Pick of the week
Tony Cascarino: Extra Time
Monday, RTÉ 1, 9.35pm
What are we to make of the rollercoaster life and career of former Republic of Ireland international and now TV pundit Tony Cascarino? This new documentary by Brick Films is a candid look at Cass’s 20-year football career, when he veered from zero to hero and back again, taking in his marital infidelities, allegations of doping and bribery, and his sensational admission that he was a “fake Irishman” who was never eligible to wear the green jersey. (He revealed his Irish ancestry came through adoption, but the FAI have since said that wouldn’t have affected his eligibility.) The documentary follows the highs and lows of his football career, including his disastrous signing to Celtic for a club record fee of £1.1 million, his redemption in the south of France, when he became top goalscorer for Ligue 2 side Marseille, earning the nickname “Tony Goal”, and his chaotic final international match with Ireland, when he got into a fight with a Turkish defender as Jack’s Army failed to qualify for Euro 2000.
Highlights
DIY SOS: The Big Build
Sunday, RTÉ Two, 7pm
Baz Ashmawy is back to oversee a new round of home renovation projects in this latest series of DIY SOS. Once again, Ashmawy cajoles and corrals a diverse group of builders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and engineers to transform a deserving family’s house and adapt it to their very particular needs. And we’re not talking about needing a bigger kitchen island or a walk-in wardrobe. These families are dealing with difficult personal circumstances, whether it’s illness or disability, and find their homes are ill-equipped for their day-to-day living requirements. In episode one, Baz meets nine-year-old Cayden, who was born with arthrogryposis, a condition which affects the joints of his hands and feet, and also suffers from scoliosis. He can’t get around the house in his wheelchair because the doors are too narrow, and there is no accessible toilet and nowhere to store all the equipment he needs for his daily life. Baz and the team set about turning the house into a comfy home for Cayden, widening the door frames, putting in a downstairs toilet and bedroom, and building a ramp for him to get in and out of the house.
Frauds
Sunday, UTV, 9pm
You need a dream team to pull off a good heist drama, and who better than Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker to lead this new series as two career con artists looking to do one last job before finally jacking it in. Jones plays Bert, who just got out of prison; Whittaker is Sam, who is not exactly living the high life from the spoils of crime. No sooner have they reunited than they’re burning rubber Thelma and Louise-style with a wad of stolen cash. But Bert has a bigger plan in mind: stealing one of Spain’s most valuable artworks, and with the landscapes of southern Spain as a suitably evocative backdrop, the pair set about putting together a crack team to carry out this audacious caper. They’ll have to get through some seemingly insurmountable obstacles to get their hands on his heavily guarded masterpiece, but there’s one thing that could derail the whole thing – and that’s the complicated relationship/rivalry between these two criminal masterminds. “Don’t go rogue on us, now,” says one of the team. Oh, don’t worry, they will.
Rob Brydon’s Honky Tonk Road Trip
Sunday, BBC Two, 9pm
The Welsh actor/comedian/presenter gets on his Stetson and cowboy boots and sets out on a journey to the achy breaky heart of country music – and discovers there’s a lot more to it than line dancing and cryin’ into your beer. Country music is having a global revival, with new artists such as Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan hitting the mainstream charts, and Beyoncé bringing country into her R&B sound. In this three-part series, Brydon heads for the southern states to trace the origins of country music, and to learn what sparked its recent resurgence. He starts his journey, naturally, in Nashville, Tennessee, and it’s a good place to start, as the city is celebrating the 100th year of the Grand Ole Opry. In the Appalachian Mountains, he learns about a British wave of music long before The Beatles, when folk and trad ballads sung by British settlers influenced early country music. He also meets some grandees of country music, including Carlene Carter, visits Dollywood, where he meets Dolly Parton’s niece Heidi, and drops in to Sun Studios in Memphis, where Elvis and Johnny Cash forged their legendary sounds.
