Pick of the week
Obituary
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
In The Paper, Domhnall Gleeson tries to bring local newspaper the Toledo Truth Teller back to life as hapless new editor Ned Sampson. In the second series of Obituary, meanwhile, Siobhán Cullen returns as Elvira Clancy, obituary writer with local paper the Kilraven Chronicle, and she’s busy killing more readers to ensure there’s no shortage of macabre material for her columns. So far she’s got away with her multiple murders, and as series two begins, her career and her love life have been resurrected. But suddenly Elvira’s new-found equilibrium is upended by the death of her dad, Ward, and she finds the only way to deal with her grief is by starting on another killing spree. Máiréad Tyers from The Walsh Sisters joins the cast as the paper’s manipulative new boss, Vivienne, who immediately pits Elvira and her colleague/boyfriend Emerson (Ronan Raftery) against each other in a battle for promotion. Elvira has another problem to deal with: a scheming intern named Ruby who’s been nicking her story ideas. Obviously she’ll have to die, but before Elvira can dispatch the plagiaristic cow, another killer steps in and does the job – and Elvira is now feeling the heat as Detective Rose Mulcahy (Noni Stapleton) has made her the chief suspect. Elvira will have to turn amateur sleuth to unmask this mysterious serial killer invading her turf, and Vivienne promises her the editor’s job if she can crack the case. Meanwhile, Elvira’s old boss, Hughie (David Ganley), who knows exactly what she did last series, is biding his time in his prison cell, waiting for the moment he can get out of jail and get his revenge. Forget writing for The Irish Times – looks like the Kilraven Chronicle is where all the action and excitement is at.
Riot Women
Sunday, BBC One, 9pm
Sally Wainwright is the screenwriting powerhouse behind such acclaimed series as Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack and Last Tango in Halifax, all featuring strong women in the leads, and now she’s written a new series that requires her cast to not only be strong, but also gobby, snotty and uncompromisingly loud. Riot Women tells the story of five menopausal women who get together to form a punk rock band and kick up some anarchy in the UK. But what do these mumrockers have to rebel against? Quite a lot, as it turns out, including grown-up kids who don’t seem to have grown up, husbands and partners who have either buggered off or simply clocked out, and a world that has all but deleted older women from life’s playlist. Lorraine Ashbourne is pub landlady Jess (drums), Tamsin Greig is retired cop Holly (bass), Joanna Scanlan is teacher Beth (keyboards), Amelia Bullmore is uptight midwife Yvonne (guitar), and Rosalie Craig is hard-drinking Kitty (vocals), with an appetite for self-destruction, but also an abundance of raw talent. Soon they’re writing their own songs and making waves on the music scene, but they still have to juggle complicated lives, jobs and family dynamics – not to mention hot flushes and other side effects of The Change. “We write songs about being middle-aged, menopausal and invisible,” says Beth, “and you thought The Clash were angry.” However, there’s a dark secret buried deep in the vinyl vault that threatens to break up the band before it can break big. Wainwright says she was inspired by one of her favourite TV shows as a child, Rock Follies, about three feisty women trying to make it in the music biz in the 1970s.
Hunted
Sunday & Monday, Channel 4, 9pm
What would it be like to be Jason Bourne, on the run with a crack team of fugitive hunters hot on your heels? Pretty stressful, I would imagine, but in this new series of Channel 4’s real-life thriller, 14 people have willingly signed up to become the target. Divided into seven pairs, they’ll have to escape from Stansted Airport and avoid capture by commander Ray Howard, who has an army of hunters and helicopters at his disposal, not to mention state-of-the-art surveillance and facial-recognition tech to track down his prey wherever they are. If they can outwit the hunters and remain at large for three weeks, they’re in line for a share of a £100,000 prize. Among the fugitives are sisters Emma and Jenni, mother and daughter Saffron and Dionne, farmers Andrew and Robin, and newly engaged couple Cameron and Simran.
Made of Stone
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
During the Covid lockdowns, many people pivoted to a different way of working, while others found an unusual new hobby or discovered a hidden talent, whether it was making tea cosies or making up a new TikTok dance. David Keohan found himself fascinated by big stones, and, inspired by a short story by Liam O’Flaherty, set out to revive the ancient tradition of lifting stones. Yes, it was apparently a thing back in the days of the druids, and this documentary tracks Keohan’s quest to learn the history and folklore of stone-lifting. He delves into the archives of the National Folklore Collection, and visits graveyards, beaches, hills and pubs in search of these almost-mythical stones. As he documented his unusual interest on social media, he soon became known as Indiana Stones, able to hoist big rocks like a seasoned weightlifter. Needless to say, don’t try this at home unless you want to become Indiana Groans.
