The Late Late Show
Friday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Derry Girls took the country by storm when it burst on to screens just over a year ago. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Dylan Llewellyn join host Ryan Tubridy to discuss why a comedy set during the Northern Troubles works so well, and what fans can expect from season 2. Also: Tubridy will chat with rising star Jessie Buckley about going country for her new movie Wild Rose, why performing was in the blood as she grew up in Killarney, and what it's like to leaving home for the bright lights of London at 17. Plus: Dearbhail McDonald, who made the personal decision to freeze her eggs in her mid-30s, on the decision ahead of her RTÉ One documentary; Philip Hannigan, father of late bestselling author Emma Hannigan, on his daughter ahead of publication of Emma's final novel, The Gift of Friends; Carol Bryan on the disfiguring effects of her cosmetic surgery; former MMA fighter Graham McCormack on overcoming severe episodes of anxiety, depression and self-harm; and music from Buckley as well as Mundy and the Irich Chamber Orchestra to celebrate the launch of a new festival, Tipp Classical.
Soft Cell: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Friday, BBC4, 9pm
Formed during the late 1970s in Leeds, Soft Cell went on to become one of the most colourful and charismatic bands in the history of popular music. Here cameras follow vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist Dave Ball as the English synthpop act reunite for an emotional farewell concert at London's O2 arena in September 2018, which also marked their 40th anniversary. Footage follows the build-up to the gig and provides an intimate portrait of the duo at work, as well as revisiting places of their youth. Clips from the concert itself are woven in with period archive and music videos.
Na Sár-Laochra Spóirt
Friday, TG4, 8pm
Boxers are in the spotlight. The careers of Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman are scrutinised, but perhaps of most interest will be the insights into the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr, who retired undefeated in 2017.
QI
Friday, BBC2, 10pm
The most recent series of the mind-boggling quiz has been its 16th, meaning Sandi Toksvig and her guests switched their attention to the letter "P". this compilation of the season's best bits includes questions on panimals, peril, piecemeal, parts, public and private, pictures, picnics, plants, pubs, pain and punishment, pot pourri, procrastination, phenomena, pathology, pastimes of past times and post. Permanent participant Alan Davies is joined by prominent panellists including Susan Calman, Stephen K Amos, Danny Baker, Ed Balls, Aisling Bea, Cally Beaton, Nikki Bedi, Jimmy Carr, Bridget Christie, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Noel Fielding, Rhod Gilbert and Teri Hatcher as they ponder pre-prepared pearls of wisdom . . . and a few porky pies.
Meghan & the Markles: A Family at War
Friday, Channel 5, 9pm
Documentary exploring the story of Meghan Markle’s family, revealing why her mother Doria was the only relative present at her wedding to Prince Harry. The programme features contributions by half-sister Samantha and unofficial royal biographer Andrew Morton, and examines the stories of Markle’s nephew and half-brother’s brushes with the law. Despite numerous pleas for a reconciliation from her father, Meghan has not relented, though she did recently communicate with him in a heart-felt letter – leaked to the press.
All Together Now
Saturday, BBC1, 7.30pm
Rob Beckett returns for another run of the singalong show, once again joined by the artist formerly known as Ginger Spice – Geri Horner, who is the Head of the 100, a panel of music experts and performers. The aim of the participants is to get as many of the 100 on their feet and singing along to their performances; whoever comes out on top goes through to the next round and is a step closer to winning the £50,000 prize money.
The Jonathan Ross Show
Saturday, UTV, 9.25pm/Sunday, Virgin Media Two, 10pm
This is the 14th series of Ross’s UTV show – not bad going when you consider the fact he only signed a deal with the broadcaster in 2011. Tonight, music comes from Bryan Adams, currently promoting his new single and album, both called Shine a Light. Also dropping by are comedian Seann Walsh and The Voice mentors Jennifer Hudson and Will.i.am. But as a long-standing comic book fan, the guests Ross will most look forward to speaking to are Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson, in town to chat about their new movie, Captain Marvel.
Race Across the World
Sunday, BBC2, 9pm
Imagine trying to travel to the Far East without being able to book a flight? That's the challenge for the contestants taking part in this six-part adventure series, which pits pairs of travellers against each other in a race to reach Singapore and scoop a prize of £20,000. Not only will they have to complete the journey without boarding a single plane, they won't have smartphones to hand, and each contestant will only have the cash equivalent of an air fare to their destination to pay for their overland travel, accommodation and food. Tonight, father and son Darron and Alex; husband and wife Jinda and Bindu; best friends of 30 years Natalie and Shameema; business partners Josh and Felix; and two friends reliving a distant inter-railing experience, Sue and Clare, set off from Greenwich. Their first port of call is the ancient Greek city of Delphi.
Ice Age: Return of the Mammoth
Sunday, Channel 4, 7.30pm
It may sound like the plot from a sci-fi movie, but one of the world's leading genetic engineers, George Church, is aiming to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction. Within a decade, he intends to release a herd of genetically engineered mammoth-elephant hybrids into Pleistocene Park, an Ice Age equivalent of Jurassic Park, in northeast Siberia. In this feature-length documentary, Dr Tori Herridge attempts to find out whether bringing back the mammoth is possible, as she travels to the wilds of Siberia to search for the frozen remains of long-extinct Ice Age beasts. Herridge also meets Prof Church, who is in Siberia looking for mammoth DNA for his ambitious project, and asks him his views on playing God with nature.
Faithfull: The Marianne Faithfull Story
Sunday, BBC4, 9.30pm
She is arguably just as well known for her rock’n’roll lifestyle as her sweet, melancholic voice, and Marianne Faithfull is without a doubt a pop-culture icon. This one-off profile of the singer and actress covers her rise to fame at the age of 17 during the 1960s and her encounters with some of music’s most iconic figures, including Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones. The film also chronicles Faithfull’s struggles with drug addiction, subsequent reinvention and newfound acclaim as an artist in her own right.
Additional reporting: PA
