TV Week: Kathryn Thomas looks into medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro
TV WEEK (Wednesday 20th to Tuesday 26th)
TOP SPECIALS
Scrum Queens: The Women Who Saved the World Cup (BBC 1, Thursday 21st, 10.40pm)
Scrum Queens is a story of pioneers, players, and perseverance. It reveals the fascinating, and untold story of the inspirational women who changed the game forever – trailblazers who took matters into their own hands to organise the first-ever Women’s Rugby World Cup in Cardiff in 1991 – and in doing so both saved and transformed the sport they loved.
The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets (Sky Crime, Sunday 24th, 9pm)
After the arrest of the alleged Gilgo Beach killer, this documentary goes inside the suspect’s home for the first time, and unravels a chilling portrait of a man living a double life and hiding dark secrets on the long and twisted road that led investigators to the doorstep of the unassuming Manhattan architect.
The Skinny Jab Revolution (RTÉ 1, Monday 25th, 9.35pm)
Kathryn Thomas takes a deep dive into GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, which are being used to assist weight loss, despite initially being developed as treatment for diabetes. The documentary explores the huge impact of these medical innovations, positive and negative.
Fintan O’Toole: A Life in Our Times (RTÉ 1, Tuesday 26th, 11.35pm)
The story of the life and career of Irish Times journalist Fintan O’Toole, widely regarded as the finest Irish journalist of his generation, in 2024, the year of his official retirement. He recalls his early life in Crumlin, setting the stage for his deep connection to key events that have shaped contemporary Irish society.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
The Graceless Age: The Ballad of John Murry (RTÉ 1, Wednesday 20th, 10.35pm
Feature documentary on American singer songwriter John Murry, who was on the cusp of greatness after the release of his album ‘Graceless Age’ in 2013 – when, addicted to heroin and creatively exhausted, he washed up on Irish shores a broken man. Director Sarah Share follows his journey from near death to redemption and a new zest for life and art through his music.
BEST FILMS
Taken (RTÉ 1, Friday 22nd, 10.15pm)
Long before he went comedic in The Naked Gun, Liam Neeson made his name as a former CIA agent who is forced to put his old skills to use in rescuing his daughter from a gang of European sex traffickers – a film that includes the famous line: “I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.”
Dog Day Afternoon (RTÉ 1, Saturday 23rd, 12.15am)
This classic from 1975 presents a young Al Pacino as an inexperienced criminal who leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn to finance a sex change operation. It evolves into an event where things quickly go wrong as a standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.
Night Call (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Sunday)
An exhilarating, full-throttle thriller that follows a young locksmith whose life turns upside down when he opens the wrong door and finds himself in the crosshairs of organised crime. In a city tormented by rioting and violence, he has only one night to prove his innocence.
CLASSIC MOVIE
The Prestige (BBC 2, Friday 22nd, 11pm)
Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman star in this period drama thriller about an illusion gone horribly wrong, which pits two 19th-century magicians against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. Terrible consequences loom when the pair escalate their feud, each seeking to destroy the other.
KIDS STUFF
Barbie Mysteries (Netflix)
We join Barbie ‘Malibu’ Roberts and Barbie ‘Brooklyn’ Roberts as they head to the Malibu Beach Bash festival to work the food stands with their friends for the summer. But when a series of mysterious thefts rocks the festival, it’s up to the mystery-solving teen sensations to once again uncover the clues, save their friends, and stop the culprit.
Into the Wonderwoods (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Saturday)
Ten-year-old Angelo dreams of becoming an explorer and a zoologist – but his distracted parents leave him behind at a rest stop, and he enters a dark and mysterious world inhabited by strange creatures, some friendlier than others.
ON DEMAND
Highest 2 Lowest (Apple TV)
When a music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the ‘best ears in the business’, is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Washington and Spike Lee reunite for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.
Invasion (Apple TV)
Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens humanity’s existence, as the drama continues in season 3. Events unfold in real time through the eyes of five ordinary people across the globe as they struggle to make sense of the chaos unravelling around them.
The Pickup (Amazon Prime)
A routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armoured truck drivers, Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson, are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by mastermind Keke Palmer, who has plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. The unlikely duo have to navigate one bad day that keeps getting worse.
SPORTS CENTRE
Football’s Financial Shame: The Story of the V11 (BBC 2, Thursday 21st, 9pm)
The V11 are a group of former Premier League footballers who say they have lost tens of millions of pounds due to their financial advisors. The V11 includes Premier League champions, Champions League winners and England internationals – players representing some of the most famous clubs in world football, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. Each reveals a story of financial ruin and personal struggle.
Rugby World Cup 2025 (RTÉ 2, Friday 22nd, 6.30pm)
Jacqui Hurley is joined by Darren Cave, Lindsay Peat and Niamh Briggs for live coverage from Sunderland of the opening ceremony followed by England v USA. After falling at the final hurdle in 2021, The Red Roses will be eager to start the tournament with a win in front of a home crowd.