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The End of the World with Beanz
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 7pm
Comedian Martin Beanz Warde tackles some serious issues facing the world today in the second series of the travel show with a difference. Over six eye-opening episodes, Beanz visits places where people are dealing with difficult challenges, from climate change and geopolitical conflict to culture wars. With all that’s going on the world, he certainly won’t be short of raw material. Each week he’s joined on his explorations by a celebrity cohost, including presenter Darren Kennedy, singer and Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh, comedians Neil Delamere and Enya Martin, and actor Norma Sheahan. In the first episode Beanz visits Los Angeles, where entire neighbourhoods were destroyed in January’s devastating wildfires. He and singer Samantha Mumba, an LA resident, visit some of the worst-hit areas, and meet an Irish record producer who lost everything in the fires.
Donal’s Real Time Recipes
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
My family knows I’m a devoted disciple of Jamie Oliver’s bish-bash-bosh style of cooking – no-nonsense, no-fannying-about recipes for busy lives. If any Irish celeb chef could challenge Jamie for the culinary crown in our kitchen, it would be Donal Skehan, and I’ve got my notebook and pen at the ready for his new series of Real Time Recipes. Over 10 episodes, Skehan will share his ideas for no-fuss, uncomplicated and flavoursome meals that can be rustled up in half an hour or less, and don’t require fiddly preparation or fancy techniques. Of course, the series is an accompaniment to Skehan’s latest cookbook, which features recipes for chop tomato pesto pasta, saffron chicken and rice, braised one-pan lamb and chicken katsu in a flash, and of course I’ll be adding it to my kitchen library.
How I Made £1 Million in 90 Days
Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm
Right, you had me at £1 million – now tell me how I can make that kind of money in time for Christmas. Well, according to Oobah Butler, you just need to put your conscience aside and be willing to follow some dodgy get-rich-quick schemes, no matter how outrageous and unethical they might seem. He sets out on a quest to boost his bank account by a million quid in just three months, meeting self-styled business gurus and exploring the world of start-ups, unicorns and business ideas that seem just too good to be true. Butler – who once tried to market an energy drink make out of Amazon delivery drivers’ urine – soon learns that the entrepreneurial dream is often built on delusion and dishonesty.
The Iris Affair
Thursday, Sky Atlantic & Now, 9pm; Friday, Sky Atlantic & Now, from 9pm
Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander star in this new tech thriller series where survival depends on brainpower – and maybe a bit of blind luck. Algar plays Iris Nixon, who has a talent for cracking codes and solving complex puzzles. She’s recruited by brilliant and charming entrepreneur Cameron Beck (Hollander) to help him hack in to some top-secret tech. You don’t have to be a genius to guess that the gadget in question turns out to pose a global threat, so Iris steals the yoke’s activation code and goes on the run with just her big brain to help her avoid capture by Beck and his cronies. She might be a dab hand at sudoku or chess, but can she win this high-stakes game of hide-and-seek?
Streaming
Murdaugh: Death in the Family
From Wednesday, October 15th, Disney+
Alex Murdaugh and his wife, Maggie, had it all: part of a successful legal dynasty that went back generations, highly respected by and influential within their South Carolina community, and enjoying all the trappings of wealth and privilege. But beneath it all was something darker and deadlier, and when their son Paul is involved in a tragic boat accident, skeletons – and corpses – start emerging from the Murdaugh closet. When both Maggie and Paul are found dead, the spotlight turns on Alex. This true-crime story, which is inspired by the hit podcast The Murdaugh Murders, stars Jason Clarke as Alex and Patricia Arquette as Maggie.
To Cook a Bear
From Wednesday, October 15th, Disney+
It seems like ages since we’ve had a good Nordic noir series to get stuck into. Here’s a sort of OG Nordic noir thriller, set in the mid-19th century and dealing with dark, mysterious doings in a remote village in northern Sweden. Its stunning landscapes, marauding bears, fire and brimstone, and member of the Skarsgård acting clan should be noir enough for anyone. Gustaf Skarsgård, from Vikings and Oppenheimer, is the new pastor of the village of Kengis, and he quickly dispenses with the niceties and starts delivering fiery sermons to his new flock. But something evil is afoot: people are vanishing, and some villagers are whispering about bear attacks. The pastor sets out to investigate – and what he finds threatens to drive the community to the edge of madness.
The Diplomat
From Thursday, October 16th, Netflix
If you think Donald Trump’s White House is a mad circus, get ready for total Capitol lunacy in the third series of the political thriller starring Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell and Alison Janney. Russell is ambassador Kate Wyler, and she’ll need to muster all her diplomatic skills to deal with a new crisis facing the administration. The president has died, and Kate’s husband, Hal, was the last person to speak to him. The volatile vice-president, Grace Penn (Janney) – who Kate has accused of being behind a terrorist plot – takes over as commander-in-chief, and it’s not long before things go pear-shaped and the US is preparing to go to war with – of all places – the UK. Meanwhile, Hal continues to push for Kate to become the next veep, but who is the handsome stranger, played by Aidan Turner, spotted flirting outrageously with her? Get ready for another wild West Wing adventure.
