Paying For Sex: Reality Bites
Monday, RTÉ Two, 10pm
It may be the oldest profession in the world, but debate still rages on whether people who offer sex for sale should be considered criminals or people providing a vital service to society. Paying For Sex: Reality Bites looks at the issue of sex work from both sides of the divide. Rachel Moran was forced into prostitution as a teenager, and has been campaigning for a new Irish law that makes it a crime to pay for sex. Sex worker Kate McGrew, however, believes the law is a step backwards, and believes that criminalising those who pay for sex will make life more risky for people working in the sex trade.
Ordinary Lies
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
The first series of Ordinary Lies was set in a car dealership, as lives spun out of control. The second series returns with a new workplace and an entire new staff, but with the same idea – that small fibs can lead to big problems, and secrets are hard to keep. This time we're in the call centre and warehouse of sports company Coopers, where head of sales Joe suspects his wife of having an affair. Of course there's only one thing to do: install hidden cameras around his house and put his wife under 24-hour surveillance. But Joe soon finds out a lot more than he needed to know.
Brendan O'Connor's Cutting Edge
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
It's a simple idea: get a few heads around a table to chat about what's happening in the world this week. Brendan O'Connor's Cutting Edge proved a success when it aired earlier this year, so with the nights drawing in, it's time to pull the chairs in for another four-way chinwag. The show will once again feature three opinionated panellists from the worlds of media, arts, business and sports. They'll be discussing the big and small stories of the week, while O'Connor moderates the chat in his own laid-back style.
Beyond Redemption? A Would You Believe? Special
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
Mick Peelo looks at how we deal with sex offenders who have been released back into society, and discovers some very shocking truths: by turning these sex offenders into pariahs and excluding them from the community, we may not be protecting our children at all, but increasing the danger to them. Peelo visits Canada, where a programme has been in place to provide a "circle of support and accountability" to help sex offenders live and work in the community without reoffending. The programme has been so successful, probation services around the world are adopting it, and the Irish probation service is piloting a project that takes a more humane route to redeeming offenders.
Black Mirror
Friday, Netflix
Fans of creepy technophobic stories will be eagerly logging on for the third series of Charlie Brooker's sci-fi thriller that looks at the sinister side of the devices and doohickeys that run our lives. The first two series built up a cult following on Channel 4, but the move to Netflix, combined with a more cinematic approach and even creepier storylines, should give this series the mainstream kudos it deserves.
