TV guide: 12 of the best new shows to watch, beginning tonight

The Records Show

Sunday, RTÉ1, 6.30pm

Katie Hannon goes digging in Ireland’s National Archives and discovers a treasure trove of maps, plans, court records and secret reports that tell some riveting tales of our emerging nation. Using some of the hundreds of thousands of documents in the archive as a guide, Hannon visits various parts of the country – including abandoned railway tracks in Donegal, a housing development in Clonakilty that changed lives, and a bog in Co Mayo that would become the site of Knock airport – to investigate these national origin stories.

Curfá

Sunday, TG4, 8.30pm

The search is on for Ireland’s best choir in this new series presented by Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and broadcast from Dublin’s Helix. For the next 10 weeks, 18 choirs from around the country will be competing to impress judges Moya Brennan, Colm Ó Foghlú and Nell Ní Chróinín and walk off with the grand prize of €5,000 and a chance to hitch on to Nathan Carter’s wagon wheel and sing on stage with the country star. The choirs come in all ages, from a secondary school choir in Loughrea, Co Galway, to the Mayfield Men’s Shed Choir from Cork, and in all abilities, from The Sea of Change Choir made up of people who have survived cancer, to the Visionaries Choir, whose members are blind or visually impaired.

Peataí

Monday, RTÉ1, 8pm

You can’t have too much of people’s cute pets, and in series three of Peataí, we meet more adorable animals – and their owners – from all parts of the country, including Oreo the cat, who needs to cut down on the cookies and lose weight; Yorkalier pup Louis, who is making his first visit to the dog grooming parlour, and rough collie Jess, who is suffering from a rare doggy disorder – she’s afraid of travelling in cars. Vet Ellen and dog behaviouralist Paula will be on hand to help owners sort out their pets’ issues.

The Year that Rocked Irish Dancing

Monday, BBC1, 10.40pm

It was a story that tapped into the collective consciousness and had us wringing our ringlets in self-examination. In 2022 we learned that Irish dancing was not the innocent pastime we always believed it to be, but a cut-throat business where some people were willing to step on a few toes, and allegations of cheating in competitions were rife. This three-part BBC documentary follows competitors preparing to compete in the Irish Dancing World Championships in Belfast as the scandal unfolds.

Tuesday, RTÉ1, 7pm

Baz Ashmawy sets off in search of Irish people who have upped sticks and settled elsewhere

If you’ve ever thought of starting a new life in a European country, but are not sure what to expect, this new series presented by Baz Ashmawy might help you make your mind up. Baz sets off in search of Irish people who have upped sticks and settled in Spain, Norway, Italy, France, Hungary and Germany, to find out what life is like for them, and whether they’re homesick puppies or happy Euro-bunnies. First stop is Spain, where Baz meets Joan and John Gallagher from Roscommon, who have reinvented themselves as highly respected hoteliers in Sitges, and stylist Róisín Moloney from Dublin, who has designed herself a new career in Barcelona.

Bangers: Mad for Cars

Tuesday, Channel 4, 10.15pm

Some people like collecting old vinyl records, even though it’s all available on streaming services. Others have a passion for scratchy old cars from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and they’ll trawl through auctions in search of “modern classics” such as a Ford Sierra Cosworth, a Citroën Saxo or a Peugeot 205 GTI. Rapper Tinie (formerly Tinie Tempah) knows a thing or two about bangers, and he goes head-to-head with stunt driver Naomi Schiff in a race to find the best family workhorse, sporty model, hatchback and 4x4 from the not-too-distant past.

Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story

From Wednesday, Disney+

In 2022 the US was gripped by the courtroom battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, but across the pond another high-profile defamation trial was dominating the news: the so-called Wagatha Christie case. Now the story of how footballers’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy faced off in court is told in this three-part documentary. The series recounts how Rooney turned amateur sleuth to find out who was leaking stories about her private life to the tabloids and how Vardy sued her former friend for defamation after Rooney famously unmasked the culprit on Instagram.

An Gúna Bainise

Wednesday, TG4, 8.30pm

Every wedding dress tells a story, and in this new series, women from around the country dig out their bridal gear from the back of the wardrobe and delve into their memory banks to recall the day they said “yes” in the dress all those years ago, with help from their spouses and family members. Fashion designer Deirdre Allen and social historian Síle de Cléir will be on hand to appraise each dress and explore the nuptial fashions of the past and build up a picture of the way we wore. First up is Donegal woman Anne McFadden and her husband, Eddie, who look back fondly on their big day.

The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In

Thursday, RTÉ2, 9.35pm

Watch out, lads, we seem to have reached a Tipp-ing point in TV comedy, as the Tipperary comedy duo stage a Thursday takeover of the national broadcaster for a night of craic and music and what-have-ye. Kielty may be a safe pair of hands on Fridays, but tonight we’re in the danger zone as Johnny B and Johnny Smacks get up to some serious on-screen shenanigans along with some of their reprobate pals. The show is a celebration of Ireland’s pub culture – an endangered species – and features a special brainteaser slot know as The Parish Quiz.

Storyland: Wrapped

Thursday, RTÉ2, 10.35pm

Lisa and Ali are at the airport and about to set off on a perilous journey – through airport security. The two young women are making their first trip as drug mules, and each has thousands of euros worth of cocaine strapped to their bodies; if they’re going to make it to the other side without getting caught, they’re going to have to trust each other. This 25-minute drama – originally a Dublin Fringe Festival stage play – is written by Tracy Martin and directed by Mia Mullarkey, and stars Ella Lily Hyland and Lauryn Canney as the would-be smugglers who have become completely dependent on each other. Strap yourself in – this could be one turbulent trip.

Unreported World: Kenya’s Christian Death Cult

Friday, Channel 4, 7.30pm

In April, authorities in Kenya made a grim discovery: mass graves of people who had starved themselves to death. They were members of a doomsday cult known as the Good News International church, run by taxi-driver turned pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who told his followers that death by starvation was the true path to salvation. More than 300 people – including children – are believed to have died at the cult’s hideout in Shakahola Forest in the southeast of the country. This Unreported World special looks at one of the worst mass cult killings in recent history.

Breeders

Friday, Sky Comedy & Now, 9pm

The Worsley family are back, five years older, but still no wiser about how to navigate the ups and downs of raising a family and keeping it all together in the face of one domestic disaster after another. Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard play put-upon parents Paul and Ally, and when we last saw them, they were on the verge of marital breakdown, but luckily they seem to have got over the hump and are ready to face whatever fresh hell series four has in store. We catch up with them as their eldest, Luke (now 18 and played by new cast member Oscar Kennedy), drops a Christmas dinner bombshell, and 16-year-old Ava (now played by Zoe Athena) falls in love with a charismatic Holly (played by Jessie Williams).