Pick of the week
Gerry Hutch: Aka The Monk
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Last November an otherwise boring general election got a cattle prod in the arm when notorious gangland figure Gerry “The Monk” Hutch came within a whisker of winning a Dáil Seat in Dublin Central. Just a year and a half earlier, Hutch had been acquitted for the murder of David Byrne in the infamous Regency Hotel shootings in 2016, part of a long-running feud with the rival Kinahan gang which has left 18 people dead. His move into politics, while facing money-laundering charges in Spain, took the political establishment by surprise, but few were surprised that this career criminal and self-styled maverick garnered so much support in inner-city communities. This two-part documentary series uses archive footage and interviews with friends and foes to look at Hutch’s early years growing up in Dublin, and examines how the Hutch family established their crime empire in the capital, and how a feud with the larger and more powerful Kinahan family erupted into all-out war that has exacted a huge human toll and brought the State’s law-enforcement apparatus to breaking point.
Highlights
The Great House Revival
Sunday, RTÉ One, 9.30pm
As we head in to the spring, many of us will be looking to spruce up our homes with a lick of paint or a bit of repair work. But some homeowners are facing the daunting task of completely renovating their rundown old pile and turning their derelict ruin into a habitable haven. Architect Hugh Wallace is back to meet a new batch of adventurous homeowners as they embark on their big restoration projects. Wallace will chart their progress as they try to salvage a relic from the past and repurpose it as a superb family home, on budgets ranging from shoestring to splash-out.
Superman & Lois
Sunday, BBC One, 11.30pm
Superman’s USP is saving the world from supervillains, but never mind that: all we want to know is how’s he getting on with Lois Lane? We’ve had no shortage of series delving into the relationship between the Man of Steel and his human inamorata (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in the 1990s; Smallville in the noughties), and now here’s the fourth and final series of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin as the man with the letter “S” on his chest, and Elizabeth Tulloch as the woman who has hitched her wagon to a flying dude who wears his underpants on the outside. They’re facing their biggest-ever challenge: raising two teenage boys, which makes battling the likes of Lex Luthor and Doomsday seem a doddle in comparison.
Virdee
Monday, BBC One, 9pm
Game of Thrones star Staz Nair is detective Harry Virdee, a cop trying to straddle both sides of the law – and the cultural divide – in this new crime thriller series set in Bradford and based on the bestselling novels by AA Dhand. Harry is a dedicated cop driven by a duty to uphold the law, but has fallen out with his Sikh community for marrying a Muslim. When a turf war between rival gangs spills out on the city’s streets, however, Harry is forced to seek help from his drug lord brother-in-law.
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Funboys
Monday, BBC One, 10.40pm
Callum, Dylan and Jordan are three emotionally stunted saddos trying to navigate life in a small town in Northern Ireland – not easy when you don’t actually have a life. This new comedy series – sort of Hardy Bucks meets Young Offenders – tackles themes of “male vulnerability, religious dogma and handjobs” and stars Ryan Dylan, Rian Lennon and Lee R James as the clueless trio just looking for a bit of craic. In episode one, Callum’s tiny mind is blown when a girl actually shows an interest in him, but Jordan’s not too happy about the prospect of losing a video-gaming partner.
Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon
Tuesday, BBC One, 8pm
Hoarders beware: decluttering queen Stacey Solomon is back, and she’s out to tidy up your junk-filled home and turn it into a bright, functional family space. Series five opens with an emotional punch: parents Helen and Phil Appleyard, who have sentimentally clung on to every memento of their four kids – Annabelle (14) and triplets Josiah, Daniel and Reuben (12) – and are reluctant to let go of anything that represents their children’s achievements. When Stacey and her team get to work Kondoing the Appleyards' three-bedroomed house, they end up filling 400 boxes with stuff, including more than 2,000 greeting cards, 74 Christmas pine cones and 99 odd socks.
Waterloo Road
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
There’s a new head teacher at Waterloo Road, and she’s out to clean up the school and get its unruly pupils (and teachers) under control. Lindsey Coulson joins the series as new head Dame Stella Drake, following the ignominious exit of Steve Savage (Jason Manford) at the end of the last series. Can Dame Stella crack the whip and repair the school’s scandal-damaged reputation? With her predecessor in jail for covering up a pupil’s death, and more scandals coming thick and fast, she’ll have her work cut out for her. This series also sees the seismic return of two characters from way back in season three: former head teacher Jack Rimmer (Jason Merrell) and past pupil Celine Stone (Zeriozha Annika).
The Equalizer
Wednesday, Sky Witness & Now, 9pm
Vigilante mom Robyn McCall is back in action in series five of the rebooted crime series, and don’t be fooled by that kind, gentle demeanour – beneath the mumsy exterior is a badass enforcer ready to do whatever it takes to help folk who have been badly let down by the legal system. Queen Latifah might appear too nice to play a ruthless revenge-seeker, but the star of the original 1980s series, Edward Woodward, was a bit of a cuddly teddy himself, so we’re not exactly stretching credulity here. In the series five opener, two siblings steal a grocery truck, which turns out to be carrying something deadlier than waffles and pop-tarts, and it’s up to Robyn to get them out of a pickle.
Réiteoir!
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
Who’d want to be a referee in today’s GAA? While Gaelic games have gone from strength to strength, and talk is all about supporting and nurturing players, referees are left to fend for themselves in a hostile game environment, where their every decision is scrutinised, and they face verbal abuse and physical assault every time they step on to the pitch. Sports broadcaster Gráinne McElwain looks at the impact of this toxic game environment on people’s lives and on the sport itself, with three referees – David Gough, Siobhán Coyle and Eoghan Ó Muircheartaigh – telling their own stories, and sports analyst Fearghal Mag Uiginn, sports psychologist Justin Campbell and GAA president Jarlath Burns giving their insights.
Streaming
50,000 First Dates: A True Story
From February 11th, Prime Video
Canadian couple Nesh and Johannes are in love and planning their future together when suddenly Nesh loses her memory and has no idea who this guy she’s supposedly engaged to is. Sounds like a rehash of an almost-forgotten movie plotline, but the twist here is that this two-part docu-series is actually based on a true story. In October 2022, Toronto-based thirtysomething entrepreneur Nesh Pillay suffered a sudden amnesia attack, believing that she was a teenager and that her fiance was an Uber driver. She even forgot she had a daughter. Doctors reckoned her amnesia may have been the result of accumulated head injuries, including from a car crash when she was aged nine, and a severe concussion in 2019. The couple documented Nesh’s long, slow journey to recovery on social media, and they became known as the “real life 50 First Dates couple”, but no surprise to learn that many people thought the whole thing was faked.
Surviving Black Hawk Down
From Monday, February 10th, Netflix
Ridley Scott’s gritty war movie Black Hawk Down thrilled moviegoers in 2001, telling the gripping story of US troops trapped behind enemy lines in Somalia when their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down. The movie is based on a real-life event, the Battle of Mogadishu, in 1993. In this three-part docuseries, Scott’s production company goes back to Somalia to recount the real events that inspired the blockbuster hit. The series features interviews with US soldiers and militiamen who fought against them, along with Somali citizens, including a local photographer who felt it his moral duty to document the events. There are no Hollywood stars in this true version of events, but there are dramatic re-enactments and graphic footage taken in the thick of battle.
