Emerging from the Abyss, is a series aired on RTÉ One every Sunday at 6.30pm. Hosted by Derek Mooney, it provides an exploration of innovative solutions being applied across Europe to restore our fragile ecosystems. In its fourth season, the series has fascinating insights into how ospreys are making a comeback in Ireland, the progress of Scotland’s renewed beaver population over the last 15 years, the fate of the Bavarian vole and the sudden behaviour shift in Spanish orcas.
Stardust, another programme on RTÉ One, is broadcasted at 9.30pm on Sundays. This three-part documentary recounts the tragic nightclub fire in 1981, where a jury recently ruled that the 48 youths who lost their lives were unlawfully killed. The series features interviews with family members and presents their 43-year journey towards justice. The second and third parts will be screened at 9.35pm on the ensuing Monday and Tuesday. Moving tributes by relatives, previously read at the inquest, are also accessible on RTÉ’s website and player.
Zoo Live 2024, showcased on RTÉ One on Mondays at 7pm, takes viewers on a nocturnal tour of Dublin Zoo, providing a unique after-dark perspective of the creatures inhabiting the African Savannah. Over the next three nights, the programme will highlight the hard work put in by zoo staff to keep the animals in great condition, as well as the contribution of Dublin Zoo towards global conservation initiatives in countries like Madagascar, Sierra Leone and Spain.
Lastly, The Fortune Hotel, scheduled from Monday to Thursday at 9pm on UTV, offers an exciting weeknight viewing choice.
Picture this: you win a getaway to a plush Caribbean resort, and upon reaching, you’re given a tattered suitcase with £250,000 cash in it. You’re understandably sceptical—the cash surely comes with a string attached. As it turns out, you’re right to be. In this spanking new reality television show hosted by Stephen Mangan, the suitcase is given to 10 guest pairs. but only one is loaded with cash. All the guests need to be shrewd and strategic to figure out who’s got the money, and the couple with the cash-filled suitcase must master deception to walk away with the winnings. The show-stopping event of each episode is a suitcase swop, forcing couples to take the gamble of retaining or exchanging their suitcases. However, they must be mindful as one suitcase hides a pitfall—a card that ends your participation prematurely. A hotel filled with guests desperately trying to outsmart each other? Now, that’s my style of a vacation.
A new feature on BBC One at 9 pm on Tuesday, Better Off Dead?, dives into the controversial topic of euthanasia. Actor Liz Carr, who is also a disability rights advocate and has been cast in productions like Good Omens, is concerned that legalising euthanasia may belittle the lives of the disabled, insinuating a harmful notion that life with a disability is worthless. To fully understand the opposing perspectives, Carr converses with people for and against euthanasia and travels to Canada, a country with some of the most liberal euthanasia laws globally. Through the programme, Carr debunks the societal attitude that perceives severely disabled individuals as better off deceased.
Meanwhile, make sure to catch The Gathering Tuesday at 9 pm on Channel 4.
“Merseyside teenager Kelly, the centrepiece of ‘The Gathering’, is a gifted gymnast aspiring for international fame. The narrative becomes intriguing when Kelly is brutally assaulted at a social gathering with suspicion being cast on her co-athletes and some parents of her associates. Influential novelist Helen Walsh, through her maiden original screenplay for television, promises a nail-biting suspense-filled ride to the climactic revelation.
‘The Dry’, a comedic series from Ireland, took some time to captivate us, but by the close of its maiden series, we’d all become ardent admirers of the protagonist, Shiv. Featured in the Netflix comic drama Bodkin, Siobhán Cullen returns as Caroline, alongside returnees Róisín Gallagher as Shiv, Adam Richardson as Ant, Moe Dunford as Jack, Pom Boyd as Bernie and Ciaran Hinds as Tom. The series kicks off its second series with Shiv marking her 36th birthday, steadfastly vowing to stay abstinent, single, and financially stable despite increasing enticements, including a tempting date proposal from handsome barista Alex played by Sam Keeley. The question remains – can Shiv resist the enticingly dangerous offers?
In the weekly series centred on missing persons, ‘Ar Iarraidh’, this week’s episode hones in on the Esra Uyrun mystery. Settling in Clondalkin after receiving job offers, Uyrun relocated to Ireland with her spouse in 2006. Uyrun vanished without a trace a week before turning 39 in 2011, after making a trip to the shop for milk. Despite her family’s persistent search for 13 years, Uyrun’s fate remains unknown. The episode will trace Uyrun’s final recorded whereabouts and feature her sister Berna’s endeavours to solve the enigma surrounding Uyrun’s vanishing act over the past 13 years.
RTÉ One will air the ‘Home Rescue: The Big Fix’ on Thursday at 9.35pm.”
The Home Rescue team is gearing up for their most demanding assignment yet. Peter Cowell and Jane Dalton’s family, residing in a crammed semi-detached in Lucan, are overwhelmed by the disorder and clutter in their home. With overcrowded storage spaces, unfitting furniture, and laundry scattered everywhere, maintaining order is a challenge, especially for Peter, who lost his left arm in a workplace accident. The family, who are passionate musicians, have their instruments stowed away in the loft, devoid of a relaxing familial space. Hence, it is up to hosts Dee Coleman and Peter Finn to help the family reclaim their living space.
This Thursday on Channel 4 at 9 pm, dispatches reveal Coca-Cola’s hidden reality. Coca-Cola, well-loved and recognized worldwide, faces a revelation about sustainability in a special report by Ellie Flynn. Being an ardent Coca-Cola drinker herself, Flynn investigates the corporation’s recycling claims and uncovers some uncomfortable truths about their environmental impact. Her revelations make us question – Is Coca-Cola, the world’s leading soft drink manufacturer, also its leading polluter?
BBC One’s ‘The Young Offenders’ return this Friday at 9.30 pm, after a three-year hiatus. Conor and Jock (played by Alex Murphy and Chris Walley) are out of prison following an ill-fated trip to Colombia. Conor is now living with his mother Mairead (played by Hilary Rose), assisting her at the local fishmongers, while simultaneously adjusting to his new life with Sgt Healy (Dominic McHale), his mother’s new spouse. Furthermore, Conor is eager to rekindle his relationship with Linda (played by Demi Isaac Oviawe), who is engaged to his adversary Gavin (Daniel Power). This will call for an impressive display of charm.
Lastly, let’s not forget about ‘Nerves of Steel’.
In the next instalment of this compelling four-segment documentary series, RTÉ One will be serving up an exhilarating Friday evening experience at 8.30pm. The series explores the making of Europe’s longest intertwining rollercoasters, intriguingly housed in County Meath. Captured over a period of two years, the series, ‘Nerves of Steel,’ provides behind-the-scenes insights into the birth of a new 6½-acre amusement park, Tír na nÓg, at the previously named Tayto Park in Emerald Park. Upon its unveiling later this month, the park will transport its guests into an immersive realm of Irish mythology and folklore. The Na Fianna Force and Quest rollercoasters, which serve as the park’s focal point, will amaze visitors.