disaffected’. Can the educators help to get the youngsters back on track in just four months?

Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Opry 9PM, BBC2 ★★★

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, and Dolly Parton has been a member of the organisation for 50 years. This special concert pays tribute to the Queen of Country with performances from Dolly and her star guests.

TUESDAY

Ireland On Call

7PM, RTE ONE ★★★

RTÉ’s new live television show presented by Katie Hannon and Brendan Courtney will guide viewers through the coronavirus crisis. From interviews with the experts to the first hand experiences of frontline workers and those providing essential services, the programme will showcase the combined national effort to get us through this unprecedented time.

Your Home Made Perfect 8PM, BBC2 ★★★

Punam and Anuj bought a 1930s house, which had been extended in the 1980s. But two of its five bedrooms aren’t big enough for a bed, the bathroom is tiny and the kitchen is dark and isolated. Can architects Laura Jane Clark and Robert Jamison give the couple the space they need for a growing family?

Our Girl 9PM, BBC1 ★★★

Still reeling after the rescue mission, Georgie (Michelle Keegan) is back home, where she’s struggling to come to terms with events. All that’s keeping her going is the thought of Omar facing justice, plus her own return to work – but neither outcome is a sure thing…

Prue Leith: Journey With My Daughter 9PM, CH4 ★★★★

Forty-five years ago, the writer, restaurateur and now Great British Bake Off judge and her husband adopted a baby, Li-Da, from Cambodia. Now, mum and daughter travel to southeast Asia to help Li-Da to reconnect with her roots – and, perhaps, to find members of her biological family.

Love And Hate Crime

10PM, RTE ONE ★★★

The true-crime documentary series turns its attention to the case of a young American accused of killing a Hispanic teenager close to Donald Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. The defence team are confident – but there’s a twist.

WEDNESDAY

The Repair Shop 8PM, BBC1 ★★★ This week, the wonderful restorers breathe new life into a wind-up bird cage, a host of carved angels, a Georgian peat bucket and a surgeon’s leather case.

Kate & Koji ★★★ 8PM, ITV

When her ex-husband (an almost unrecognisable Christopher Timothy) shows up with his much younger wife, Kate pretends to be in a relationship with Koji.

Devs 9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

This futuristic eight-part thriller from Alex Garland (who wrote and directed Ex Machina) follows a computer engineer investigating the secretive organisation which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.

Run 9PM, SKY COMEDY ★★★★

See TV feature, page 6.

Cogadh Ar Mhna

9.20PM, TG4 ★★★

This documentary explores an often hidden side of the Irish Revolution as it unearths the stories of the women who were victims of sexual violence during the era.

Survivor – Ghost Island 10.30PM, TG4 ★★★

The reality show is back for a 36th season, and this time the contestants are attempting to ‘reverse the curse’ of previous bad game decisions. But if they make new mistakes, they risk being banished to Ghost Island as punishment.

THURSDAY

Comhrá 7.30PM, TG4 ★★★

Máirtín Tom Sheáinín is back for a new series, and his first guest is Seosamh Ó Cuaig from Co. Galway. He speaks about his career with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, as well as his work as a Gaeltacht Civil Rights activist and politician.

Grayson’s Art Club 8PM, CH4 ★★★★

Joe Wicks is holding exercise classes, Jamie Oliver’s showing us how to cook – now, it’s the turn of Grayson Perry to do his bit while we self isolate with weekly masterclasses that will help to teach us all how to create art.

Gordon, Gino And Fred: American Road Trip

9PM, ITV ★★★

Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix head to San Francisco, where Gino wants to try the local craze for cannabis in cooking, followed by a spot of goat yoga.

The Truth About Traveller Crime: Dispatches 9PM, CH4 ★★★ Reporter Anja Popp goes in search of the truth behind the scare stories surrounding Traveller communities across Britain.

Are they responsible for a multitude of crimes, or are they the victims of prejudice?

FRIDAY

Gardeners’ World 8PM, BBC2

HHHH

Gardening is still one of the only joys left to us, so join Monty Don at Longmeadow for more inspirational ideas along with all the essential gardening jobs for this weekend.

Have I Got News For You 8.30PM, BBC1 ★★★★

Paul Merton and Ian Hislop are joined by guest host Victoria Coren Mitchell, and panellists including Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden.

Pangolins – The World’s Most Wanted Animal

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The endearing pangolin is the most illegally trafficked animal in the world due to the high demand for its scales in Chinese medicine. David Attenborough narrates the story of this critically endangered species, which is now linked to the coronavirus outbreak.

McDonald & Dodds 10PM, VIRGIN ONE ★★★

This opening episode of the detective series introduces us to wildly ambitious DCI McDonald (Tala Gouveia), who arrives in Bath after working in London. She’s paired with the shy DS Dodds (Jason Watkins), who has been happily stuck in a career rut for years. Yet despite their differences, the two come to appreciate each other’s talents when they look into a death at a wealthy industrialist’s home.

SATURDAY

Celebrity Mastermind

6.25PM, BBC1 ★★★★

John Humphrys invites a host of people including pop stars, comedians, sports stars and presenters to take to the black chair in the general knowledge quiz.

In For A Penny 6.30PM VIRGIN ONE & 7.30PM, UTV ★★★★

Stephen Mulhern is in Swansea, where he’s challenging the locals to games including Balanced Diet, which involves placing fruit on their partners, and finding out how good they really are at reverse parking.

Canada: A Year In The Wild

8.15PM, RTé2 ★★★★

The harsh winter has come to Canada, bringing some tough challenges with them – and for the male porcupine, the hardest is finding food. The beavers are more at risk from the ice covering their pond.

All Round To Mrs Brown’s 9.45PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

As the host of one of this year’s most-talked about programmes (or at least it was until we all became preoccupied with more serious matters), The Masked Singer, Joel Dommett is used to the more eccentric side of Saturday night television. But is he fully prepared for the Mrs Brown experience? Let’s hope so, as he’s one of the guests joining Agnes in her home tonight, along with morning TV presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes. The music comes courtesy of country duo The Shires.

A Woman’s Heart With The RTé Concert Orchestra

10.40PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

A Woman’s Heart, which featured 12 songs performed by six female artists, is one of the most successful Irish albums of all time. Here, it gets the full orchestra treatment.