Pick of the week
Trespasses
Sunday-Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Lola Petticrew and Tom Cullen are a star-crossed couple from opposite sides of the sectarian divide, in this TV adaptation of the acclaimed debut novel by Louise Kennedy. Petticrew is Catholic girl Cushla, a schoolteacher whose lust for life is in danger of being ground down by the realities of life in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. When she meets Michael, an older, married Protestant, they embark on an ill-advised, illicit affair, both knowing that one wrong move or careless word could bring both of them a world of trouble.
Cushla works nights at her family’s pub, whose mixed clientele include British soldiers; Michael is a barrister who hangs out with a bohemian set and who often takes on the job of defending IRA suspects. Adding to the volatile mix is Cushla’s difficult mother, Gina, played with gusto by Gillian Anderson, who says she couldn’t resist playing this “tragicomic creation” when asked to by the author. The series is adapted for the screen by Ailbhe Keogan and directed by Bafta winner Dawn Shadforth, with a supporting cast that includes Martin McCann, Emily Taaffe, Barry Ward, Lisa Dwyer Hogg, Lorcan Cranitch and Lalor Roddy.
Highlights
Bullseye
Sunday, UTV, 8pm
Somewhere back in the mists of time, someone came up with the wizard idea of combining two favourite pub pastimes – the table quiz and the darts. Bullseye aired for most of the 1980s and half of the 1990s, and featured a “thrower” who tried to hit the high score on the dartboard, and a “knower” who tried to answer tricky general knowledge questions. What’s not to like? Last year, the format was revived for a Christmas special, hosted by cricket legend Freddie Flintoff, and it proved so popular that ITV has decided to run a full series of Bullseye, with Flintoff back as host, and veteran darts scorer Richard Ashdown returning as referee. The Christmas special also featured professional darts champ Luke “the Nuke” Littler, so expect a few big names from the Darts world to drop by and have a throw. “Bullseye was one of my favourite shows as a kid,” says Flintoff. “I’m thrilled I get to host the series. You can’t beat a bit of Bully.”
Hidden Assets
Sunday, RTÉ One, 9.30pm
The first series of the Irish/Belgian crime drama gained much critical acclaim for its grittiness and generally decent acting, and though its second series was missing a big asset in its star Angeline Ball, her replacement Norah-Jane Noone kept this co-production on track as ambitious young Criminal Assets Bureau detective Claire Wallace. Noone returns as DS Wallace for this third series, with Cathy Belton and Aaron Monaghan as her fellow CAB operatives Norah Dillon and DS Sean Prendergast, and the overseas action moves from Antwerp to Bilbao in Spain, where an investigative journalist and her family have been brutally murdered.
RM Block
The killings turn out to be connected to a past CAB raid that went pear-shaped, and soon Claire is in the Basque Country and trying to catch the killers and track down €27 million in embezzled funds. Her partner in Bilbao is detective inspector Jon Beitia (Iñigo Gastesi), and it’s not long before they’ve uncovered a hotbed of human trafficking, corruption and dodgy financial dealings. New additions to the cast for this third series include Charlotte Timmers, Dónall Ó Héalaí, Catherine Walker and Steve Wall.
The Real Hack
Sunday, UTV, 10.15pm
In September, ITV aired The Hack, a true-life drama that told the story of Britain’s phone-hacking scandal in the 1990s and 2000s, which sparked the downfall of the News of the World, and the humbling of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The drama featured a cast led by David Tennant, Toby Jones and Robert Carlyle, and now here’s the inevitable follow-up documentary, detailing with the years-long practice of phone hacking at Murdoch’s News International and the subsequent cover-up, and the hard work of small group of investigative journalists to uncover the truth. It may not be quite as gripping and entertaining as the dramatised version, but it promises to be a compelling companion piece to the headline act, and will feature updates to a story that just rumbles on and on.
10 Things to Know About
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Why do so many of us fear change? This new series of RTÉ’s science show starts out by looking at why some people get stuck in a rut, avoiding anything that might force them out of their routine or break a lifetime habit. For these eternal procrastinators, the status quo is the soundtrack to their lives, but are you one of these people, and just don’t realise it? Kathriona Devereux, Amy Hassett and Fergus McAuliffe are back with a new six-part series exploring the workings of the world, just in time for Science Week, and episode one looks at the behavioural science behind stuckism, and learns why people can be so resistant to change. They also meet dairy farmers who are making small but significant changes to make their businesses more sustainable and climate friendly, and talk to researchers who are helping people in small towns make changes that can quickly improve their lives.
