SEVEN DAYS

MIKE MULVIHILL’S guide to the week’s TV

SUNDAY

Great Canal Journeys 8PM, CH4 HHHH

Timothy West and Prunella Scales have stowed their deck shoes and handed over the tiller to Sheila Hancock and Gyles Brandreth for a new two-parter exploring London’s waterways. Sheila proves herself a natural helmswoman – Gyles, not so much.

I’m A Celebrity – A Jungle Story 8.10PM/9PM, UTV/VIRGIN ONE HHHH

Ahead of the new series, starting soon and based in a new location in Wales, this one-off special sees hosts Ant and Dec looking back over the best moments across 19 series of the celebrity challenge.

His Dark Materials HHHH

8.10PM, BBC1

See TV Week, page 25.

Roadkill 9PM, BBC1 HHHH

It’s a shame that David Hare’s political drama is reaching its conclusion after just four episodes as these characters still have plenty of room to grow, particularly Hugh Laurie’s wonderfully amoral MP Peter Laurence. Will his past finally catch up with him?

The Trials Of Oscar Pistorius 9.10PM, BBC2 HHHH

This four-part documentary tells the story of the remarkable rise and fall of the Paralympic sprint champion. The ‘Blade Runner’ was an international hero who inspired millions until, in 2013, he shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The full series is available on BBC iPlayer now.

My Year With The Tribe 11.30PM, RTé2 HHH

Writer Will Millard visits the Korowai people in West Papua to understand the pressures they face in adapting to a modern world. Tonight, he meets two old men, White Beard and his brother, who are living in a forest treehouse.

MONDAY An Teach Seo Againne 7.30PM, RTé ONE HHH

Cameras are set up in the homes of four single-parent and co-parent households leading up to and during the pandemic. The resulting footage shows that traditional forms may have changed, but the spirit of family remains.

Nigella: Cook, Eat, Repeat

8PM, BBC2 HHH

Back after a three-year absence comes the domestic goddess for a new series which, we are promises ‘a visual feast’. Here are the recipes that Nigella Lawson returns to again and again, and she hopes you will, too – I’m not sure about that banana peel curry, though.

10 Things To Know About HHH

8.30PM, RTé ONE

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, Kathriona Devereux and Jonathan McCrea kick off a new series by shedding light on light, including how infra-red is used to monitor the lung function of premature babies.

Food Unwrapped Investigates 8.30PM, CH4 HHH

Increasingly, young people are being exposed to the marketing of so-called miracle diet supplements. Kate Quilton learns about the role of social media in selling these products.

My Family, The Holocaust And Me With Robert Rinder 9PM, BBC1 HHHH

In this moving, new two-part series, the TV judge investigates further his own family’s Holocaust stories, which he first explored on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2018. He will also be helping the relatives of three families who have experienced the Holocaust to discover the full truth about their loved ones.

The Diana Interview: Revenge Of A Princess

HHHH

9PM, VIRGIN ONE/UTV

Another documentary that examines the impact of the Princess of Wales’s explosive Panorama interview with Martin Bashir in 1995. Concludes on Tuesday at 9pm.

TUESDAY Future Island

7PM, RTé ONE HHH

Liz Bonnin celebrates the country’s scientists and hears predictions on what the next few years may hold. For the first programme she is joined by Phil Smyth and Professor Luke O’Neill to examine the future of public health.

The Great British Bake Off HHHHH

8PM, CH4

For dessert week, the remaining bakers take on a miniature version of a classic cheesecake, a technical challenge that dates back to the 17th century, and a showstopping jelly art cake.

Industry 9.15PM, BBC2 HHHH

This new BBC/HBO co-production is an exhilarating new drama following a group of ambitious twentysomething graduates as they start work at a top investment bank in London. The ruthless world of international finance is an unforgiving place, awash with sex, drugs and a ‘greed is good’ culture only suitable for those with the biggest appetites.

Educating Greater Manchester

9.15PM, CH4 HHHH

Harrop Fold’s teachers address the issue of teenage pregnancies by giving some students interactive babies to look after – which, of course, is met with great amusement. Rani, meanwhile, decides to play a prank on best friend Jack.

