The Speedshop
Sunday, BBC Two, 8pm
Titch Cormack embarks on a very personal build – a vintage custom motorcycle to honour his late grandfather, a D-Day veteran. Corporal William Cormack served with 45 Commando, the same regiment Cormack belonged to 50 years later. Once completed, Titch wants to ride the machine over to the D-Day beach his grandfather landed on and pay his respects. But before he crosses the channel, there's an AC Cobra in Cornwall that needs the team's attention.
Gentleman Jack
Sunday, BBC One, 9pm
The sapphic historical drama returns for a second series, with Suranne Jones as industrialist-landowner Anne Lister, working in a male-dominated world of commerce, and trying to navigate her lesbian life in a society that cannot tolerate same-sex relationships. The series, created by Sally Wainwright, is based on the copious diaries of the real-life Lister, who wrote them in code so as not to leave herself exposed. Series two is set in Yorkshire in 1834; Lister has just married her partner, Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), in a secret ceremony, and is renovating Shibden Hall in readiness for her new wife to move in. But the extended Walker family is determined to stop Ann from crossing the threshold. Intrigue, jealousy and betrayal are pretty much guaranteed.
The Cane Field Killings
Sunday, Channel 4, 10.30pm
C4 turns to South Africa for its latest crime drama. Reyka Gama (Kim Engelbrecht) is an investigative psychologist and criminal profiler who, as an 11-year-old, was abducted by Angus Speelman (Iain Glen), a Scottish immigrant farmer. He kept her captive for several years, eventually using her as a sex slave until she managed to escape at the age of 16. Still traumatised by what happened, we pick up with Reyka’s story as she’s summoned to Speelman’s parole hearing, an event that leads to her latest self-destructive wave. Meanwhile, she must also work on a grisly case involving the discovery of six bodies in a sugarcane field – and the killer’s bloodlust is set to continue as he becomes ever more bold.
Storybud
Monday, RTÉjr, 9.15am
Storybud is a series of 15 funny short stories based on well-loved fairytales and nursery rhymes for age 8 and up. Written by Jason Byrne, Karl Harpur, Alison Spittle, Bernard O’Shea and Sinéad Quinlan, the stories are hilariously reimagined with lots of funny and silly twists. With a large dollop of Irishness, refreshed tales such as Cinderella’s Other Fella, The Elves and the Loo Maker and Humpty Mumpty are read in true Jackanory style by Jason Byrne, Deirdre O’Kane, Bernard O’Shea, Doireann Garrihy, Sinéad Quinlan and Baz Ashmawy. Each tale is brought to life with funky and colorful illustrations and animation.
Secrets from the Middle Aisle
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
So, what's it like working for Lidl? More pertinently, what was it like for staff of the German supermarket chain as they worked through the pandemic, keeping their customers supplied with food products and toilet rolls? This one-off documentary visits two very different branches of Lidl: Dublin's Moore Street store and the chain's new store in Tipperary town. In Dublin, staff are bracing themselves for the Halloween and Christmas rushes, when the middle aisles will be stuffed with holiday products, while staff in Tipperary are working frantically to get the shelves fully stocked in readiness for the grand opening.
The documentary examines into the demands and complexities of operating a major supermarket and the pressures on staff who suddenly became frontline workers. It will also give an insight into some of the quirkier shopping habits of the Irish. “For many of us, that tiny little glimmer of hope during the pandemic was the weekly shop,” says consumer journalist Siobhán Maguire. “And if that shop was somehow enhanced by the fact you could pick up an egg-chair in a German supermarket, then so be it.”
Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing
Monday/Thursday, ITV, 9pm
This two-part documentary examines the events surrounding the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22nd, 2017. The terror attack by a suicide bomber killed 22 and injured more than 800 – people who should have been having the time of their lives at an Ariana Grande concert. The fact that the target was heavily attended by children is particularly shocking. This first part focuses on the hours leading up to the attack, contrasting the lives of the perpetrators with those of their victims.
Derry Girls
Tuesday, Channel 4, 9.15pm
It's been a bit of a wait, but at last we can welcome the Derry girls back for their third and final comedy outing – and the growing pains are more painful and funnier than ever. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland and Jamie-Lee O'Donnell return to action and misadventure as Erin, Clare, Orla and Michelle, with Dylan Llewellyn as Michelle's hapless English cousin James. Tommy Tiernan returns as Erin's dad, Gerry, and Siobhan McSweeney as the perma-eye-rolling headmistress Sr Michael. Time marches on and the peace process is pushing ahead, but while an end to the Troubles is in sight, the five friends are finding the growing up process a little harder to reconcile. Who'd have thought that going into adulthood would be such a hassle – and so hilarious?
