Masters of Tradition puts focus on rare, traditional crafts and skills
TV WEEK (Wednesday 29th to Tuesday 5th)
TOP SPECIALS
Sailsbury Poisonings: The Untold Story (CH4, Wednesday 29th, 9pm)
This gripping three-part series tells the story of the 2018 poisoning of ex-Russian spy and double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the city of Salisbury, England, using the nerve agent novichok, one of the most toxic substances ever created. The attack sent shockwaves across the globe. A visceral account of a global incident that continues to influence geopolitics today.
Nationwide (RTÉ 1, Friday 1st, 7pm)
As the All Ireland Drama Festival opens in Athlone this week, Nationwide finds out what keeps the drama alive and well in Ireland. Limerick’s College Players, one of the oldest amateur drama groups still performing, are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year – and have released a book detailing their journey from 1926 to their place today as a central part of the city’s cultural life.
Unreported World: America’s Drug War – Puerto Rico (CH4, Friday 1st, 7.30pm)
Puerto Rico is a critical front line in America’s war on drugs – a gateway for narcotics entering the United States. As the US pours billions into military operations across the Caribbean – including seizing the former president of Venezuela – federal agents on the island are stepping up raids against powerful gangs, especially the peddlers of fentanyl, a drug far more dangerous than heroin.
Dermot Bannon’s Celebrity Super Spaces (RTÉ 1, Sunday 3rd, 9.30pm)
Dermot seems to be on our screens every second month these days, and always delivering the property goods. In this new series, Ireland’s top architect steps inside the homes of well known celebrities, diving deep into what their personal spaces mean to them, exploring stories behind their renovations, restorations and extensions. That weird and wonderful place people call home is always a revelation.
Masters of Tradition (RTÉ 1, Monday 4th, 8.30pm)
Documentary series focusing on Irish practitioners of rare, traditional, and remarkable crafts and skills. The goal of this series is to bring contemporary artisans back into the public consciousness, while also shedding light on the current state of the craft community in Ireland. Championing local master craftspeople, it aims to inspire the next generation to take up the mantle and keep these trades alive in the 21st century.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
Prisoner (Sky Atlantic, Thursday 30th, 9pm)
Prison transport officer Amber, just returning from maternity leave, finds herself transporting a ruthless contract killer to court so he can testify in a high profile case. When their convoy is attacked by a highly organised unit, Amber handcuffs herself to the prisoner to prevent his escape – discovering he is a marked man – and now she is a marked woman.
BEST FILMS
Weapons (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Wednesday)
Josh Brolin and Julia Garner star in this thriller set around a bizarre incident when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanishes on the same night at exactly the same time – leaving a community questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. An expertly crafted yarn of mystery and thrilling intrigue.
On The Basis Of Sex (BBC 2, Thursday 30th, 11pm)
Legendary Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg began her law career as a struggling attorney and new mother who faced adversity in her fight for equal rights. When she takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the US courts view gender discrimination.
Wyatt Earp (TG4, Friday 1st, 9.20pm)
This is the film where Kevin Costner discovered his Western mojo as part of the epic retelling of the legendary lawman who was taught that nothing matters more than family and justice. As the sheriff in Dodge City and Tombstone, he became the West’s greatest lawman. An all-star cast includes Denis Quaid, Gene Hackman and Isabella Rosselini.
CLASSIC MOVIE
Trainspotting (Film4, Friday 1st, 10pm)
Ewan McGregor stars in a career defining role as heroin addict Mark Renton who stumbles through bad ideas and temporary sobriety with his unreliable friends – Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud – plus Diane, his underage girlfriend. Trying to change his ways by moving from Edinburgh to London, he finds he can’t escape the life he left behind – as past misdeeds come back to haunt him.
KIDS STUFF
Swapped (Netflix)
A small woodland creature (voiced by Michael B Jordan) and a majestic bird (voiced by Juno Temple) – both natural sworn enemies of The Valley – swap bodies and team up, while walking in each other’s feathers and fur, to survive the wildest adventure of their lives.
Flunked (Netflix)
To escape prison, Eddy, a math prodigy and delinquent, agrees to infiltrate a high school. His mission is to identify the child of a criminal posing as a teacher. One problem – he can’t teach.
ON DEMAND
Should I Marry A Murderer? (Netflix)
Three years after a violent crime is committed, a young forensic pathologist, Caroline Muirhead, meets a man on a Tinder date and quickly falls in love – followed shortly after with an engagement. But when she discovers her fiancé’s past, it forces Caroline into an unthinkable position – stay loyal to the man she loves, or risk everything by telling the truth?
No Place To Be Single (Amazon Plus)
A rom-com based on Felicia Kingsley’s book, set in the idyllic community of Belvedere in Chianti, a Tuscan town where everyone is either coupled up or searching for a soulmate. Everyone that is except Elisa, a single mother raising her teenage daughter and running the Le Giuggiole estate. But the return of Michele, a childhood friend she lost touch with years ago, turns her life upside down and awakens new and unexpected feelings.
Unconditional (Apple TV)
A mother-daughter vacation-turned-nightmare when 25-year-old Gali is arrested for drug smuggling in Moscow. When her mother Orna refuses to accept the charges, her fight for Gali’s freedom pulls her into a deadly web of crime and corruption. A story plucked from the headlines, and where fiction and fact collide.
SPORTS CENTRE
Premier League (Sky Sports, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, various times)
The weekend where some will fly, and some will flop. Buckle up for a wild ride. Leeds United v Brighton and Hove Albion, Friday 6.30pm; Arsenal v Fulham, Saturday 5pm; Manchester United v Liverpool, Sunday 3pm; and Chelsea v Nottingham Forest, Monday 2pm.