TV guide: 12 of the best new shows to watch, beginning tonight

The Woman in the Wall

Sunday, BBC One, 9.05pm

The Magdalene laundries marked a dark chapter in recent Irish history, and this gritty psychological drama takes the laundries as a launch point into even darker material. Ruth Wilson plays Lorna Brady, a woman who is grappling with a traumatic past which brings her terrible dreams and causes her to wake up in strange places with no memory of how she got there. She had grown up in the confines of a convent, and when she became pregnant as a young woman, her baby was taken away from her. Now she is determined to find out what happened to her child. A cop on a murder investigation crosses her path, offers Lorna a chance to find answers – but also puts her under suspicion. Daryl McCormack, Simon Delaney, Chizzy Akudolu and Lynn Rafferty costar.

Midsomer Murders

Sunday, UTV, 8pm

Beware Midsomer fans – this episode of the popular crime series features witches, evil spirits, strange paranormal events and a scary place called Hades Caves. Detectives John Barnaby and Jamie Winter are called on to investigate strange goings-on at the annual Psychic Fayre in Angel’s Rise. Peter and Jeanie Saint-Stephens host the annual occult festival at their gothic pile of Eddon Hall, but Jeanie, a devout Christian, is not too happy about this yearly eruption of debauchery and devilry, and when things start to go bump in the night, she blames a local coven of witches.

The Peculiar Sensation of Being Pat Ingoldsby

Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm

If you thought being John Malkovich would be a little strange, imagine finding yourself in the phantasmagorical world inside Pat Ingoldsby’s head. Well, now you can get a glimpse into the unique world of the Dublin writer and poet, and see first-hand his close relationship with his native city, and how he turns his everyday observations into magically absurd prose and verse. This film, directed by Seamus Murphy and produced by Tom Burke, profiles a singular Dublin character who adds a dash of surreal colour to the city’s rich tapestry.

The Tower: Death Message

Monday, Virgin Media One, 9pm

Gemma Whelan returns as Detective Superintendent Sarah Collins, with Tahirah Sharif back as PC Lizzie Adama. Photograph: STUART WOOD/ITV

The crime series returns for a second series, and comes loaded with a sinister subtitle. Gemma Whelan returns as Detective Superintendent Sarah Collins, with Tahirah Sharif back as PC Lizzie Adama. In this series, based on the novel by Kate London, DS Collins has been transferred to the homicide section, but a cold case involving a missing schoolgirl puts her at odds once again with PC Adama. Meanwhile, Lizzie is back in Farlow station, and things are a bit awkward between her and her boss (and ex), DI Kieran Shaw (Emmet J Scanlon). But things are about to take a tragic turn when Lizzie and her new partner Arif (Michael Karim) are assigned a domestic violence case.

Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

You’re lured in by the intriguing title, and you may soon be snared by the story of two women who fall victim to a smooth con man, and form an unlikely friendship that empowers them to turn the tables. Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays fantasy novelist Cheryl, and Rebekah Staton plays personal assistant Alice, with Alistair Petrie as Rob, who styles himself as an “ecopreneur” but is actually a dealer in deception and duplicity. He seems to hold all the cards, but who’s really running the game? The twists and turns should keep you guessing until the final scam. The cast includes Romola Garai and Derek Jacobi.

Selling Super Houses

Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the best house seller of them all? In this new series, eight wannabe estate agents compete in the cut-throat world of property sales, in the hope of bagging a job with top property flogger Paul Kemsley. PK, as he is known, has returned to the UK from a successful stint in LA, and set up a new property company, RIB, which deals only in high-end housing for the well-heeled. The eight hopefuls will have to prove they’ve got what it takes to close the deal on these luxury pads without losing their nerve. First challenge is to host an open house event for prospective buyers with £20 million (€23.4 million) to spend on a gaff.

Screw

Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

This comic drama is set in a men’s prison and features lots of banter between inmates and staff, but don’t expect a reboot of Porridge starring Ronnie Barker. Series writer Rob Williams puts aside the gags to focus on the day-to-day challenges for those who work in Long Marsh correctional facility. Nina Sosanya and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell return as prison officers Leigh and Rose in this second series, and there’s trouble down at C Wing, where rumours are going around that there’s an undercover cop at work. Leigh is tasked with quashing the rumour – even though it may well be true.

Sir Simon Rattle at the Proms

Wednesday, BBC Two, 7.30pm

Simon Rattle has become synonymous with the Proms, having conducted at his first Proms back in August 1976. Forty-seven years later, the world-renowned conductor is set to make his final UK appearance as music director of the London Symphony Orchestra, in this history-making edition of the Proms. Rattle will lead the orchestra in a fitting and poignant performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, known as the “farewell symphony”.

Secrets of the Female Orgasm

Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

You may think you know all there is to know about women’s orgasms, but you don’t know the half of it. In this one-off film, Love Island star – and qualified biochemist – Yewande Biala sets out to explore this still largely unknown territory, meeting scientists and therapists to get the latest research and advice on female orgasms, and hearing the personal stories of many women. It’s not just curiosity – Biala, who grew up with a lot of shame around sex, admits she has never had an orgasm, and here she embarks on a quest to finally experience the big O for herself.

Hatton

Thursday, Sky Documentaries and Now, 9pm

Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton was one of Britain’s most celebrated boxers – and also one of the sport’s most flawed figures. This documentary tracks Hatton’s rise from the working-class estate of Hattersley in Manchester to the dizzy heights of Las Vegas and winning world titles. It also follows his fall from grace, as later defeats and broken relationships sent him into a spiral of depression and addiction. The programme will bring us up close and personal with this true working-class hero.

An Seisiún

Friday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm

The Saw Doctors' Davey Carton, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Leo Moran in Campbells Tavern. Photograph: RTÉ

It’s Friday night, and sure where else would you be going except Campbell’s Tavern in Co Galway? This family-run pub and music venue is the first stop on singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh’s whistle-stop tour of the country, taking in four spots where musicians converge to work their musical magic. In this first episode, Nic Amhlaoibh visits the popular pub in Cloughanover, Headford, where she is joined by Tuam greats The Saw Doctors, Galway fiddle-playing siblings the Kane Sisters, the mighty Seán Keane and local stalwarts The Whileaways. Over four episodes, Nic Amhlaoibh will also drop in for sessions at the Cobblestone in Dublin, Connollys of Leap in West Cork and McGrory’s of Culdaff, Co Donegal.

Warrior

Friday, Sky Max and Now, 9pm

Mai Ling uses her connections in the corridors of power this season. Photograph: HBO

This historic martial arts series was kicked to touch during Covid, but it’s back for a third series, set in the gangland world of Chinatown in San Francisco in the late 19th century. The idea was originally conceived by Bruce Lee back in the 1970s, but never went ahead – although a similar idea, Kung Fu, became a huge telly hit back then. In series three, Ah Sahm and the Hop Wei are dealing with the aftermath of the race riots, while Mai Ling uses her connections in the corridors of power.