Dancing on Ice
Sunday, UTV & Virgin Media One, 6.30pm
A dozen celebrities get their skates on for a new series of the ice-dancing contest, but who will be channelling their inner Torvill and Dean this year? Among those confirmed for the rink this year are TV presenter Michaela Strachan, Traitors star Mollie Pearce, former Olympic rower Steve Redgrave, Corrie actor Sam Aston, comedian Josh Jones and Paralympic champion Sarah Storey. They’ll have to step outside their comfort zones and show the ice panel that they can not only stay upright on the ice, but can also perform a tricky showbiz routine without falling flat.
Room to Improve
Sunday, RTÉ One, 9.30pm
Katie and Jason Rehill and their two kids are in a situation many Irish families can relate to: they are a growing family living in an ever-shrinking space. When they moved in to their 1970s semi-d in Palmerstown, Dublin, five years ago, it seemed like a dream home, and a big step up from their one-bedroom apartment in Kilmainham. Now, however, the house is cramped, filled with clutter and with barely enough room for the family to function efficiently. To make things worse, the house is cold and damp, which brings health issues for the couple’s son Harry, who suffers from asthma. Dermot Bannon gets to work renovating the house, and his plan is to utilise the long back garden to add a large extension, creating a new kitchen and family area, and leaving room for a home office for Jason and a cosy relaxing room for Katie. But first, he’ll have to deal with the insulation problem, including disposing of asbestos.
The Dry
Sunday, UTV, 10.15pm
The first series of this wry comedy based in Dublin and written by Nancy Harris received lukewarm reviews, but the second series gained more positive notices as the comedy became sharper and more focused. Róisín Gallagher stars as recovering alcoholic Siobhán “Shiv” Sheridan, who has returned to the bosom of her dysfunctional suburban family, and in series two, aired on RTÉ in May 2024, everyone in the Sheridan family seems to have settled into their groove. Mum Bernie (Pom Boyd) has moved her new boyfriend in, while dad Tom (Ciarán Hinds) has moved in to the shed. Shiv is six months sober but also celibate, while sister Caroline (Siobhán Cullen) is having sex left, right and centre. But don’t worry: there’ll be plenty going on to tempt Shiv off the straight and narrow.
Vótáil
Monday, RTÉ One, 8pm
This series looks back at some of the most iconic and consequential elections in Irish history, and episode two focuses on a political battle that makes Trump v Biden look like a local council squabble. In the 1980s, two towering figures in Irish politics, Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey and Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald, battled it out at the ballot box over three general elections, all held within an 18-month period between 1981 and 1982. There was no love lost between these two diametrically opposed party leaders, and when they went head to head in Ireland’s first televised election debate, the sparks – and the insults – flew.
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Scéalta na Lochanna
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Ireland’s two largest lakes – Lough Neagh and Lough Corrib – are the settings for this ambitious six-part documentary series made for RTÉ by Strident Media and supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund. The series explores the wildlife, plant life, history, folklore and customs around Ireland’s great lakes, and examines how the lakes have shaped the local communities that have grown on their shores over the centuries. The series will also look at the impact modern farming and industry are having on the delicate ecological balance of the lakes, calling for a reimagining of our relationship with these vital natural resources.
Silent Witness
Monday & Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
The evergreen police forensic procedural continues with a new two-part story, Homecoming, which finds Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox), Jack Hodgson (David Caves) and the team at The Lyell investigating a brutal murder of an estate agent and finding themselves tangled up in a local government conspiracy. Examination shows the victim was killed by a hammer, but where’s the murder weapon? And why was Nikki and Jack’s former colleague Det Supt Jane De Freitas (Zoe Telford) at the crime scene?
High Road, Low Road
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 7pm
Pop stars are used to all the luxuries in every city they visit, but in this week’s episode of the two-tier travel series, one member of a famous Irish musical family will have to forgo the finer things while the other enjoys all the perks of a premium holiday. Mother-and-daughter singers Mary Black and Róisín O visit the city of Bergen in Norway, famous for its spectacular fjords, but one of them will be on a tight budget, staying in cheap accommodation, hiking across the snowy landscape and cycling down the world’s longest bike tunnel, while the other will be staying in a top hotel, flying over the fjords in a seaplane and having a sauna and pampering session on a boat. Will this spark family tension or will Mary and Róisín reconnect over reindeer hotdogs?
Síorstíl
Wednesday, TG4, 8.30pm
Can you run off some fine fashion items out of second-hand clothes? Can you turn old rags in to haute couture? In this sustainable fashion contest, six young designers must use all their skill and talent to transform recyclable materials into eminently wearable outfits, and they’ll face some tricky challenges over the course of six episodes. For their first task, they have to design a cool outfit to wear to their next music festival, but there’s a catch: they must recycle whatever rubbish was left behind at a previous festival.
Streaming
With Love, Meghan
From Wednesday, January 15th, Netflix
Five years after their “conscious uncoupling” from the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release their latest project as part of their megabucks deal with Netflix. With Love, Meghan positions the Duchess of Sussex as a goddess of the “kitchen, garden and beyond” as she entertains friends including Roy Choi, Mindy Kaling and Alice Waters at a gorgeous estate in Montecito, California (it’s not clear whether it’s Meghan’s own gaff or just a decoy to throw the paparazzi off the scent). According to Meghan, it’s all about the thoughtful little details, such as adding edible flowers at breakfast or crafting cute gifts for your guests to take home, and you too can “create wonder in every moment”. Over eight episodes filled with Instagram moments, Meghan shares tips and tricks on how to be the hostess with the mostest, making magic with just a pinch of Gwyneth, a sprinkle of Kondo and a soupcon of Nigella. But will Harry himself make an appearance at Meghan’s tastefully decorated table? You’ll just have to watch to see - although the prince does pop up in the trailer. As Meghan prepares to launch her own lifestyle brand, and with the couple’s lucrative deal with the streamer due to run out shortly, they’ll be hoping everyone will come to this garden party.
Unmasked
From Wednesday, January 15th, Disney+
A fearless team of investigative journalists risks everything to break the big stories and expose the bad guys - has Disney+ set up cameras in the Irish Times newsroom? Nah, this new K-drama series follows a group of young Seoul newshounds whose topical TV show Trigger is like a turbo-charged version of Prime Time. They’re not afraid of controversy, but when one of their stories proves a little too hard-hitting, the Trigger team find themselves in danger of being cancelled - with extreme prejudice. Following the huge success of Squid Game, everyone’s on the hunt for the next game-changing Korean TV event. This series promises violence and upsetting content, but will it have the X factor?
Severance
From Friday, January 17th, Apple TV+
So ye seek the holy grail of work-life balance. In the first season of this workplace sci-fi thriller, it became pretty clear that work-life balance was a myth, and that the dice was always loaded in favour of the company. Adam Scott stars as Lumon Industries employee Mark Scout, who signs up for an experiment in surgically separating the work side of the memory from the personal side. So when you’re at work you have no memories of home, and vice versa. In series two, Mark and his colleagues continue their descent down the corporate rabbit hole, and learn just what can happen if they dare to tamper with the severance programme or attempt to find out what’s really going on.
