What to watch on TV this week
The Natural World
RTÉ2, 6.30pm
Fascinating documentary from conservationist Rom Whitaker on leopards in India and how they’re increasingly coming into contact with humans.
Night Will Fall
Channel 4, 9pm
Newsreel footage and eyewitness testimony are combined for this documentary on the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, as we hear how the muted relief of the inmates was matched by the liberators’ shock at the horrific scenes they found there.
Top Gear
BBC Two, 8pm
After the traumas of their trip to Argentina, presumably the three amigos will have a quieter time in Russia where they race across the beautiful city of St Petersburg. Richard Hammond also test-drives the new Lamborghini Huracan, and Ed Sheeran is the star in a reasonably priced car.
Clann Feirm Factor
TG4, 8.30pm
Two families from Co Cork face off in this week’s farm skills competition. The Crowleys of Enniskeane meet the Callaghans from Mallow in such tasks as using machinery and horiculture identification. James and Helena Crowley already have a use for the €20,000 – if they win, they’ll spend it on a honeymoon.
The Meaning Of Life, With Gay Byrne
RTÉ One, 10.30pm
The first guest on the new series, Cecelia Ahern, talks about growing up in a household headed by her father, former Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern. She also discusses difficult times in her life, including her parents’ break-up and dealing with panic attacks.
Dispatches: The Great Car Con
Channel 4, 8pm
A look at the failed promises made to car buyers about diesel being the cheap and clean fuel of the future.
Gotham
RTÉ2, 9pm
New series that’s essential viewing for Batman fans and anybody with a taste for superhero fare. Tonight’s opener mainly focuses on a man who would eventually become familiar to us as Batman’s ally, Commissioner Gordon. Here we see him starting out as a detective, working the mean streets of his native city. Along the way, we see his first encounter with a 12-year-old Bruce Wayne, the only survivor from a massacre of his billionaire family.
Eco Eye
RTÉ One, 7pm
You can probably guess where Duncan Stewart stands on the issue of wind energy but, as he points out tonight, not everybody in Ireland is of the same mind as the presenter on a topic that that has become extremely contentious in some areas. He also points to countries like Denmark and Germany which have almost 100% acceptance of wind energy through a community model that sees locals benefit.
Touched By Auschwitz
BBC Two, 9pm
There’s been a slew of good Holocaust-related documentaries in recent weeks, and this feature-length offering looks like being another one for the list. It focuses on six survivors of Auschwitz and what they did with their lives in the immediate aftermath of the war and beyond. Among them is a Polish man who was inspired by the kindness shown to him by one German soldier in the midst of the babarity practised by others. He went on to become a professor in the US, with a promise to himself to help others whenever he could.
The Art of Fly Fishing: Kiss the Water
BBC Four, 9pm
Essential viewing for anglers, especially those who are enthralled by the art of fly making. It explores the work of legendary fly maker Megan Boyd who created her incredible lures at her cottage in Scotland until her death in 2001.
Red Rock
TV3, 8.30pm
Katie Kiely is accused of taking the money from the pub, but is adamant it wasn’t her. Tomorrow’s episode will see Michael Hennessy putting pressure on his brother David to end his relationship with Katie.
An Long Chaillte
TG4, 9.30pm
Documentary filmed over three years as a group of underwater archaeologists explore a 16th century shipwreck off the coast of Donegal. Could it be one of the lost ships of the Spanish Armada?
Getaways
RTÉ One, 7pm
The Spanish island of Majorca ticks a lot of boxes for holiday-makers and has been a destination of choice for several decades. Angela Scanlon and Joe Lindsay visit an island that has everything from the debauched bars of Magaluf to the beautiful city of Palma.
Attenborough’s Birds of Paradise
BBC Two, 8pm
At 88, David Attenborough seems to be even more prolific than ever, and he describes this documentary on the spectacular birds of New Guinea as “a film I have wanted to make for 40 years”. As well as spectacular footage and fascinating science, he puts a personal twist on it all, and also visits the largest captive breeding group of these birds. Surpisingly, it’s in Qatar at a rich sheikh’s personal collection.
Modern Times: The Vikings Are Coming
BBC Two, 9pm
Within two decades, you can probably expect to see an increased amount of tall blond people in Ireland and Britain. Denmark is the leading exporter of human sperm in the world, not least because its laws still allow donors to remain anonymous. Many women in this part of the world use Danish services for insemination, including same sex couples and single women in their 30s and 40s. This film follows four British women hoping to use Danish sperm.
How To Get Away With Murder
RTÉ2, 10pm
Pilot of another new American drama series in which a college law professor challenges her students to solve difficult criminal cases. It’s a show that had good reviews in the US for its melodramatic twists.
Kraftwerk: Pop Art
BBC Four, 10pm
Documentary on the electronic music pioneers includes footage of their 2013 shows at Tate Modern.
The Graham Norton Show
BBC One, 10.35pm
Guests include Judi Dench and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
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