I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!
Sunday, Virgin Media One, UTV, 9pm
The world has been waiting feverishly for the I’m a Celebrity 2024 line-up to be announced, and the rumours have been flying about who might actually be flying down to Australia and joining the lineup for the latest jaunt in the jungle. Now, finally, the list of household names confirmed for this year’s contest is in our sweaty hands, and it’s just as we thought. Among the celebrities entering the jungle for this year’s creepy-crawly fest is Danny Jones from pop-rock band McFly, who was spotted earlier this month boarding a flight Down Under with his guitar and a big grin on his face (that’ll be wiped off soon). Also joining the lineup is Wagatha Christie herself, Coleen Rooney, who in 2022 won her famous libel case taken by fellow footballer’s wife Rebekah Vardy. But we’re excited about the addition of Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan, who, at 63, is still well up for the challenge. “It can be physically arduous, but it’s the psychological part of it that I want to conquer before I get too old,” he said. Also confirmed are rapper and former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, Loose Women presenter Jane Moore, Corrie actor Alan Halsall, Strictly dancer Oti Mabusi, radio presenter Melvin Odoom, Northern Irish radio presenter Dean McCullough and social media star GK Barry. Let the Bushtucker Trials begin!
Dune: Prophecy
Monday, Sky Atlantic & Now, 9pm
Last week, Dune – Part Two launched on Sky Cinema and Now, and hot on its heels is this prequel series telling the origin story of the mysterious Bene Gesserit sect. It’s based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Frank Herbert and Kevin J Anderson, and set 10,000 years before the events in Dune, so sorry, no Timothée Chalamet or Zendaya. But this epic six-parter stars Emily Watson and Olivia Williams as the Harkonnen sisters Valya and Tula, who learn of a huge threat to humankind, and establish the Bene Gesserit to combat the evil that lies ahead. It’s no secret that George Lucas was strongly influenced by Frank Herbert’s Dune novels when conceiving his galaxy far, far away – could Dune also spawn endless spin-off series for Sky? We’re not sure if there’s enough room in our heads for another sci-fi universe.
Upfront with Katie Hannon: Leaders’ Debate Special
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
After months of hemming and hawing, the Government have finally called a general election for November 29th. Taoiseach Simon Harris went to the Áras to ask Michael D to dissolve the Dáil, and went to the Ireland-New Zealand rugby match at the Aviva to begin canvassing. In this special programme, broadcaster Katie Hannon rounds up 10 political party leaders for the biggest-ever leaders’ debate, live from the RTÉ studios. This promises to be one serious bunfight as the issues most prominent in voters’ minds are hotly debated, and no doubt the insults and accusations will get thrown around. Can Hannon keep the whole circus under control? Sure no bother to her.
The Listeners
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
Schoolteacher Claire is tormented by a constant low-level humming sound that no one else can hear. Doctors can’t find a medical cause, and there doesn’t seem to be an outside source, but it’s not long before Claire’s family life is seriously disrupted by the mysterious sound. Then she discovers that one of her students, Kyle, can also hear “the Hum”, and when they meet other “chosen ones” who believe the sound is a gift, including a charismatic couple named Jo and Omar, Claire finds herself going down a rabbit hole into conspiracy theories and the promise of enlightenment. This provocative and somewhat haunting tale, produced by Element Pictures, is adapted by Jordan Tannahill from his own novel, and stars Rebecca Hall as Claire and Ollie West as Kyle.
After the Party
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Can we really believe what we see with our own two eyes, or can our eyes deceive us? This drama series from New Zealand stars Robyn Malcolm as a science teacher and environmental activist who is convinced she has witnessed her husband, Phil (Peter Mullan), sexually assault a teenager at a party. But no one believes her, and soon she has lost her standing in the community, and her marriage has ended. Fast-forward five years, and Penny has begun to rebuild her life, but is shocked when Phil comes back to town, and she takes some measures to prove she was right about him all along. Malcolm is compelling in the role of an ex-wife, mother and grandmother accused of bearing false witness, and desperately clinging to her version of past events.
Blindboy: The Land of Slaves and Scholars
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
If you wanted to watch a programme about the history of Irish Christianity, you probably wouldn’t expect it to be presented by a Limerick rapper and podcaster with a shopping bag over his head. Blindboy is not a theologian – in fact, he’s not even a believer – but he is keen to learn how Christianity evolved in Ireland during medieval times, and in this programme he finds out what motivated the missionaries, monks and hermits who turned Ireland into a powerful centre of faith and worship – and a land of writers and storytellers. Blindboy travels the country from the Skelligs in Co Kerry to Nendrum Monastery on Strangford Lough, and meets historians, psychologists and even calligraphers to learn more about the connection between Christianity and Ireland’s writing tradition.
Return to Paradise
Friday, BBC One, 8pm
We’ve heard of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Potterverse and even the Miyagi-verse, but now welcome to the Paraverse: the sun-drenched world of Death in Paradise and its first spin-off, Return to Paradise. This new offshoot of the Caribbean-set detective series is set in Australia, and stars Anna Samson from Home and Away as DI Mackenzie Clarke, who has left her job in London’s Metropolitan Police under a bit of a cloud, and is now back in her hometown of Dolphin Cove. But not everyone is glad to see her back – particularly the ex-fiance she jilted at the altar. Her new colleagues at the local cop shop, however, soon find her crimesolving talents worth their weight in gold.
Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem
Friday, BBC Two, 9pm
In the 1990s, lad culture was on the rise, and it had its own macho monthly journal – Loaded magazine. Started up by editor James Brown in 1994, Loaded documented the rise of laddism, lager and largin’ it up, with un-PC humour, gonzo journalism and of course, lots of photos of scantily-clad babes. To deflect accusations of misogyny, a contrivance called the “ladette” was created, but it wasn’t long before the ugly side of lad culture came to the surface, and Loaded soon seemed more like a relic from a Neanderthal age. This documentary features contributions from such 1990s survivors as Irvine Welsh, Gail Porter, David Baddiel, Katie Puckrick, Miranda Sawyer and Miki Berenyi.
Streaming
A Man on the Inside
From Thursday, November 21st, Netflix
Are you newly retired and feeling a little bored, in need of a new challenge? Why not become an undercover agent? It’s much more exciting than pottering about in the garden. Ted Danson stars as Charles in this new comedy series based on a true story, and possibly aimed at fans of Only Murders in the Building. Charles is in a bit of a retirement rut, and his daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) urges him to try new things, so he answers a private detective’s ad and is hired to do an unusual job: infiltrate a retirement home in San Francisco and track down a missing family heirloom. Charles must pose as a new arrival, and get to know all the residents and staff, but he soon finds himself getting a new appetite for life. The series is created by Mike Schur, the man behind Danson’s hit Netflix series The Good Place.
Cruel Intentions
From Thursday, November 21st, Prime Video
We remember the 1999 movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon – basically Dangerous Liaisons set in a posh high school in New York. Now comes the TV series, and the catty action moves to the elite Manchester College, near Washington DC, where the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful learn the art of getting what they want, whatever the cost. Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess star as stepsiblings Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, who see the school as their playground and its students as their playthings. But when their position as top dogs in the social pack is threatened, they’ll have to take drastic action – seducing the US vice-president’s daughter. Dig out your old DVD of the movie just to get back in the merciless mood.