Julia
Tuesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm
We’re so used to TV chefs these days, but there was a time when it was unusual to see a woman on the telly showing viewers how to rustle up fab gourmet meals and everyday family dinners. Julia Child became one of America’s most recognisable TV personalities in the 1960s, and is credited with introducing French cuisine to US housewives. In what looks like inspired casting, British actor Sarah Lancashire (replacing originally cast Joan Cusack) tackles the starring role with relish, and has already garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal. David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame plays her husband, Paul. And look out for another Frasier alumnus, Bebe Neuwirth, plus Isabella Rosselini in a guest role.
Hullraisers
Tuesday, Channel 4, 9.45pm
Right after Derry Girls, it's over to Humberside for a new comedy series following the exploits of three working-class women trying to juggle the demands of work life, family life and – most importantly – nightlife. Yes, these ladies are on a mission to have fun and turn every night into a Humber party, but things don't always end according to plan. In episode one, young mum Toni (Leah Brotherhead) is desperate for a night out, so she skips daughter Grace's drama rehearsal for a visit to the pub . There she learns a few colourful lines you wouldn't hear in The Wizard of Oz. Rana (Taj Atwal) has scored with a Hull City footballer, but when the Bacardi goggles come off, he doesn't seem quite so dazzling anymore.
Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
Think you can stand the heat of I’m a Celebrity? Well, here’s the polar opposite, a new series in which a bunch of celebs volunteer to endure extreme cold in the company of the Ice Man himself. Wim Hof is the guy who’s broken all sorts of world records for lying in baths of ice or, I don’t know, being embedded in ice for a million years. Whatever, he’s a firm believer in the therapeutic benefits of freezing your nuts off, and in this series he takes eigh celebrities out of their comfort zone and subjects them to a series of cold challenges in sub-zero temperatures that’ll make the Bushtucker Trial seem like a skate in the park. The celebs will also have to face their fear of heights. Among the beautiful people who have no idea what they’re letting themselves in for are Gabby Logan, Alfie Boe, Tamzin Outhwaite and Professor Green. Professor Green? Professor Blue, more like.
Compulsion
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, Channel 5, 9pm
Leanne Best heads the cast as a paramedic, who suffers from severe PTSD after surviving a major disaster. It's driven Jenny to become an addict who is now adept at hiding her problems from her husband, daughter and best friend. In the opening episode, Jenny meets someone who seems to understand her pain – but can newcomer Sasha really be trusted?
Gazza
Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm
Bobby Robson famously described him as “daft as a brush”, while Gary Lineker has said he is “the most naturally gifted technical footballer that I played with”. Regardless of your opinion of Paul Gascoigne, you can’t argue that he is a one of a kind. This two-part documentary delves into the iconic player’s rise to fame, from his time as the face of 1990s Britain to his battle with addiction. After covering Gazza’s upbringing and background, we pick up the story in 1988, when he moves from Newcastle to London to join Terry Venables’ Spurs for a British record transfer fee in July, pushing him into the national spotlight. Then, at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, he becomes an icon, and Gazzamania is born. However, those close to him worry about his ability to deal with the intense media attention.
Other Voices
Thursday, RTÉ2, 11pm
Ireland’s premier music TV show returns for its 20th serieS with extraordinary performances and conversations captured in beautiful Dingle. Annie Macmanus, MayKay and Huw Stephens are back on hosting duties. as episode one kicks off with a breathtaking surprise performance from Dermot Kennedy; a blazing debut by RTÉ Choice Music Prize nominee Orla Gartland; and an explosive set from Dublin garage-rockers Sprints. Bonus: alternative hip-hop duo Tebi Rex bring their unique sound to the Imro Other Room for a captivating live set.
Taskmaster
Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm
One of Channel 4's biggest scores since acquiring Bake Off was snagging this raucous slice of daftness from Dave. Now Taskmaster is back for a new series (its 13th!) with a fresh line-up of stand-up comedians Ardal O'Hanlon, Bridget Christie, Chris Ramsey, Judi Love and Sophie Duker. If anyone remains unfamiliar with the show's simple charms, the schoolmasterly Taskmaster Greg Davies presides over frankly ludicrous challenges set by "sidekick" (actually the show's creator and exec-producer) Alex Horne.
