Weekend TV guide: 12 of the best shows to watch

Hozier and ‘Body Coach’ Joe Wicks on the Late Late, Graham Norton's guests include Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench, while Heather Mills is on The Ray D’Arcy Show


The Late Late Show
Friday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Hozier will join Ryan Tubridy to chat about how it feels to be one of Ireland's most celebrated musicians, and to give fans a flavour of his highly anticipated new album (Wasteland, Baby!). Also: Known for his popular Instagram videos, books and TV shows, fitness phenomenon Joe Wicks discusses why he's moving away from meat and adding more veg to his diet, and will try out his vegan meals on some of Ireland's most hardened carnivores. Plus: Dancing with the Stars stars Clelia Murphy, Mairead Ronan, Fred Cooke and Darren Kennedy; Troubles photographers Alan Lewis and Crispin Rodwell, among those profiled in next week's RTÉ documentary Shooting the Darkness; broadcaster Tom Dunne on his life-saving heart surgery and where he is on the road to recovery; and music from Dublin band Wild Youth.

The Graham Norton Show
Friday, BBC1, 10.35pm

World heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua will tell Norton what 2019 holds for him. He's joined by Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, who will introduce their latest project, All Is True, a drama directed by Branagh and written by Ben Elton, which sees them playing William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway.

On Guitar – Lenny Kaye!
Friday, BBC4, 9pm
The rhythm sections have had their say with On Drums and On Bass, so now it's time for the guitarists to grab the spotlight. Writer, producer and musician Lenny Kaye, who is probably most celebrated for his work with Patti Smith, looks at how the quest for new guitar sounds has driven pop music, fromBo Diddley's pioneering use of the Tremolo pedal to Pete Townshend's experiments with feedback and Peter Frampton's Talk Box. Contributors include Duane Eddy, Roger McGuinn, the Edge, Bonnie Raitt, Seasick Steve and KT Tunstall.

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The Last Leg
Friday, Channel 4, 10pm
The satirical comedy is back for a new series, although you could be forgiven for thinking it never went away, especially as the team recently brought us a New Year's Eve special. Still, it's good to have hosts Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker back to give us their take on the headlines as the UK begins the final countdown to Brexit. The trio are joined by celebrity guests and, as usual, the hashtag #isitok paves the way for the gang to round up and explain the most entertaining and perplexing news stories.

Burns by the Lagan
Friday, BBC2, 9pm
The annual celebration of the life and poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), held this year at the Titanic Building in Belfast. Among those set to appear are Eddi Reader, Phil Cunningham, Aly bain, Cup O'Joe, Andrew Calderwood and the Ulster-Scots Juvenile Pipe Band.

The Ray D'Arcy Show
Saturday, RTÉ One, 9.50pm

D'Arcy celebrates 25 years of Barretstown with ambassadors Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aiden Gillen, as well as Clea Newman, daughter of Barretstown founder Paul Newman, and some of the children and families who have attended the camp over the past quarter-century. Plus: Heather Mills on the launch of her new vegan food range; financial guru Eoin McGee on spending and saving in 2019; and a performance from hotly tipped British singer Freya Ridings, whose hit Lost Without You has more than nine million views on YouTube.

Antony Gormley: How Art Began
Saturday, BBC2, 9pm
British sculptor Antony Gormley's most famous work, Angel of the North in Gateshead, is one of Britain's largest and most imposing public artworks. It is only 21 years old, so won't be featuring in this documentary, during which Gormley sets out to open our eyes about the earliest examples of art. For decades it was believed that art began with Ice Age Europe's cave paintings, but new discoveries across the globe suggest that's not the case. Here, Gormley visits some of the sites, forcing experts to rethink their opinions, and is surprised by the tender images he finds.

Bros: After the Screaming Stops
Saturday, BBC2, 10.45pm

According to Matt Goss, he "was a rectangle and Luke was a rectangle and they made a square that became a fortress" – just one of the brilliant one-liners in this unintentionally hilarious BBC Four documentary that became one of the festive season's most popular shows. In the late 1980s, Bros were one of the biggest bands in the world. They sold out stadiums worldwide and their album Push (1988) sold 10 million copies and topped the charts in more than 20 countries. The Goss twins' rise was meteoric, but their fall was just as spectacular. This "raw and emotional look at the aftermath of fame" follows the pair as they prepare for a reunion gig. It will have you in hysterics, but also shedding the odd tear.

I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! Australia
Saturday-Friday, Virgin Three, 9pm
Leaving their plush pads and luxuries far behind, our celebrity campers will spend up to three weeks taking on the harsh surroundings of the jungle, with a whole host of brand new nasty surprises created just for them as they battle for the title of King or Queen of the Jungle. They will eat live insects, have cockroaches crawl over them and enter a swamp full of crocodiles.

The Last Survivors
Sunday, BBC2, 9pm
At the end of the second World War, a few thousand Holocaust survivors made it to the safety of Britain; now only around 200 of them remain – and this incredibly moving and thought-provoking documentary hears from many of them. They were salvation when salvation came; now they are now approaching the end of their lives; several have never told their stories before. Director Arthur Cary learns about their day-to-day lives and hears why they hang onto certain memories of their time in the camps. He also accompanies some of them on journeys into the past, including a return to Auschwitz for one survivor, accompanied by his daughter, and a man's first return to his German hometown since 1946.

Celtic Connections
Sunday, TG4, 9.30pm

Musician Dónal O'Connor presents the first episode of the music series. Filmed at Celtic Connections 2018, this programme features singer-songwriter Declan O'Rourke playing some of his powerful seventh album, Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine. The recording featured some of the best musicians the traditional world has to offer and that all-star band reconvenes here. Also appearing is the prodigiously talented Jarlath Henderson and Laura Cortese and the Dance Cards.

Ride Upon the Storm
Sunday, Channel 4, 11pm
This character-led Danish drama (original title: Herrens Veje) from Adam Price, creator of Borgen, centres on the Kroghs, a family of priests. Father Johannes is god-like to his children, but his favouritism for well-regarded son August and disappointment in his older sibling Christian force both young men into desperate choices. It's 2017, and Johannes is aiming to become bishop of Copenhagen. But after suffering professional defeat he descends into depression. Christian has abandoned his theology studies and is accused of plagiarising his academic thesis, while August, who is married to doctor Emilie, must choose between a position at a prestigious church or being deployed as an army chaplain in the Middle East. As all this is going on, Johannes' wife, teacher Elisabeth, tries in vain to keep the family unified. After tonight's premiere of episode one, the full series is available on All 4.

Contributing: PA