Seven Days
ST STEPHEN’S DAY Racing from Leopardstown
1PM, RTé2★★★
Live coverage from day one of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival with Barry Geraghty, Lisa O’Neill and Ted Walsh, including the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Steeplechase.
Around The World In 80 Days
5.50PM, BBC1 ★★★★
This new twist on the Jules Verne classic starts with a double bill. David Tennant is Phileas Fogg, who, from the stuffy confines of his club, announces his daring plan to circumnavigate the globe.
Death In Paradise
7.30PM, BBC1 ★★★
Neville (Ralf Little) is preparing to hop on a plane back to Manchester for the holidays when a murder stops him in his tracks. Dwayne (Danny John-Jules) comes out of retirement to lend a hand as the team race to catch the culprit.
A Very British Scandal
9PM BBC1 ★★★★
New series. Drama starring Claire Foy
(The Crown) which focusses on the 1963 divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, notorious for scandalous accusations and salacious photographs.
Seán Ó Riada – Mo Sheanathair
9.20PM, TG4 ★★★
Fifty years on from the death of influential composer Seán Ó Riada, his granddaughter, the musician and broadcaster, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, sets out to learn more about his life and work.
MONDAY The Voice Kids 7.30PM, VIRGIN ONE
★★★
Melanie C makes her debut in this special, and arrives in style during a coaches’ performance of What Christmas Means To Me. The children are the real draw here, though, for their talent and the way the coaches encourage them.
Ireland’s Fittest Family – Celebrity Special
8PM, RTé ONE ★★★
Gráinne Gallanagh, David and Stephen Flynn, Sinéad Quinlan and Neil Delamere will all be hoping to do enough to stay in the game and bag €10,000 for their chosen charity, under the watchful eye of our four super competitive coaches, of course.
Wild Uganda 8PM, RTé2 ★★★★ How Uganda’s wildlife, including mountain gorillas and cave elephants, is thriving after years of poaching and civil war through the creation of national parks.
Róisín Reimagined
8.15PM, TG4 ★★★
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and the Irish Chamber Orchestra unite for a performance of fresh orchestral arrangements of classic sean nós songs.
The Tommy Tiernan Show Special
9.25PM, RTé ONE ★★★
Tommy Tiernan is back for a special edition of his chat show. Once again, he won’t know who the guests are until they walk out on to the set, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have some fascinating questions.
Bowie: Starman –
With The RTÉ Concert Orchestra
10.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★
Suzanne Vega, Sharon Corr, Rufus Wainright and Imelda May are among the stars paying tribute to Bowie’s incredible legacy as they perform some of his songs.
TUESDAY
How Ireland Rocked the 70s
4.30PM, RTE ONE ★★★ Documentary charting the evolution of the festival circuit in Ireland during the 1970s, a decade in which rock music — national and international — began to take real root.
Worzel Gummidge
7.15PM, BBC1 ★★★★
The first of two adventures this week for the scarecrow (the second follows on Wednesday at 7.15pm), although there’s nothing remotely festive about them. Instead, after a flock of rare choughs turn up at Scatterbrook Farm, Worzel (Mackenzie Crook) is keen to seize the opportunity to scare such a rarely sighted bird. But his plans are soon scuppered by a group of avid bird-watchers.
Daniel at Sixty 7.25PM, RTé ONE
★★★
A profile of singer, TV presenter and philanthropist Daniel O’Donnell, with contributions by the man himself as well as his family and friends in an archive trip down memory lane.
Amazing Hotels:
Life Beyond The Lobby
9PM, BBC2 ★★★
Monica and Giles are in Scandinavia, checking in at the Nimb Hotel in the historic Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.
There, Giles takes a ride on one of the world’s oldest wooden rollercoasters.
Sport Stories: Joe Brolly
10PM, VIRGIN ONE ★★★★
He’s an activist, a barrister, former Gaelic footballer and a renowned pundit. Now, in an emotional interview, Joe Brolly opens up about his life and career, touching on past traumas and controversies. Part two is on Thursday.
Mock The Week End Of Year Special
11PM, BBC2 ★★★
Round off the evening with a laugh as the satirical panel show wraps up the series with a compilation episode. Dara Ó Briain and Hugh Dennis are joined by an array of guests in this special edition.
