What to watch this week: Last Nuns in Ireland and Last One Laughing among our picks
Dearbhail McDonald with Sr Breda Carroll Sr Teresa Dunphy, St Catherine of Siena Monastery in Drogheda in The Last Nuns in Ireland
A lot of us have fond memories of gathering around the TV in the 1990s to watch Gladiators. Father-and-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh have more reason than most to feel nostalgic about the show, which saw members of the public take on a fearsome line-up of athletes in tests of strength and speed. Bradley’s wife Donna was a choreographer for the Gladiator cheerleaders, and Barney took some of his first steps on the arena floor. So, they’re understandably thrilled to be hosting this revived version as members of the public go head-to-head with a new class of Gladiators, who are going by the names of Fire, Bionic, Diamond, Nitro, Electro, Giant, Steel, Apollo, Comet, Viper, Athena, Fury, Phantom, Sabre, and Dynamite.
An ice hockey player is forced to spend a week working as the Tooth Fairy as a punishment for discouraging a young fan. Family comedy, starring Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd.
GAA: Club Championship All Ireland Junior Hurling Final, 4.45pm; Club Championship All Ireland Intermediate Hurling Final, 6.55pm, both TG4. Rugby — Champions Cup: Leinster v Stade Francais, at the Aviva (kick-off 5.30pm, RTÉ2).
Holly Willoughby is back for a new run of the pro-celebrity skating show, and she’s joined by Stephen Mulhern. Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards has stepped in to replace Goggleboxer Stephen Lustig-Webb who withdrew after sustaining an injury during training. Other stars strapping on their skates are boxer Ricky Claire Sweeney, Hannah Spearritt, Amber Davies, Miles Nazaire, Lou Sanders, Ricky Norwood, Adele Roberts, Ryan Thomas, and Roxy Shahidi.
Brian Carrigg and Kate Molony attempt to renovate a bungalow with a view of the Rock of Cashel — through a frosted bathroom window.
GAA: Club Championship All Ireland Junior Football final, 1.15pm; Club Championship All Ireland Intermediate Football Final, 3.15pm, both TG4.
Mum-of-five Natalie and teacher Michael say that when they go shopping, they stock up on salads, vegetables, and healthy proteins, so in theory, her irritable bowel syndrome and his bloating shouldn’t be down to their diet. However, when Dr Michael Mosley ambushes them at the checkout, he discovers their trolley tells a different story. Can he change their habits and improve their health?
In this all-star version the
contestants will be moving into a South African villa in the hope they can find romance the second time around — and host Maya Jama will chart the sparks, gossip and heartbreak.
In the latest two-part mystery, the team looks at a suspect suicide, but the more they dig, the more mysteries uncovered.
Barbados is the destination for The Young Offenders actors and real life best friends Demi Isaac Oviawe and Jennifer Barry. Swimming with turtles, rum tasting, stunning caves, and Rhianna’s childhood home all feature as one celebrity gets a luxury trip while the other makes do on a budget.
Can Donald Trump really win a second term in the White House? Reporter Robert Moore tries to figure out an answer to that question during this eye-opening documentary.
Convent-educated journalist and broadcaster, Dearbhail McDonald, examines the role of female religious sisters in Ireland, from earliest times to the present day.
People using water as inspiration for their craft: SÃle Nic Chonaonaigh visits artist Donnchacha Quilty on the outskirts of Galway City, Tracey Jeffrey of Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen in Newtownards, County Down, and masseuse Veronica Lydon in Letterard, County Galway.
Ardal O’Hanlon’s at the Aran islands, where he learns from a practising monk of their ancient Christian heritage. Continuing south, Ardal visits the Great Blasket Island, birthplace of Peig Sayers, now home to a thriving seal colony and two young caretakers. On nearby Valentia Island, Ardal meets Ireland’s only vermouth
producers foraging for ingredients, before heading to the spectacular Unesco World Heritage site of Skellig Michael.
Chef Niall heads to Wicklow on a chilly winter’s morning to meet with Hilary Crampton on her organic farm in Castleruddery. She has an array of seasonal produce. Meanwhile, back in the kitchen Rebecca gets to grips with some beetroot and puts together a terrine with some home-made tofu cheese.
Former England and Manchester United star-turned-Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville joins Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, and Steven Bartlett to fight it out for the best investments.
Later this month, the world will find out where the hands of the Doomsday Clock — a metaphorical marker for the peril our planet could face — will be set. Jane Corbin visits the home of Robert Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project in New Mexico, before travelling to Scotland to reveal the strategy behind Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
Omo, 31, from Cork dines with Princess, 24, from Dublin. Actor and writer Glenn, 71, from Chancery Lane meets Ava, 72, from the Liberties. Garda Mike, 26, from Tipperary meets Belfast retail manager Yasemin, 25. And trainee hairdresser Karl, 22, from Tallaght dines with Aaron, 21, from the Liberties.
Another run of the game show with a unique twist and £25,000 jackpot.
Documentary profile of June Carter Cash. With insights into the history of country music and the part that the Carter and Cash families have played in it before turning the spotlight on June herself, including such career highlights as opening for Elvis Presley, sharing the screen with Robert Duvall and co-writing Cash’s iconic song Ring of Fire. Archive footage is used throughout, while testimony comes from friends, relatives, and admirers, including Dolly Parton, and Reese Witherspoon, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of her in Walk the Line.
Graham Norton fronts this new comedy contest. It features 10 of Ireland’s biggest comedy stars — Aisling Bea, Amy Huberman, Catherine Bohart, David McSavage, Deirdre O’Kane, Emma Doran, Jason Byrne, Martin Angolo, Paul Tylak, and Tony Cantwell — who will spend six episodes trying to make each other laugh, without ever so much as cracking a smile themselves. We’ve been told to look out for some celebrity cameos too, while whoever remains straight-faced the longest wins €50,000 for their favourite charity.
Second series of reality show produced by Cian O’Clery following people on the autistic spectrum as they seek a soulmate. This season is set to feature some familiar faces as well as a few new ones, some of whom are dipping their toes into the dating game for the very first time. Expect to witness stories of resilience, hope and, of course, love, along the way.