RM Block
Murders in Paradise: The Byron Bay Killings
Sunday, Channel 4, 10.25pm
Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world – and one of the deadliest. Along this strip of idyllic beaches, between the late 1970s and late noughties, 67 young women have vanished without a trace, and in the absence of answers, the idea has taken hold that they may have been victims of a single serial killer who has somehow evaded detection for 30 years. Is the Byron Bay serial killer real or a myth? The two-part documentary follows the investigations led by politician Jeremy Buckingham into what happened at Byron Bay, and whether any of these disappearances could be linked to Australia’s most notorious serial killer, Ivan Milat.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Tuesday, Sky Max & Now, 9pm
You could spend a fortune on old vinyl to relive your musical youth. Or you could just watch the new series of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and get your weekly nostalgia fix while also keeping your mind sharp as you try to remember the name of the band behind Einstein A Go-Go or identify the guitarist from Johnny Hates Jazz. Greg Davies, fresh from Taskmaster duty, is the quizmaster once more, with team captains Noel Fielding and Sophie Willan, and regular panellist Jamali Maddix reactivating their musical memory banks. Look out for pop legends on the panel, including Matt Goss, Boyzone, Tom Grennan, Jessi J, PinkPantheress, Tinie Tempah and the golden 1980s goddess that is Debbie Gibson. Spicing up this series will be special 1980s and 1990s themed episodes, plus an unmissable Britpop v Madchester special featuring Pepsi & Shirlie, Melanie Blatt from All Saints and Bez out of Happy Mondays.
Worlds Apart
Tuesday, Channel 4, 9.15pm
Signing up for a reality TV contest means stepping out of your comfort zone, and for the dozen contestants in this new series, the comfort zone is on the other side of the world. Six young people are paired up with six pensioners for a treasure hunt across Japan – the youngsters have never had to fend for themselves abroad, while the oldsters never dreamed they’d be going anywhere farther than the local shops. Each intergenerational pairing must race to find the treasure and win the 50 grand prize, learning to work together despite their age difference, and keeping their wits about them as they navigate this unfamiliar land and culture.
The Celebrity Traitors
Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm
The huge global success of The Traitors confirms what we always knew: lying, cheating and betrayal will get you everywhere. Whichever country adopts the format, it’s a guaranteed ratings hit, and the Irish version has been so well-received, they’re thinking of airing it on British television. Two series of the UK version, presented by Claudia Winkleman, have already been watched by millions, and now comes the celebrity version, in which famous people become turncoats and back-stabbers in an effort to win a big cash prize for the charity of their choice. Strictly must be green with envy, as the line-up for the BBC’s first-ever celeb Traitors is packed with legends, including actors Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie and Mark Bonnar, comedians Alan Carr, Lucy Beaumont and Joe Wilkinson, musicians Cat Burn, Charlotte Church and Paloma Faith, presenters Clare Balding, Jonathan Ross and Kate Garraway, historian David Olusoga and Olympian Tom Daley. “We’re incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes,” says Winkleman. “I’d love to say we’ll take it easy on them and they’ll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks but that would be a lie.” Still, it won’t come near brilliance of The Traitors Ireland.
Streaming
Boots
From Thursday, October 9th, Netflix
Back in the 1990s it was illegal for gay people to be in the military, so many young recruits had to stay under the radar. This comedy-drama series follows a closeted marine recruit, Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), as he navigates the hazards of boot camp while trying to hide his true self. He’s also dealing with a chaotic family life and a self-centred mom (Vera Farmiga) who refuses to take responsibility for her irresponsible actions. Cameron’s best friend, Ray McCaffey (Liam Oh), is also struggling to fit in: his father is a decorated marine, and Ray has an enormous weight of expectation on his shoulders. Cameron’s mentor is the elite marine Sgt Sullivan (Max Parker), who is harbouring a few secrets of his own. The series is based on The Pink Marine, Greg Cope White’s memoir.
The Last Frontier
From Friday, October 10th, Apple TV+
A plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, but fortunately the passengers appear to have survived. The only problem is that the plane is transporting prisoners, and the passenger list is a rap sheet robbery, violent crime and murder. Now they’re all at large in this remote part of Alaska, and it’s up to US marshal Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke) to protect his town from the escapees. But he soon begins to suspect that the crash was no accident and that something big is being planned. Sounds reminiscent of the 1990s blockbuster Con Air, in which a gang of crazed convicts led by John Malkovich stage a mid-air hijack.