Great Art HHH

10.45PM, UTV

This first of a new series of the fascinating arts strand explores Vincent van Gogh’s passion for Japan and the influence the

Land of the Rising Sun had on him and his art.

WEDNESDAY Your Home Made Perfect 8PM, RTé2 ★★★

Angela Scanlon meets Becky and Cris, who feel that their 1960s home is dark with a poor layout. Using virtual reality, architects Laura Jane Clark and Robert Jamison show them possible solutions, but whose plan will they choose?

The Repair Shop

8PM, BBC1 ★★★★★

A small mosaic cross brought luck to the soldier who kept it in the breast pocket of his uniform: it deflected an enemy bullet and saved his life. His daughter brings it in to be restored in this remarkable new episode.

Sarah Beeny’s New Life In The Country

8PM, CH4 ★★★★ Follow property expert Sarah, husband Graham and their four boys as they quit London for a fresh start in the country on a semi-derelict former dairy farm in Somerset.

De Gaulle In éirinn 9.30PM, TG4

★★★

To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Charles de Gaulle, this documentary looks at his visit to Ireland in 1969. It explores the circumstances surrounding the six-week trip and how it strengthened ties between Ireland and Europe.

THURSDAY Ear To The Ground 8.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★

Darragh McCullough is on-site in

Co Meath to find out how a business is producing fly larvae for animal feed and what this could mean for Irish farming. Ella McSweeney learns more about the fight to save the freshwater pearl mussel.

Catastrophe 9PM, RTé2

★★★

Sex And The City’s Chris Noth guest stars as Rob is under scrutiny when his big boss pays him a visit in London and starts taking a keen interest in his career. Meanwhile, Sharon is feeling uneasy about a strange moisture patch at work.

The Good Fight

10.15PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

After their rendezvous last week, Liz and Caleb find themselves spending more time together, although now it’s for workrelated reasons. One of Caleb’s army buddies is being court martialled for sabotaging his superior officer’s weapon and Liz is assigned to work on the case with him. Can they prove that the soldier acted with good intentions?

Fantasy Ireland

11.30PM, RTé2 ★★★

The animated comedy continues as upfrom-the-country Ciara, South Dublin snob Tony and West Dublin chancer Jay battle the greedy and power-hungry Father Murphy and his sidekick, the Leprechaun Flatley

FRIDAY Between The Covers

7.30PM, BBC2 ★★★ Newsreader Babita Sharma and comedian Dave Gorman are among the celebrities sharing their favourite reads with Sara Cox.

My Uni Life

7.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

Each year, more than 5,000 students are helped and supported by the Access and Disability programmes run by seven of Ireland’s Universities. This documentary series is meeting some of them, and the second episode introduces us to Shaun Fogarty who reveals how he overcame life threatening injuries to study Mobile Communications and Security at the University of Limerick.

The Late Late Show 9.35PM, RTé ONE ★★★

From talking to A-listers to showcasing the best of Ireland’s smallest businesses, The Late, Late Show does it all. But what will be the major taking points this week, as Ryan Tubridy hosts another edition of the chat show?

SATURDAY The Hit List Celebrity Special 6.25PM, BBC ONE ★★★

Dancer AJ Pritchard and his brother Curtis — of Love Island fame — journalist Kate Silverton, presenter Anneka Rice, medic Dr Ranj Singh, and DJ Dev Griffin put their pop knowledge to the test.

McFly: All About Us 6.40PM, UTV ★★★

McFly’s band members were still in their teens when they became pop stars, and went on to have seven UK numbers ones, sell 10 million records and make an appearance in a film. And then they took a break. In this show, they talk for the first time about the reasons behind that decision, while also reflecting on the group’s origins and their personal and professional highs and lows.

The Voice UK Final

8.40PM, VIRGIN ONE AND UTV ★★★ The live shows had to be postponed due to Covid-19, but the final is now here. Emma Willis presents as the four remaining acts battle it out to win a recording contract.

Deirdre O’Kane Talks Funny

9.15PM, RTé ONE ★★★

The chat show continues as comedian Deirdre O’Kane welcomes another famous face for a in-depth talk about their life and what makes them tick, and a look back at some of their career highlights.