Jill Halfpenny's Easter Walks
Friday, BBC One, 1.30pm
The actress explores how ancient Christian paths crisscrossed the northeast of England, inspiring unique traditions and customs, many of which are still celebrated at Easter. Halfpenny visits the historic town of Hexham, joining bellringers in the Abbey and having a go herself, and enjoys the Hexham Abbey Choir as its members rehearse a favourite Easter hymn – This Joyful Eastertide. In Lauder on the Scottish borders, she meets a local horseman who explains the tradition of riding the parish boundary, an annual much-loved traditional event.
Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough
Friday, BBC One, 6.30pm
Since the groundbreaking 1999 documentary Walking with Dinosaurs, the BBC's renowned Natural History Unit has been fascinated by these extinct megafauna, and scientific advances in palaeontology have led to more and more detail, helping bring their lost world back to life. We're not quite at Jurassic Park point, but this new David Attenborough series does give us a greater understanding of the creatures and their extinction. Using palaeontologist Robert DePalma's remarkable discovery of a well-preserved prehistoric graveyard as a reference point, the veteran naturalist sheds new light on what happened when an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest struck late-Cretaceous Earth.
La Voix Humaine
Friday, BBC Two, 10pm
Poulenc's short opera, based on Jean Cocteau's 1928 play, is performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and shot on location in Paris and London. Antonio Pappano is the conductor for this emotional single-hander, which takes the form of a woman (soprano Danielle de Niese) making a last phone call to her lover, revealing that she has attempted suicide because he has abandoned her for another woman.
Adrian Dunbar's Coastal Ireland
Friday, Virgin One, 6pm
Fermanagh-born Adrian Dunbar is famous for his portrayal of Supt Ted Hastings in Line of Duty. In this two-patt travelogue (which first aired last year on Channel 5), Dunbar goes back to his roots, travelling along the wild and rugged west and north coasts of Ireland, making a stop at the Mizen bridge, suspended 45 metres above sea level. He also joins an old friend (who also happens to be one of Ireland’s finest chefs) for lunch, and fulfils a lifelong ambition to make the treacherous sea crossing to Skellig Islands.
ON DEMAND
The Kardashians
From Thursday, Disney+
Welcome back to the K club. If you haven't been keeping up lately, Kim Kardashian West and her extended family have a new series that promises to give viewers an insight into the pressures of living life constantly through TV, Instagram and celebrity gossip sites, and the difficulties of running their billion-dollar social media-fuelled empire while just trying to be, you know, just normal everyday television royalty. After spending some time off-camera, Kim, Kris, Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie are back in their natural milieu (living out their fabulous lives in front of millions of viewers) and, luckily, they haven't suffered too many withdrawal symptoms. "I think it's time to see a whole new side of the family," says someone in the trailer whose name begins with K. Don't worry – this new side doesn't look any less glamorous than the old one.
Hard Cell
From Thursday, Netflix
Catherine Tate projects are, to coin a phrase, like buses: you wait ages for one to appear and then two come along at once. The Nan Movie, featuring one of the most popular characters from her TV sketch show, was released last month, and now she’s back on the box with a mockumentary for Netflix. The six-part series is set in the fictional female prison HMP Woldsley and sees Tate play a range of different characters. They include governor Laura Willis, who believes that creativity leads to rehabilitation, and Big Viv, a psychopath serving a life sentence. Cameras follow the inmates as they rehearse a musical directed by ex-EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison. Funny and moving, this promises to be a big hit for its creator.
Roar
From Friday, Apple TV+
Glow creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch are back with this eight-part anthology series based on a collection of short stories by Cecelia Ahern. Each offers an insightful, poignant and often hilarious portrait of what it means to be a modern woman. Ahern’s witty and whimsical tales have been described as darkly comic feminist fables that blend magical realism, familiar domestic and professional scenarios, and futuristic worlds. Among the stars are Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal and Merritt Weaver.
Anatomy of a Scandal
From Friday, Netflix
Power, privilege, sexual politics…this new drama from the creator of Big Little Lies and The Undoing promises to be a real plot-twister. Based on the novel by Sarah Vaughan, and starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend, Anatomy of a Scandal tells the story of Sophie and James Whitehouse, a Westminster power couple who suddenly find the persian rug pulled out from under their marriage. James is a prominent government minister, but a scandal threatens to bring down his career and as well as his family, and barrister Kate Woodruff is determined to see Whitehouse convicted on a rape charge. Who is telling the truth and who is lying? Sophie must have all her wits about her to get to the heart of the matter.
Contributing: PA
