Manchán’s Europe By Train
Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm
Most of us have been jetting off to our holiday destinations, in a tearing hurry to get on that sunbed before sundown. But in this new series, Manchán Magan is taking it nice and slowly, travelling around Europe by train, and avoiding the usual tourist traps. The advantages are clear, says Magan: no busy airports to navigate, lots of time to relax and take in the local scenery, and you arrive in the centre of the city, and not some godforsaken airport 100km away. Using Europe’s vast and efficient rail network, Manchán spends a month slow-travelling to some of Europe’s main cities, and begins his journey in Wales, taking a zipline across a quarry at 100mph, then heads to Brussels where he goes on a treetop cycle, then on to Amsterdam, where he meets a group of good samaritans who recover lost items from the canals.
Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple
Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm
Dame Judi Dench is one of the best-loved stars of stage and screen; Jay Blades is the affable presenter of TV series The Repair Shop. Despite their 40-year age difference, and their disparate cultures, the two became firm friends following a chance meeting three years ago, and in this special documentary, the pair set out on a journey of discovery through the UK to learn more about each other’s backgrounds and upbringings, by visiting significant places in their lives - including Hackney’s Ridley Road market and the Old Vic - and meeting the people who were most important to them.
Rose of Tralee 2024
Monday & Tuesday, RTÉ One, 8pm
Summer’s nearly over, but there’s still time for more Roses to bloom as the Rose of Tralee international festival takes off for two nights of revelry in the Co Kerry town. Daithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas will be handling the presenting duties in the Festival Dome, as they interview the 32 young women from Ireland and around the world who have made it to the final stage of the competition. It’s not just about being “lovely and fair” - the Roses will have to have many strings to their bow, such as Kerry Rose Emer Dineen, a 4/1 favourite who is a paediatric radiographer, a lifeguard and a volunteer with children’s charity Barretstown.
True North: The Omagh Hum
Monday, BBC One, 10.40pm
In 2023, residents of Omagh in Co Tyrone began complaining of a mysterious humming noise which was keeping them awake at night. Soon the whole town was buzzing with rumours and conspiracy theories, as locals tried in vain to trace the source of this annoying noise. In this programme, journalist Emmet McElhatton and local repairman Jamie Ryan try to nail down once and for all what’s causing this mysterious and persistent hum - is it a UFO, or some nearby factory running machinery through the night?
Manchán’s Europe by Train: An alternative to jetting off on holiday that doesn’t send us all on a guilt trip
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Saving Lives in Cardiff
Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm
University Hospital of Wales is the country’s largest and busiest hospital, where some of the world’s top surgeons perform complex, challenging medical procedures that would make Grey’s Anatomy look amateur. But the medical staff here face one seemingly insurmountable challenge: the hospital has one of the longest waiting times in history, with 200 people in the neurosurgery department alone waiting for live-saving surgery, and the surgeons must make the agonising decision of who to prioritise for treatment. In this first episode, consultant George Eralil treats 19-year-old Chelsea, who has a rare brain tumour.
Watergate
Tuesday, BBC Four, 11.50pm
Norma Percy’s award-winning 1994 documentary on the Watergate scandal comes to its conclusion - and we all know how it ends. This episode, entitled Impeachment, details how president Richard Nixon clung desperately on to power despite the mounting evidence of his involvement in the notorious break-in at the Democratic campaign headquarters. Nixon had installed secret recording devices in the Oval Office, and it was his own paranoia that proved his downfall, as the tapes sealed his fate.
Tom Davis: Underdog
Wednesday, Sky Comedy & Now, 9pm
British comedian and actor Tom Davis is the creator and star of the hit TV comedy King Gary and cult crime series Murder in Successville, but success didn’t come easy for the affable, beardy 45-year-old, and in his new show, he details his early years trying to make it in the business they call show. Before the roles in blockbuster films Paddington 2 and Wonka, David spent years working on building sites, and he talks about is life as a labourer, his tough road to fatherhood, and how he managed to crash the Hollywood party.
The Runner
Wednesday, TG4, 10.30pm
In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, hopes were high for US distance runner Mary Decker in the 3,000 metres. But Decker’s Olympic debut turned to disaster as she was apparently tripped by British runner Zola Budd with just four laps to go. This documentary from 2013 tracks Decker’s rise to dominance in her sport in the run-up to the 1984 Olympics, and how her wholesome image made her a huge media star.
Merseyside Detectives: The Murders of Ashley and Olivia
Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm
In August 2022, 28-year-old Ashley Dale and nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel were shot dead in their own homes in Liverpool. When Merseyside police investigated, they learned that the woman and child were innocent victims in a gangland feud - collateral damage in a turf war between organised crime groups. In this final episode - the series has been stripped from Monday - the suspect in Olivia’s murder is tried, but he insists he’s been stitched up, and refuses to turn up for sentencing.
Irvine Welsh’s Crime
Thursday, UTV, 9pm
The second series of the Edinburgh-based crime drama comes to its conclusion, and it’s probably going to be a messy ending. Dougray Scott stars as DI Ray Lennox, who is determined to prove he can come back from his breakdown after the traumatic events of series one. He’s returned to his role in the serious crimes unit, but has to deal with a devious new colleague, and he’s also faced with a case that would drive any cop demented - a series of murders with no apparent motive. Lennox’s investigations takes him from Edinburgh’s posh hotels to the city’s crack dens as he unravels a huge cover-up.
Mozart, Mendelssohn and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Friday, BBC Four, 8pm
It’s a late summer night’s fever dream as the BBC Proms presents a semi-staged production of Mendelssohn’s masterpiece, a musical retelling of the Shakespeare play. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and National Youth Choir of Scotland’s Chamber Choir conducted by Gemma New will begin the night’s festivities with a sensual performance of Bomis’s Salomé, its first time airing at the Proms. Clarinettist Anthony McGill will perform Mozart’s famous Clarinet Concerto, and then it’s time for the Bard’s beloved comedy to come to life on the Royal Albert Hall stage.
Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me
Friday BBC Two, 9pm
Brian May is best known as the nimble-fingered guitarist for Queen, but when he’s not wielding the axe, he’s campaigning to stop the practice of badger-culling. Badgers are seen as spreaders of bovine TB, but May believes the threat is exaggerated and wants the British government-sponsored cull to stop. Farmer Jeremy Clarkson has criticised May for his stance on “bastard” badgers, and apparently May and Worthy Farm boss Michael Eavis fell out over badger-culling, which is why Queen have never played Glastonbury. Whew, rock’n’roll! This documentary should bring you up to speed on this thorny topic.