WEDNESDAY Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special
6PM, VIRGIN ONE ★★★
As one of The Chase’s resident quizzers, Anne Hegerty has a wealth of general knowledge, but how good is she at saying what she sees? We’re about to find out as she takes on Rob Brydon and Perri Kiely.
Billionaire Blooms 7PM, CH4 ★★★
The floral displays featured in this oneoff are certainly ostentatious and the costs are postively eye-watering, but it is fascinating to watch what goes in to the design, planning and installation of such huge and impressive displays. We follow three projects from design to full flourish, with internationally renowned florists
Jamie Aston and Paula Rooney festooning their blooms in an exclusive venue and a private home, respectively.
The Voice Kids
8PM, VIRGIN ONE & UTV ★★★★ The final of the competition gets underway, and the 16 young singers are joined by their superstar coaches to see who will be crowned champion.
Inside The Factory XL
9PM, BBC2 ★★★★
This new series is supersized, with Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey heading to some of the UK’s biggest factories. First up, they head to JCB HQ where those big yellow diggers are made. It takes 45 hours and 170,000 bolts to build them.
Tommy Fleming – Live At Knock Basilica 10PM, VIRGIN ONE ★★★
The popular performer provides an evening of songs and entertainment recorded live at the Spectacular
Knock Basilica.
THURSDAY The Flourishing
6.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★
A look at the revival of Irish traditional and folk music from the 1950s to the present day, featuring archive performances by musicians including Paul Brady and Andy Irvine.
GAA Beo – Na Scéalta 2021
7.15PM, TG4 ★★★
A look back at the best of the action from the world of the GAA in 2021.
Attenborough And The Mammoth Graveyard 8PM, BBC1
★★★★
A riverbed near Swindon is the location of the mammoth graveyard, which David Attenborough attends. What has been discovered provides a revealing insight into life during the Ice Age.
Sport Stories: Joe Brolly 10PM, VIRGIN ONE
★★★
As a pundit and barrister, Joe Brolly needs to have a way with words, so just one episode wouldn’t be enough. In the concluding part of his interview, he talks about his sporting career and the continued importance of GAA.
NEW YEAR’S EVE Camera Tripod Bicycle
6.25PM, RTé ONE ★★★
From the late 1950s to the late 1970s, fireman Lesley Crowe would travel through his native Dublin on his bicycle, capturing the city on an 8mm camera. This documentary uses his footage to show how much the city changed during this period.
The Graham Norton Show
10.20PM, BBC1 ★★★★
Joining Graham for his Hogmanay chat are actresses Jessica Chastain and Claire Foy, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage and comedian Joe Lycett. There’s music from The Divine Comedy.
New Year’s Eve Countdown Show With The 2 Johnnies
10.45PM, RTé ONE ★★★
The duo are broadcasting live from Dublin Castle as they count down to 2022. They’re joined by celebrity guests, including the band Picture This, who will ring in the New Year.
Jools’ Annual Hootenanny
11.25PM, BBC2 ★★★★
The pianist and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra welcome in the New Year, along with guests including Ed Sheeran, Gregory Porter, Lulu, Joy Crookes, and Rag ’n’ Bone Man.
NEW YEAR’S DAY New Year’s Day Concert Live From Vienna 2022
10.15AM, BBC2 ★★★★
Daniel Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in the traditional concert. The music is a mix of old favourites and new discoveries, and there are filmed segments on the theme of world heritage.
The Tourist
9PM, BBC1 ★★★★
Jamie Dornan stars in this new drama series as a man who wakes up in an Australian hospital with no memory of who he is — or why a truck driver wanted to run him off the road in the Outback. Luckily, a local cop is on the case.
Mrs Brown’s Boys New Year’s Special
10PM, BBC1 ★★★★ Grandad’s brother Micky is out of prison and heading to visit the Browns, but the family become suspicious when it turns out he’s looking for an investment. Meanwhile, Winnie tries to change her life.
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
6PM, BBC1 ★★★★
The comedian hosts the game show, as contestants take on a colossal spinning wheel, helped by celebrities including Matt Baker, Gyles Brandreth, Maggie Aderin-Pocock and HRVY.