On Sunday, at 6.30pm, RTÉ One is featuring a new series, “Europe by Train with Manchán”. Viewers will follow Manchán Magan as he traverses Europe by rail, eschewing popular tourist spots for a more tranquil experience. According to Magan, the benefits of this mode of travel are unmistakable: a break from crowded airports, plenty of tranquil moments to drink in the local sights, and direct arrival at downtown areas rather than remote airports. With Europe’s extensive, handy rail grid, Manchán will leisurely visit major European cities over a month, starting his journey in Wales. His expedition includes a zipline adventure across a quarry at 100mph, a treetop cycle trip in Brussels, and visits to Amsterdam, where he will join a group of volunteers in reclaiming lost objects from the canals.
“Judi Dench and Jay Blades: An Unexpected Friendship” will air this Sunday on Channel 4 at 9pm. Despite a great age gap of forty years and contrasting cultures, Dame Judi Dench, a beloved star of screen and stage, and Jay Blades, the convivial host of The Repair Shop, have built a strong friendship after an unintentional meeting three years prior. In this one-off documentary, Judi and Jay embark on a voyage around the UK to explore more about their respective pasts by visiting impactful places from their life – including Ridley Road Market in Hackney and the Old Vic – and by connecting with people who have played an significant role in their lives.
Next Monday and Tuesday at 8pm, the “Rose of Tralee 2024” will be featured on RTÉ One.
As summer begins to fade, there’s still ample opportunity for more Roses to blossom during the Rose of Tralee international festival. This lively event is taking place for two evenings in the town of Co Kerry. The Festival Dome will be buzzing with the charm of Daithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas as they act as presenters. They will be communicating with the 32 contest finalists coming from Ireland and globally. Each candidate should be more than just “lovely and fair”. Like the 4/1 favourite Kerry Rose Emer Dineen, a paediatric radiographer and lifeguard who donates her time to children’s charity Barretstown – the Roses must demonstrate their varied abilities.
True North: The Omagh Hum
Tune in to BBC One, Monday 10.40 pm,
In 2023, Omagh’s inhabitants in Co Tyrone noticed a peculiar and disturbing humming sound. The entire town was quickly filled with whispers and guesswork as locals fruitlessly tried to locate the origin of the aggravating sound. An intriguing programme where journalist Emmet McElhatton and local handyman Jamie Ryan probe for an explanation for this continuous and strange hum. Is it extraterrestrial, or industrial machinery operating throughout the night?
Three promising sports events to view this week: Your go-to guide to this week’s televised sports
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Norman Reedus, a fan favourite, revives the languishing zombie series
Dr Eva Orsmond is forthright with her words. Have we regressed to 1952?
Saving Lives in Cardiff
BBC Two, Tuesday, at 9 pm
At the University Hospital of Wales, the busiest and most eminent hospital within the nation, top-class surgeons execute intricate medical procedures, making Grey’s Anatomy seem amateurish by comparison. But the medical team confronts an overwhelming obstacle: the hospital has historically lengthy waiting times. In the neurosurgery department alone, 200 patients are in the queue for life-saving surgery, and the doctors face the arduous task of determining who gets treatment first. In the premiere episode, consultant George Eralil provides treatment to 19-year-old Chelsea, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.
Watergate
This Tuesday at 11.50pm, BBC Four will air the final instalment of Norma Percy’s acclaimed documentary from 1994, probing into the notorious Watergate scandal. The episode, aptly christened ‘Impeachment’, delves into the way Richard Nixon, the then president, stubbornly clung onto power, even as evidence of his involvement in the illicit intrusion at the Democratic campaign headquarter mounted. He had secretly installed recording devices in the prestigious Oval Office, and ironically, it was Nixon’s own apprehension that facilitated his fall, with the tapes incontrovertibly deciding his fate.
Shifting gears to Wednesday at 9pm, Sky Comedy & Now will be screening ‘Underdog’, a show crafted and starred by British comic and performer Tom Davis. Davis, renowned for his TV comedy ‘King Gary’ and crime series ‘Murder in Successville’, didn’t find stardom an easy journey. His new show elucidates his initial attempts to carve a niche in the entertainment realm. Preceding his roles in popular movies like ‘Paddington 2’ and ‘Wonka’, Davis slogged on construction sites for years. The show provides insights into his life as a labourer, his arduous journey to parenthood, and his extraordinary gatecrash into Hollywood.
Next, ‘The Runner’, a documentary centring on the infamous incident from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, hits TG4 at 10.30pm on Wednesday. American long-distance runner Mary Decker was set for stellar performance in the 3,000 metres. However, four laps from the finish line, Decker’s much-anticipated Olympic debut ended catastrophically when she was presumably tripped by British athlete Zola Budd. This 2013 documentary retraces Decker’s rise to prominence pre-1984 Olympics, and how her clean-cut image catapulted her to stardom in the media.
Fast forward to Thursday, at 9pm on Channel 4, the concluding episode of ‘Merseyside Detectives: The Murders of Ashley and Olivia’ will be aired. The series centres on the tragic shooting of Ashley Dale, aged 28, and Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9 years old, within their Liverpool residences. The Merseyside police unearthed during their investigation that the woman and child were unsuspecting victims of a gang dispute, acting as a destructive byproduct of a territorial feud amidst crime syndicates. The episode depicts the trial of Olivia’s murder suspect, who vehemently denies the accusations, refuses to show up for the sentencing, claiming he’s been set up.
Lastly, ‘Crime’ – a creation by Irvine Welsh, will be shown on UTV on Thursday at 9pm.
The thrilling crime drama based in Edinburgh is wrapping up its second season, and it’s likely to be a chaotic finale. The lead, Dougray Scott, portrays DI Ray Lennox, a determined character who is hell-bent on recovering from his mental collapse following the distressing events from the inaugural series. He’s rejoined his position at the severe crimes division and is confronted with an untrustworthy new teammate. Lennox is also tackled with an incredibly complex case, a string of homicides with no clear intentions behind them. Whilst attempting to untangle an elaborate concealment, Lennox moves from upscale hotels in Edinburgh to the city’s infamous drug dens.
On Friday, tune in to BBC Four at 8 pm for Mozart, Mendelssohn and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Experience an enchanting summer evening with the BBC Proms as they host a semi-dramatic performance of Mendelssohn’s classic, a melodic interpretation of the renowned play by Shakespeare. The evening’s entertainment will commence with a captivating performance by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Scotland’s Chamber Choir led by Gemma New, presenting Bomis’s Salomé for the first time at the Proms. Following this, Anthony McGill, a clarinetist, will deliver Mozart’s famed Clarinet Concerto before the furniture of Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy is animated on the prestigious Royal Albert Hall stage.
Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Friday. While Brian May is globally recognised as Queen’s adept guitarist, offstage, he is an active campaigner against badger-culling. Badgers are labeled as vectors of bovine TB, but May disputes the intensity of this risk and is urging for the culling endorsed by the British government to be halted. Farmer Jeremy Clarkson has publicly reproached May’s views on “damned” badgers. It seems May’s opposing views with Worthy Farm’s owner, Michael Eavis, on badger-culling may be the reason Queen has yet to perform at Glastonbury. This documentary provides an update on this prickly subject.