New series follows dancers and teachers to world championship
TV WEEK (Wednesday 12th to Tuesday 18th)
TOP SPECIALS
Richard Burton: Wild Genius (BBC 2, Wednesday 12th, 9pm)
One hundred years since his birth in November 1925, this feature focuses a new lens at the miner’s son from Wales who, against the odds, became one of greatest actors of his generation. Tracing his extraordinary journey from poverty and loss to acclaim, fame and fortune beyond his wildest dreams, and delving into a tumultuous personal life that would captivate the world – including his affair with co-star Elizabeth Taylor and their two-time marriage – to his chronic addiction to alcohol.
RTÉ Investigates: First Conviction (RTÉ 1, Wednesday 12th, 9.35pm)
On September 16, 2016, a young couple took their 21-month-old daughter to CHI Crumlin after she suffered an injury to her genital area they thought happened when she fell on a toy. But hospital staff rejected the couple’s explanation, thinking it was a non-accidental injury consistent with Female Genital Mutilation. This act of parental care – taking their child to hospital – would irrevocably alter their lives, setting in motion a series of historic firsts for the Irish state and leaving many questions in its wake.
King of Lies: Football’s Greatest Con (Sky Documentaries, Sunday 16th, 9pm)
A stranger-than-fiction caper about how one man gained influence over a London bank, charmed senior figures in British football and government, while fronting a deal with North Korea of staggering geopolitical scale. The world’s oldest football club, Notts County, was bought by new backers promising Bahraini billions and a fast track to the Premier League – only to be exposed for a web of deception at the heart of the beautiful game.
10 Things To Know About (RTÉ 1, Monday 17th, 8.30pm)
Presented by Kathriona Devereux, Amy Hassett and Fergus McAuliffe, the six-part series shines a light on the science that shapes and connects us all, from our health and homes to the planet we share. Each week, the researchers and communities working at the coalface of science and innovation reveal how Irish scientists are tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems from extreme weather to invasive species.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
Battle of the Irish Dancers (Sky Arts, Wednesday 12th 9pm)
Charting the drama and devotion of Ireland’s most loved artform, this three-part series follows a cast of dedicated dancers and their teachers on the road to the Irish Dancing World Championships in Dublin. It celebrates Irish dancing as a life-enhancing art form requiring the strength, endurance and agility of an Olympian, and marvels at how a small island nation produced a pastime that became a global phenomenon.
BEST FILMS
The Town (RTÉ 2, Friday 14th, 10.05pm)
Ben Affleck leads a band of ruthless bank robbers pulling off a series of daring heists in Boston – that is, until the day they’re forced to take a hostage – a move that affects their criminal success and brotherly bond. Co-starring Jeremy Renner, John Hamm and Rebecca Hall, this is action-drama all the way.
Mickey 17 (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Friday)
Academy Award-winning writer/director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho this time presents an unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes, who has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living. Starring Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie and Mark Ruffalo.
CLASSIC MOVIE
True Crime (RTÉ 1, Friday 14th, 11.15pm)
Alcoholic journalist Clint Eastwood has been sober just two months, but things are still going badly and his marriage is barely holding together, not helped by an affair with his editor’s wife. After a chance assignment interviewing a death row inmate, the newsman uncovers evidence indicating his innocence, but time is running out.
KIDS STUFF
Dr Seuss’s The Sneetches (Netflix)
Once upon a time there were Star-Belly Sneetches and Moon-Belly Sneetches who lived together on the beach, until one day they decided they were too different to live together – and went their separate ways. But then Stella met Pearl, and they both realised no one kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (Disney+)
Starring everyone’s favourite musical brothers, Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas, as they race to make it home for Christmas. With new songs and original festive tracks, this road trip adventure starts when the boys are left stranded in London just days before Christmas, and are forced to set off on a hectic journey across the Atlantic to reunite with their families in New York.
ON DEMAND
The Beast In Me (Netflix)
A reclusive novelist still grieving the death of her son finds herself playing a terrifying game of cat and mouse with her next door neighbour as she launches an addictive hunt for the truth about what he’s hiding. Claire Danes is the writer with a mystery to solve, while Matthew Rhys is the billionaire mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance.
Malice (Amazon Prime)
A psychological thriller series starring Jack Whitehall as a charismatic private tutor who cleverly infiltrates himself into a wealthy family with the sole aim of destroying them. It marks a departure from funnyman Whitehall’s usual comedic roles as he grasps this new challenge with much darker themes. The co-stars are Carice van Houten and David Duchovny.
Marines (Netflix)
A coming-of-age docuseries following the members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the US military’s ‘force in readiness’ in the Pacific. With unparalleled access to the US Marine Corps, the series offers an inside look into the rigorous training and emotional moments of young Marines as they forge bonds while grappling with the complexities of life at sea.
June Farms (Amazon Prime)
Matt Baumgartner, owner of June Farms, wants to make it the premier event space in New York’s Hudson Valley, but he has his hands full every week delivering perfect bespoke weddings. With a staff of fun-loving 20-somethings, at times more focused on their love lives than their jobs, this wedding season could turn out to be the toughest one in June Farm’s history.
SPORTS CENTRE
Ireland v Portugal World Cup 2026 Qualifier (RTÉ 2, Thursday 13th, 7pm)
It’s the penultimate game in Group F for Ireland as they welcome Portugal to the Aviva Stadium. Can anybody stifle the genius of Ronaldo? A win would be out of this world, especially ahead of next week’s clash with Hungary. C’mon the Boys In Green!