Pick of the Week
Ballroom Blitz
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Hey kids, let me tell you how I met your mam ... Back in the 1960s, young Irish people were dancin’ and romancin’ at their local ballroom, to the sounds of their favourite showbands. In a sexually repressed, buttoned-down Irish society, youngsters looked forward to the weekly dance, because it was their chance to cut loose and let their hair down – and meet their future spouse. More than 600 showbands plied their trade in ballrooms around the country, playing Irish music, old-fashioned waltzes and country ballads, but also the latest pop hits. U2 bassist Adam Clayton goes on a personal journey into this pivotal time in Irish social history, and he’s got a stellar cast of Irish music legends to guide him, including Phil Coulter, Eileen Reid, Linda Martin, Paddy Cole, Jim Lockhart, Bob Geldof and Derek Dean. Clayton explores how rockers Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher cut their teeth on the showband circuit, how some of the top showbands found fame in Las Vegas, and how they were soon eclipsed by a new generation of rock bands including Thin Lizzy, Horslips and Clayton’s own U2. The series also confronts the darkest moment in the history of showbands, when three members of the hugely popular Miami showband were murdered on their way back from a gig in the North.
Queen Camilla: The Wicked Stepmother?
Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm
Depending on which royal-watchers you believe, the queen consort, Camilla, is either the wicked witch of Windsor, or a woman wrongly painted as a dragon by naughty Prince Harry. Will this Channel 4 documentary set the royal record straight? Doubt it, but it’s always fun to watch the endless infighting among members of Britain’s royal family, and this particular spat has divided the nation, with some believing King Charles and Camilla are leaking stories to the press to cast her in a positive light, while others believe Harry’s attempts to tar his stepmother with a witch’s broomstick are backfiring badly on him.
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
Sunday, TG4, 9.30pm
Every year, at the height of summer, musicians and music aficionados flock to the small town of Miltown Malbay in west Clare to immerse themselves in the Willie Clancy Summer School, which is now going into its second half-century of ceol agus craic. This series will bring us into the musical melee to see the sights, hear the sounds and meet the fascinating characters who frequent this annual hooley by the Wild Atlantic Way. Episode one will feature some lively tunes from concertina player and teacher Noel Hill and his friend, fiddler Liam O’Connor, plus a session with US fiddler Andrew Caden and friends, and music from Eimear Howley, Maggie Maguire and Fionn O’Hanlon
Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating
Monday, BBC Two, 9pm
There is growing evidence that ultra-processed foods may be linked to cancer, dementia and inflammatory bowel disease. So why do we gobble up industrial levels of chemically altered food and ignore the benefits of fresh, unadulterated produce? The trouble is they taste so delicious. Doctor and academic Chris van Tulleken explores how clever scientists and smart marketers make processed foods irresistible to consumers: tasty, convenient and with a use-by date sometime in the 22nd century. From production to advertising, these foods are sold to a public eager to gobble up every last unhealthy bite. Can we kick our ultra-processed food habit before it’s too late?
The Great British Bake Off
Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm
Things are really heating up in the Bake Off tent as we reach the final of this year’s contest. There are just three contestants left, and they’re going to have to battle it out for the winner’s crown by completing three big challenges set by judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood. This will be the ultimate test of their baking skills, so strap yourselves in for the final pastry showdown, hosted by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond. First, the finalists will have to create a scone using their signature tastes and techniques. Then they must create the perfect petit fours for afternoon tea, but this will be a doddle compared with the last challenge: creating a showstopping hanging tiered celebration cake to serve as the centrepiece for a big summer garden party. I’m glad I chose abseiling down active volcano craters as my hobby.
