TV PICKS OF THE WEEK

DUE DATE, RTE2, WEDNESDAY 9.30PM

Frenetic comedy starring Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifiankis as strangers who embark on a road trip after being thrown together by fate.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) is on a plane, flying home to be with his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan), who is due to give birth. Sitting behind Peter is a man named Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), who is going to LA to be an actor and is planning to scatter his recently deceased father’s ashes at the Grand Canyon. When Ethan misuses the words “terrorist” and “bomb” while talking to Peter, they are both escorted off the plane. This is only the first of a series of misadventures caused by the drastically dysfunctional Ethan. Peter, now on the No Fly List and missing his wallet, agrees to drive with Ethan to Los Angeles.

DECLINE AND FALL, BBC1, FRIDAY 9PM

Jack Whitehall, David Suchet and Eva Longoria head the cast of this new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel.

When Paul Pennyfeather is expelled from Oxford, he gets a job at a ramshackle boarding school in Wales where he meets an array of eccentric colleagues and falls in love with a pupil’s glamorous mother, Margot Beste- Chetwynde, a wealthy widow with designs on the naive Paul.

LIVE LEAGUE OF IRELAND, RTE2, FRIDAY 7.25PM

Domestic football is back on our screens with the season now well underway, although there is a shadow over the action with the tragic death of Derry City captain, Ryan McBride at the young age of 27.

The Derry captain featured for his team in wins over both teams on Friday night’s live coverage, scoring a goal against Dundalk.

The match sees the return of the Louth derby, following Drogheda United’s promotion last season.

Dundalk have already lost twice in their opening six games, with a 2-1 defeat to their big title rivals Cork City last Saturday while Drogheda have made a steady start to their season.

It is a must win came for the defending champions.

MASTERCHEF, BBC1, WEDNESDAY 8PM

Sixty-four amateur chefs will compete over four gruelling weeks for the MasterChef 2017 title, and tonight the first eight hopefuls make their debut in front of John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

They are tasked with selecting ingredients from the MasterChef market to cook a dazzling dish. Three people whose meals aren’t up to scratch will be sent home.