Dr Marie Cassidy investigates Ireland’s last witch trial
TV WEEK (Wednesday 28th to Tuesday 3rd)
TOP SPECIALS
Phantasmagoria (BBC 1, Friday 30th, 11,50pm)
In a world of viral fame and hidden truths, up and coming popstar Ela Rhys and her sister-manager Sian launch their UK tour. But beneath Ela’s polished veneer, a psychological nightmare begins to unfold. This nepo baby might have fame in her DNA, but she’s hiding a secret that could shatter her carefully curated image.
Yaga (Sky Atlantic, Saturday 31st, 9pm)
Rapp (Noah Reid) is a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of the heir to a powerful fishery. In the process Rapp is at odds with a local detective, Carson (Clark Backo), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.
Slo Pitch (Sky One, Saturday 31st, 11.15pm)
Overly invested Coach Joanne attempts to take her underdog, queer slo pitch team, the Brovaries, all the way to the championships of their highly competitive beer league. The team need to come together if they’re going to make it past the drama and beat their rival team, The Blue Gays. There may not be any money, trophies or sponsorship deals up for grabs, but for the Brovaries, slo pitch is life or death.
The Gilded Age (Sky Atlantic, Monday 2nd, 9pm)
The Emmy nominated drama series from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes debuts its fourth season with Bertha Russell having changed society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences as Agnes van Rhijn seizes an opportunity to regain her position, and Marian forges a new path for herself. In this new era, you must be careful what you wish for.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
Dr Marie Cassidy Investigates Ireland’s Last Witch Trial (RTÉ 1, Thursday 29th, 9.30pm)
Ireland’s last official witchcraft trial took place in 1711 in the close-knit Ulster-Scots community of Islandmagee, County Antrim; in it, 18-year-old Mary Dunbar accused eight women and one man of spectral attacks, hauntings, and bewitchment. Bringing her 21st-century forensic and investigative background to the 18th-century case, Dr Cassidy re-examines the evidence and explores what drove the hysteria.
BEST FILMS
All Of Us Strangers (Film 4, Wednesday 28th, 9pm)
Paul Mescal and Adam Scott star in this psychological drama where a chance encounter one night in London punctures the rhythm of one man’s everyday life. As a relationship develops, he becomes preoccupied with memories of his childhood suburban town where his parents still appear to be living – though they died 30 years before.
Sleep (CH4, Friday 30th, 12.25am)
Nightmarish psychological horror about a man who might literally sleepwalk into harming his wife and unborn child – or is something spookier going on? Starring Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun as a newly-married couple about to welcome a child into the world – a world turned ghostly dark when the husband suddenly becomes an extreme somnambulist.
Goosebumps (CH4, Saturday 31st, 1.30pm)
As it’s Halloween, this classic starring Jack Black concerns teenager Zach who is upset about moving from the big city to a small town – that is until he meets his beautiful neighbour Hannah. But romance turns into big trouble when Zach accidentally unleashes monsters from author RL Stine’s fantastic tales, and he is forced to return the creatures to the books where they belong.
CLASSIC MOVIE
The Guns Of Naverone (BBC 4, Thursday 29th, 8pm)
A classic war story starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn as a commando team sent to destroy huge German guns on a Greek Island that are preventing the Allies getting vital supplies a force of British troops trapped in a Nazi occupied island. Facing impossible odds, the men battle stormy seas, daunting cliffs and possible betrayal on a mission that changed the course of WWII.
KIDS STUFF
Titanic: Building The World’s Largest Ship (CH4, Thursday 29th, 8pm)
We know what happened on that terrifying April night in 1912 – but the epic tale leading up to the Titanic disaster is as incredible as her legendary fate. From a mad idea hatched by two visionaries, to the glorious day she set sail five years later, this documentary chronicles the virtually untold story of the supersize steam ship’s construction, and reveals how 15,000 men toiled day and night in life-threatening conditions to create a state-of-the-art floating city.
MaeBee (RTÉjnr, Monday 2nd, 10.30am)
Join Mae, a small but mighty gnome, and her foster brother Bee as they embark on magic-filled, fantasy-comedy adventures to fill a page of Mae’s Book of Big! A show about family, community, and discovery, for the youngest to most ancient of gnomes!
ON DEMAND
Stick (Apple TV)
The second series once again tracks Owen Wilson, who plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career derailed prematurely 20 years ago. After the collapse of his marriage and a stalled career that now has him working at a sports store, Pryce hedges his bets, and future, on a troubled 17-year-old golf phenomenon named Santi.
Last One Laughing Halloween (Amazon Prime)
Seven comedians join host Jimmy Carr in a format which challenges the contestants not to laugh. Over the course of the Halloween special, the famous faces use every ounce of their comedic talent to break their opponents without laughing or screaming. The rules are simple: laugh and you’re out, scream and you’re out. So who will survive?
A Couple Of Lies (Netflix)
Helene and Carl trade their home in Stockholm for a sun-drenched villa in Sicily, swapping lives for some weeks with Scarlett and Adam – a couple they’ve never met. But as they settle in to each other’s houses, troubling details begin to surface as secrets emerge and hidden betrayals come to light. What started as a picture perfect escape slowly warps into a twisted game of surveillance, manipulation and mistrust.
SPORTS CENTRE
PwC All Stars 2026 (RTÉ 1, Friday 30th, 7.30pm)
So, after a massive year of hurling and football majesty, who will take the spoils? Limerick did what they do best with yet another All-Ireland victory – and doubtless garnering the lion’s share of chosen players. The football presents an interesting question – will Kerry’s David Clifford once again be crowned Player of the Year – or will his thunder be stolen by Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue? On a night of men in black tie suits and their partners in designer gowns, Joanne Cantwell and Marty Morrissey present the awards from the RDS to a waiting nation.