The Disappearance of Captain Nairac
Monday, BBC One, 10.40pm
Who was British army captain Robert Nairac? According to some of the people interviewed for this documentary, he was no ordinary soldier, but a rule-breaker with “a touch of 007 about him” and “a certain swagger and arrogance”. On the evening of May 14th, 1977, Nairac went undercover to the Three Steps pub in a strongly republican area of south Armagh, close to the Border, hoping to gain vital intelligence on IRA activities. He was dressed in jeans and donkey jacket, posing as a republican from Belfast, and even sang a couple of rebel songs, probably to bolster his cover story. But his subterfuge was quickly seen through – he was overpowered in the car park by several men, and brought across the Border, where he was shot dead by an IRA gunman. He is now one of the three remaining Disappeared whose bodies have still not been recovered nearly 50 years later. This documentary looks at the life of Nairac via interviews with family, friends and retired security personnel, and pieces together the events leading up to his abduction and death, and follows a recently revived search for his remains sparked by new information from former IRA man Martin McAllister.
Futureville Ireland
Tuesday-Thursday, RTÉ One, 7pm
In the first series of Futureville Ireland, Carla O’Brien and Dr Lollie Mancey reimagined the midlands town of Athlone as a futuristic metropolis in 2050, with a population of 250,000, and a hub of new ideas, new tech and a new, healthier and more socially cohesive way of working and living. Now, to coincide with Science Week 2025, O’Brien and Mancey are back to hone their vision for Futureville, prompted by the positive response to the first series. The presenters travel around Ireland to meet scientists, researchers and innovators who share their ideas for making the future a better place to look forward to.
Richard Burton: Wild Genius
Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm
This month the BBC is celebrating the centenary of the birth of Welsh actor Richard Burton, and this documentary tells the story of the miner’s son from Pontrhydyfen in Glamorgan who became a huge Hollywood star, and whose life on and off screen was the stuff of showbiz legend. Burton’s big romance with Elizabeth Taylor, his costar in many a blockbuster film, put the likes of Bennifer and Brangelina in the ha’penny place (Baylor?) and their tumultuous relationship was fuelled by mutual attraction, jealousy and Burton’s copious drinking. The producers of this documentary gained access to a wealth of home movies, photos and letters, some of them never seen in by the public, along with interviews with his widow Sally Burton and his daughter Kate Burton, plus insights from the likes of Michael Sheen, Gabriel Byrne and Claire Bloom. The programme also features exclusive excerpts from Burton’s own diaries, read by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys.
Streaming
Palm Royale
From November 12th, Apple TV+
Get your Jackie O sunglasses on – the denizens of Palm Beach are about to dazzle us again with outrageous outfits, psychedelic interiors and bonkers behaviour in the second season of the social-climbing comedy. Kristen Wiig returns as Maxine Dellacorte, a woman determined to worm her way into the exclusive world of Palm Beach high society in 1969. But in this social game of Snakes and Ladders, Maxine is back to square one, ostracised from Palm Beach high society following a very public meltdown. Maxine will have to draw on all her reserves of scheming and back-stabbing if she’s going to get back in the exclusive zone. Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett and the rest of the socialites are back for second helpings of high society high jinks.
The Beast in Me
From November 13th, Netflix
Homeland star Claire Danes returns to our screens in this eight-episode thriller that swaps geopolitical conflict for dangerous liaisons. Danes is Aggie Wiggs, an acclaimed author who has dropped out of the public eye following the death of her young son. She’s living as a recluse, and suffering a bad case of writer’s block, but when well-known property developer Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys) – who may or may not have murdered his wife – buys the house next door, Aggie becomes fascinated with his story, and is inspired to start writing again. As Aggie digs deeper into Nile’s dirty laundry, however, she’s in danger of joining the missing wife in the where-are-they-buried-now file.
Malice
From November 14th, Prime Video
Comedian and all-round nice bloke Jack Whitehall as a malevolent, scheming Mr Ripley type who insinuates himself into the lives of a rich couple and proceeds to rip their lives apart? Stay with me here – this might actually work. Whitehall plays charismatic, confident tutor Adam, with David Duchovny and Carice Van Houten as Jamie and Nat Tanner, the wealthy couple Whitehall targets for his charm offensive. They meet on a holiday in Greece, but it’s not long before Adam is ensconced in the couple’s London home, and is gaslighting them to beat the band. Why is Adam so obsessed with the Tanners and why is he determined to take them down? It’s up to Jamie to deny Adam his revenge and save his family from destruction.