Matlock
Tuesday, Sky Witness & Now, 9pm
Boomers like me remember the original Matlock, starring Andy Griffith as a gruff, southern lawyer whose age belied his brilliance. The series ran from 1986 to 1995, but this Matlock is very different. Kathy Bates stars as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a brilliant, understated lawyer who has decided to go back into practice in her 70s, and must now hold her own among the young, ambitious lawyers in a prestigious law firm. Because of her age and relaxed style, Matty is routinely underestimated, but when she gets into the courtroom, she regularly runs rings around her younger adversaries. Skye P Marshall co-stars as senior attorney and rainmaker Olympia, with Jason ritter as the boss’s son – and OIympia’s ex-husband.
Memorial – The Story of HIV/Aids in Ireland
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
At the peak of the HIV/Aids pandemic of the 1980s and 1990s, the disease had a devastating effect on Ireland’s most vulnerable people: homosexual men, haemophiliacs, drug addicts, sex workers and prison inmates. This thought-provoking documentary recalls the impact of the virus as it hit our shores more than 40 years ago, and how its effects continue to resonate into the present day, with contributions from journalist, DJ and LGBTQI+ activist Tonie Walsh and trans woman and HIV awareness activist Rebecca Tallon de Havilland, both of whom are living with HIV. The programme also documents the creation and unveiling of a new Aids memorial in the Phoenix Park.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year
Thursday, RTÉ One, 11.15pm
Kathryn Thomas and Anton Savage host this awards extravaganza, where the stars are the entrepreneurs and disrupters hoping to make their mark on the world of business and enterprise. The contenders have been whittled down to 24 finalists, from the consumer, health tech, pharmaceutical, energy and engineering sector, who collectively employ more than 4,000 people and generate revenues of more than €400 million. The overall winner will have the honour of representing Ireland in the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo in summer 2025. There will also be a special sustainability award for the business that works hardest to protect the environment.
The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Friday, BBC Two, 9pm
On the morning of Sunday, November 25th, 1984, a bunch of bleary-eyed British and Irish pop stars began shuffling into Sarm Studios in Notting Hill, London, to record a charity song written by the fella out of The Boomtown Rats and the guy out of Ultravox. Did they know it would be the fastest-selling single of all time and go on to become a perennial Christmas anthem? The song was of course Do They Know It’s Christmas?, written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in response to the devastating famine in Ethiopia, and this 75-minute film captures the artists at work as they put together the Band Aid classic on that day 40 years ago. The 16mm footage, much of it unseen until now, was shot by director Nigel Dick and features the likes of Bananarama, Boy George, Duran Duran, George Michael, Paul Young, Phil Collins, Sting and Spandau Ballet rehearsing and recording, plus interviews on the day with Bono, Simon Le Bon, Gary Kemp, George Michael and more. Pass the Quality Street: this could be a tasty slice of musical history.
Streaming
The Madness
From Thursday, November 28th, Netflix
Muncie Daniels is a political consultant and media pundit who has lost his moral compass – so naturally he heads deep into the woods of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania to try to find it again. But instead he finds a whole heap of trouble. While on his remote sabbatical to write the Great American Novel, he witnesses a murder, and the victim just happens to be a prominent white supremacist. Muncie is shocked to find himself framed for the murder, and has to go on the run and try to clear his name. Along the way he’ll reconnect with his family, rediscover his idealism and uncover a global conspiracy. Colman Domingo stars as Muncie in this thriller set in a world of disinformation and division not a million miles away from this world.
Senna
From Friday, November 29th, Netflix
Ayrton Senna was feted as the fastest Formula 1 driver of all time, winning three world titles over a dazzling 10-year career that came to a tragic end during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, in 1994. This six-part series tells the story of the Brazilian racing driver, tracking his rise to pole position in the world of F1, his rivalries and relationships, and what drove him to push the speedometer ever higher. Gabriel Leone stars as Senna, with a wide supporting cast portraying such real-life racing figures as Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Rubens Barrichello. The story begins with Senna’s move to England to ignite his racing career. If the trailer is any indication, we’ll be right there in the cockpit with Senna as he pushes the envelope.
