Pick of the week
Small Town, Big Story
Thursday, Sky Atlantic & Now, 9pm
With Moone Boy, Chris O’Dowd proved he could turn small town Irish life in to big laughs - will lightning strike again with his new comedy drama, set in the fictional border town of Drumbán, not a million miles away from his home town of Boyle, Co Roscommon? The six-part series is written and directed by O’Dowd, and stars Paddy Considine from House of the Dragon as local doctor Seamus Proctor, married with kids and settled in to a life of quiet desperation. Christina Hendricks from Mad Men stars as former Drumbán resident Wendy Patterson, who left the town as a teenager and is now a successful TV producer in the US. When she returns to Drumbán with a TV crew in tow to make a Game of Thrones type adventure series called The Celts, the lives of the townspeople are upturned - and the thin veil between the real world and the twilight zone begins to blur. No prizes for guessing that the doc and the TV exec have a past, but there are other secrets buried since the turn of the millennium which will of course come out in the wash. Eileen Walsh plays Seamus’s wife Catherine, who is the local schoolteacher, with Leia Murphy from Fair City and Moone Boy star David Rawle as siblings Joanne and Sonny Proctor.
Highlights
David Frost Vs The Beatles
Sunday, Sky Documentaries & Now, 9pm
Legendary interviewer David Frost was a master at extracting blood from a stone - the movie Frost/Nixon re-enacted his revealing encounter with a disgraced former US president. This series delves into the archives to unearth some rare and never-before-seen interviews, giving insights into Frost’s singular interviewing style, and into a half-century of huge social, cultural and political change. Each episode focuses on one interview subject, and first up are The Beatles, with whom Frost established a rapport that allowed them to open up about life in the pop-star bubble. The film draws from 15 interviews Frost conducted with members of the Fab Four, and features vox pops from the likes of Liam Neeson, Joanna Lumley, Khalilah Ali, Michael Sheen and Tony Blair. And look out for an incredible live performance of Hey Jude and a lively studio audience debate with John Lennon.
Saol na Feirme
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Who’d be a farmer in the current climate? Today’s Irish farmers face enormous challenges, from unpredictable weather to an uncertain economy. But many of them soldier on, working the land because that’s what their families have done for generations. Saol na Feirme is back with a new series digging in to the everyday lives of seven farming families across counties Armagh, Antrim, Clare, Galway, Laois and Roscommon. Over the past 12 months, their resilience has been tested by record bad weather, and the series will show how they adapt to changing conditions and keep their farms growing and thriving against all odds.
Crimecall
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Are you ready to help catch another bunch of criminals and bring them to justice? Carla O’Brien returns to present a new series of Crimecall, which seeks help from the public in apprehending the perpetrators of crime all around the country. As usual, the programme will mix CCTV footage and dramatic reconstructions to help jog viewers' memories and hopefully get them to call in with vital information. But it’s not just some Ireland’s Most Wanted light entertainment - thanks to viewers answering the live appeals, numerous convictions have been secured.
Kursk: 10 Days that Shaped Putin
Tuesday, Sky History & Now, 9pm
How did the Kursk disaster lead to the invasion of Ukraine? This factual series tells the story of the early years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, beginning with a pivotal moment in August 2000 when an explosion on the Russian submarine Kursk left its surviving crew trapped at the bottom of the Barents Sea. Rescuers were agonisingly slow to respond, and Russia initially refused help from other nations; by the time Putin finally accepted help from British and Norwegian crews, it was too late for the crew of the stricken submarine. The series will show how the disaster changed Russia irrevocably and reshaped Putin’s leadership.
Hunting the Online Sex Predators
Tuesday, BBC One, 10.40pm
Before you give in your child pestering you to get them a smartphone, take a look at this terrifying documentary, presented by Northern Ireland entrepreneur and social media influencer James Blake, and investigating the proliferation of harmful content on social media - driven by algorithms - and the increasing incidence of cybersex crime including online grooming and “sextortion”. Blake knows of which he speaks: his previous documentary, Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang, detailed how his identity was stolen and used in online scams. In this programme, he learns how algorithms drive social media platforms to prioritise harmful content, and how child-abuse material may be just two clicks away.
Eva Pau’s Asian Kitchen
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Eva Pau has always had a passion for food, and in this new series she’s hoping to inspire more people to bring the vibrant flavours and textures of Asian cuisine into their everyday diet. An accomplished chef, Pau is also the commercial director of Asia Market in Dublin, the go-to place for authentic Asian produce, and in this series, she will take us on a foodie journey through the tastes and traditions of Asian cooking, and show how to recreate classic recipes from China, Thailand, Korea and Japan to name just a few places. In the first episode, Pau will start off with something simple - rice - to create classic dishes Chinese prawn and egg fried rice, Japanese temaki sushi and mango and coconut sticky rice dessert.
Streaming
Running Point
From Thursday, February 27th, Netflix
The Los Angeles Waves basketball team need a new president, but can (gasp!) a woman take on this huge responsibility? Kate Hudson stars as LA executive Isla Gordon, who is suddenly thrown into the world of professional basketball after her brother unexpectedly appoints her over as his successor to the top job. She’s the only girl among her siblings, and her other brothers doubt whether she has the cojones to do the job. Now she’ll have hold her own in this testosterone-heavy work environment and prove that she’s not only a girl - she’s a badass boss lady. No spoiler to say Hudson delivers a star turn in this comedy created by Mindy Kaling. Hudson says she relished the chance to “bring a unique female perspective to a male-driven world”. Well, that’s definitely never been done before.
House of David
From Thursday, February 27th, Prime Video
Here’s a story of biblical proportions from the film-makers Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn, who have produced a string of successful Christian-based films and series. Michael Iskander stars as David, the future king of Israel, destined to take over the throne from the increasingly arrogant and self-serving King Saul. David is serving in Saul’s court, and as the king’s influence wanes, the young acolyte becomes ever more powerful, making friends in high places (God) but also making a few high-ranking enemies along the way. But never mind that: what we really want to see is that epic slingshot takedown of Goliath.
