WATCH OF THE WEEK: RTÉ Investigates: Fertility Uncovered
TV WEEK (Wednesday 7th to Tuesday 13th)
TOP SPECIALS
Nationwide (RTÉ 1, Wednesday 7th, 7pm)
The team travel to County Limerick to visit a castle that has remained in the same family for centuries. The current custodians of Glin Castle are landscape designer Catherine Fitzgerald and her husband, the actor Dominic West and they are dedicated to preserving its history and heritage, assisted by the local community, who have strong connections to the castle and the magnificent gardens that are the crowning glory on the estate.
The Lion, The Witch and the Ulsterman (RTÉ 1, Thursday 8th, Thursday 8th,10.15pm)
Former Ireland rugby international and theology graduate Andrew Trimble looks into the Belfast upbringing and background of the author CS Lewis, asking why he is not generally appreciated as an Irish writer and discovering the impact that his home country had on his life and work. He visits the old Lewis family home in east Belfast and discovers the childhood trauma that influenced his most famous work, The Chronicles Of Narnia.
Bruce Springsteen: Live In Dublin (Sky Arts, Friday 9th, 12.05am)
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band live in Dublin features 23 songs from performances at The Point on November 17, 18 and 19, 2006. Songs include fan favourites from ‘The Seeger Sessions’, radical interpretations from the Springsteen songbook and rare songs appearing for the first time on any Springsteen release.
The Westies (RTÉ 1, Tuesday 13th, 10.40pm)
This gritty crime drama about NYC’s violent Irish gang, The Westies, set in early 1980s Hell’s Kitchen, centres around the huge Javits Centre construction project, which ignites a battle for profit and a generational rift that threatens the gang’s uneasy peace with the Mafia and draws FBI heat. Things really heat up when the Westies hide the body of a dead Italian mobster before John Gotti retaliates.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
RTÉ Investigates: Fertility Uncovered (RTÉ 1, Wednesday 7th, 9.35pm)
Forty years on from the first baby born in Ireland via IVF, the fertility industry is booming – private fertility clinics are visible in cities and towns around the country and for the first time publicly funded IVF is now available. But just what are the realities of undergoing fertility treatment and how well does our fertility system serve individuals and couples often at their most vulnerable?
BEST FILMS
Next Goal Wins (Film4, Wednesday 7th, 7pm)
The American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001, are gearing up for the World Cup Qualifiers and hire down-on-his-luck, maverick Dutch coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender). With the small nation’s hope on his shoulders, Rongen tries to turn the world’s worst soccer team into local heroes.
The Choral (Sky Cinema Drama, Friday 9th, 8pm)
As war rages on the Western Front in 1916, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire, have lost most of their men to the army – but the ambitious committee decide to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They also engage a new driven choral master, Dr Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) ,recently returned from a career in Germany.
Longlegs (BBC 2, Friday 9th, 10pm)
In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent who uncovers a series of occult clues that she has to solve to end his terrifying killing spree. An eerie mix of cop thriller and horror, this creepy outing stars Nicholas Cage in one of his better roles.
Monster-In-Law (RTÉ 2, Friday 9th, 10.05pm_
Jennifer Lopez and Michael Vartan are a couple who go all the way to the altar when he pops the question soon after they start dating. One big problem – mother-in-law Viola (Jane Fonda) is not thrilled to have a new family member – especially another beauty she regards as opposition. She does everything fair and foul to make her son call off the wedding.
CLASSIC MOVIE
The Brutalist (Sky Cinema Drama, Thursday 8th, 10.10pm)
This Oscar winning film follows visionary architect Laszlo Toth who escapes post-war Europe and arrives in America to rebuild his life and his marriage after enduring wartime’s shifting borders and regimes. He settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognises his talent for building – but the emigrant soon learns that power and legacy come at a heavy cost. Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce star.
KIDS STUFF
No Worries If Not! (RTÉ 2, Thursday 8th, 10.30pm)
No Worries If Not! is back and overcompensating for its absence as Pat Shortt, Siobhán McSweeney and a host of other deadly stars join the gang to bang out some classy comedy. Janine Harouni and a who’s who of Irish celebs harness the terrifying power of the female midlife crisis; and Ali Fox is the worst ante-natal coach ever.
Carrie (Amazon Prime)
Mega-selling novelist Stephen King brought one of cinema’s most enduring horror stories to life in a 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek. This updated series again follows a sheltered girl with telekinetic powers who is bullied in high school, leading to a horrific, bloody incident due to her domineering mother’s influence.
ON DEMAND
Tenzing (Apple TV)
Based on true events, Tenzing chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay, a gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest. Where Western climbers see Everest as something to be conquered, Tenzing reveres ‘Chomolungma’ – the sacred mother goddess. Dublin/ Monaghan actor Catriona Balfe also stars.
Below (Netflix)
When a mysterious sea creature terrorises a small Newfoundland town, a hard-bitten fisherman fights to protect his family, his community, and his vanishing way of life. Josh Hartnett plays the big hearted but stubborn trawler man who battles to hold his close-knit community together.
The Trap (Netflix)
Successful author Lisa Konrad hasn’t left her house in nearly 10 years, ever since she witnessed the murder of her sister Anna. But when she believes she recognises the killer on television, she sets out to trap him – using herself as the bait.
SPORTS CENTRE
Women’s World Cup Qualifier (RTÉ 2, Friday 9th, 11.30am)
An unusual midday game to get us energised for the weekend when the Girls in Green take on formidable opponents in the hope of making the grade for the next World Cup. Marie Crowe is joined by Louise Quinn for live coverage of Kazakhtsan v Republic of Ireland from Astana. KO 12pm.