Pick of the week
Creedon’s Musical Atlas of Ireland
Sunday, RTÉ1, 6.30pm
John Creedon knows the highways and byways of Ireland like the back of his hand, having traversed the land in such series as Creedon’s Atlas of Ireland and Creedon’s Wild Atlantic Way. He also knows his way around the musical landscape, bringing listeners on a sonic adventure via his weeknight radio show, so no better man to guide us on this musical mystery tour. Creedon sets off around the country to explore how Irish identity has been shaped by music, and how it became woven into the very fabric of Irish culture. You want to know what it means to be Irish? Listen to the music. Creedon’s journey will take him to iconic places that have inspired our greatest tunes, and into communities where music is nurtured and ever-evolving. It’s also a journey into the past, and in episode one, Creedon learns all about the roots of sean-nós singing with help from Iarla Ó Lionáird, meets harpist Siobhán Armstrong to find out how the harp became a symbol of Ireland, and gets behind-the-scenes insights into trad sessions from Sharon Shannon, Martin Hayes, Tommy Hayes and Mary Bergin. But what about Irish music’s global impact? Mike Scott from The Waterboys will be on hand to talk about how Irish music has influenced him.
Big Brother: Live Launch
Sunday, ITV2 & Virgin Media Two, 9pm
It’s time for a new batch of hopefuls to leave the outside world behind and surrender to 24-hour surveillance, but the big question is, will Big Brother – or anyone else – still be watching? The reality show has gone from big telly phenomenon to niche interest as viewers have fallen away, but it had a bit of bounce last year when ITV took it over. They’re hoping to keep the hype going for this new series, giving the Big Brother house a new lick of paint, and releasing a promo video featuring actual guinea pigs wandering around a miniature version of the BB house. Let’s hope the real human contestants are a bit more interesting to watch.
Showtrial
Sunday, BBC1, 9pm
The crime anthology series returns with a new, original story created and written by Ben Richards. Marcus Calderwood (Barney Fishwick) is a climate activist who is killed in a hit-and-run incident. Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha) is the confident, charismatic cop who is accused of killing him. The evidence? Before Calderwood dies, he identifies Mitchell as his killer. Calderwood’s death sparks a public outcry, but as the arrogant Mitchell goes on trial, and deep cultural divisions begin to emerge, it’s no surprise to find the case is anything but clear-cut. Defence lawyer Sam Malik (Adeel Akhtar), prosecution lawyer Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Nathalie Armin) and investigating officer Miles Southgate (Joe Dempsie) must cut through the noise to get to the truth.
Solar System
Monday, BBC2, 9pm
Prof Brian Cox presents this new science series exploring Earth’s local neighbourhood, and finding out exactly what’s happening on the various planets, moons and asteroids circling our sun. In this first episode Cox is on the hunt for volcanoes, and discovers that there’s more volcanic activity in our solar system than we realise. While the volcanoes on Mars – including the solar system’s largest volcano, Olympus Mons – are long extinguished, one of Jupiter’s moons, Io, roils with vast lava lakes and giant volcanic plumes, while a moon orbiting Saturn has regular eruptions of ice and water. And recent discoveries of volcanic activity on Venus suggests a still-active volcano the size of Mount Everest.
The Hardacres
Monday, Channel 5, 9pm
Here’s a period drama with a difference, focusing on a fishmongering family who find themselves thrust into high society, and must quickly learn how to navigate this new milieu. The Hardacres are herring merchants struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table, but their hard work soon pays off and before long they’ve made their fortune, and they can now afford a huge country estate in Yorkshire, and all the nice things that fine folk take for granted. But though they have the money, they have no experience of this new world of snobbery and privilege – and it’s not long before there’s a clash of cultures. The series, made by the same crew who brought us All Creatures Great and Small, is based on the novels of CL Skelton and is filmed on location in Dublin and Wicklow.
Michael Smurfit: Succession
Monday, RTÉ1, 9.35pm
Michael Smurfit was one of our most famous millionaires, back when being a millionaire was considered a rare thing beyond the dreams of mere mortals. Smurfit was a trailblazer in the Irish business world but he faced serious health challenges as a young man, having been diagnosed with tuberculosis at 20. But he survived and went on to build an enviable business empire, and this documentary looks at Smurfit’s life and legacy, with contributions from his son Tony, his brother Dermot and his well-heeled friends, including Denis O’Brien and Prince Albert. The programme will also give us an insight into Smurfit’s lavish lifestyle in Monaco – including a peep inside his 50ft luxury superyacht.
Love in the Country
Monday, RTÉ2, 9.35pm
The rural romance show returns for a second bite of the turnip, as another group of singletons from remote locations set off in search of a partner willing to leave the big city behind and give country life a go. They’re young, they’re good-looking and they’re available – they just live a bit off the beaten track, and over the next few weeks, they’ll be out to prove that they’re worth the extra time and effort to reach them. Anna Geary is back to present the series, and in the first episode we meet Ger from Sheep’s Head peninsula in west Cork and Danielle from Co Laois.
Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher
Tuesday, BBC2, 9pm
In October 1984 the IRA staged one of its most audacious attacks on British soil, planting a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton with the specific aim of killing prime minister Margaret Thatcher as she attended the Conservative Party conference. The bomb blew a huge hole in the hotel, killing five people and injuring 34, but Thatcher was unharmed. This film looks back at the bombing and how it deeply affected many people’s lives, including those of Edward and Jo Berry, whose father was among those killed. The programme also features an interview with the bomber, Patrick Magee, who was released in 1999 under the Belfast Agreement, and former Tory party chairman John Gummer, who was with Thatcher as the bomb exploded.
The Case I Can’t Forget
Wednesday, RTÉ1, 9.35pm
This series looks back on some of Ireland’s most memorable criminal investigations, and this week is the first of a two-parter, as Garda detectives recall how their lives were consumed by the years-long operation to take down notorious Dublin criminal Martin Cahill, aka the General. Cahill was memorably portrayed by Brendan Gleeson in a film by John Boorman, but this programme looks at the real-life impact of Cahill’s crimes on his victims and on the gardaí and investigators who risked their lives to bring the General to justice.
One Day in October
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
This week marks one year since the Hamas attacks on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, and this documentary focuses on the atrocities committed at Kibbutz Be’eri, in which 100 people were killed and 30 taken hostage, including eight-year-old Emily Hand. At the time, Emily’s Irish father, Thomas, had been told his daughter was dead, and famously said he was “relieved”, as he believed being held hostage in Gaza would have been “worse than death” for Emily. This documentary features interviews with Hand and his daughter, who was freed after 50 days in a hostage-exchange deal, along with other survivors of that terrible day.
Streaming
La Máquina
From October 9th, Disney+
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna first starred together in the film Y Tú Mamá También, and now the lifelong friends are reunited in this Spanish-language series about a fading boxer and his manager who are seeking one last shot at glory. García Bernal plays ageing boxer Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna, whose career and personal life are both in the doldrums, and whose mental faculties are beginning to falter. His best friend, Andy Lujan (Luna), reckons he can help Osuna get back on top, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get the Machine back in fighting form, and it’s going to take a lot of luck to deal with the shadowy forces running Mexico’s boxing world.
Citadel: Diana
From October 10th, Prime Video
This action-espionage series Citadel, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci, has become one of Prime Video’s most-watched series, and a second series is in production. For impatient Citadel fans, here is its first international spin-off, set in Italy and starring Matilda de Angelis as Diana Cavalieri, an undercover agent for spy agency Citadel who has infiltrated the evil Manticore syndicate. But when Citadel is destroyed by Manticore, Diana suddenly finds herself alone and vulnerable behind enemy lines, and must find a way to disappear before her cover is blown and she is disappeared.
Disclaimer
From October 11th, Apple TV+
“Any resemblance to persons living or dead is not a coincidence,” goes the tagline for this seven-part psychological thriller starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen and Lesley Manville, and written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Blanchett is crusading journalist Catherine Ravenscroft, whose talent for exposing wrongdoing and misdeeds has earned her acclaim and respect. But when she receives a copy of a new novel, The Perfect Stranger, she is shocked to discover that she’s the main character – and she’s not exactly the heroine. All the sins and transgressions from her past, which she has worked hard to hide, are there in black and white, and now Catherine has to find out who is the mystery author who knows all her darkest, most intimate secrets before he destroys her and the life she has built with her husband Robert (Cohen) and son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
