Pick of the week
Stephen Rea: The Fire in Me Now
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
He is one of Ireland’s finest acting talents, a part of the film, television and theatre landscape for many, many years, but until now, Stephen Rea has demurred from taking part in a film focusing solely on his own life and work. Now, the makers of this documentary film have been granted access to the mercurial actor as he rehearses for a landmark production of Samuel Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape in Dublin. The play’s protagonist listens back to tapes recorded by his younger self years before; in this film we earwig on conversation between Rea and various friends and collaborators, including actor Sinéad Cusack, director Neil Jordan and journalist and activist Eamon McCann, and get a rare glimpse in to the rich life of an actor who never does thing by half.
Highlights
Grace
Sunday, UTV, 8pm
DS Roy Grace faces some of his most challenging cases – both professionally and personally – in the fifth series of the popular detective drama based on the best-selling novels of Peter James. John Simm returns to the role he has made his own, in four feature-length episodes, the first one based on the novel Dead If You Don’t. The series opens on a tragic note, as Roy processes the suicide of his ex-wife, Sandy, two months before, and he and his partner, Cleo, deal with the loss of the baby Cleo was expecting. He has little time to grieve, however, as a body in a barrel is found washed up on a beach in Sussex, and hundreds of lives at a packed football stadium in Brighton are in immediate danger.
The Olivier Awards 2025
Sunday, UTV, 10.15pm
The great and good of the theatre world will gather at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the annual Olivier Awards, and this year marks the 40th awards since legendary thesp Laurence Olivier gave his name to the ceremony. Beverley Knight, who already has an Olivier Award on her mantelpiece, will co-present this year’s awards, along with Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winner Billy Porter. The spotlight will be on the Best New Musical and Best Revived Musical awards, and among the nominees this year are Fiddler on the Roof, MJ the Musical, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1912. The evening will feature performance from many of the nominated productions, and there’ll be much speculation on the awards for best actress and best actor, with nominees including Lesley Manville, Meera Syal, Adrien Brody, Billy Crudup and Paapa Esseidu.
Bog Amach
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Moving house is a big decision for many people, but presenter Emer Mhic an Fhailí is determined to help them make the transition as smooth and pain-free as possible. In the third series of this Irish-language show, Emer helps another batch of couples, families and first-time buyers find their dream home in a scenic location, and enlists experts to help them navigate the practicalities of buying and moving in to a new property. Her first couple are Micheál and Rhys, who are searching for their first home together. They want their new home to be in a nice, quiet spot off the beaten track, but they also want it to be less than half and hour from Belfast, where they work. Can Emer help them get the best of both worlds?
Reunion
Monday, BBC One, 9pm
Daniel Brennan is a deaf man who has been in prison for a serious crime for the past 10 years, and when he is released, finds himself ostracised by both the deaf and hearing community. He’s got nothing left to lose, so he sets out to wreak revenge on those he feels have wronged him. But when he becomes reacquainted with his estranged daughter, Carly, he realises he’s going to have to alter his plans – and come to terms with how he ended up in prison – if he’s going to have any future as a father and a functioning member of the community. Matthew Gurney stars as Daniel, with Lara Peake as Carly, in a bilingual drama in both spoken English and British Sign Language. Anne-Marie Duff, Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis costar.
Celebrity Big Brother
Monday, UTV, 9pm
A new batch of high-profile housemates head in to the Big Brother house for a new series, and no doubt we’ll be glued to our screens day and night for the next few weeks as these superstars of telly, TikTok and what-have-you try to coexist in the BB bubble. So, what famous faces will we be getting up close and personal with in this new season? Among the A-listers rumoured to be taking part this year include former decathlete Daley Thompson; Paul Chuckle, half of legendary comedy duo The Chuckle Brothers; drag artist and singer Danny Beard; Coronation Street actor Jack P Sheperd; EastEnders actor James Bye; Wag and influencer Annie Kilner, who is married to footballer Kyle Walker; and influencer and TOWIE star Ella Rae Wise. With all that dazzling star power on screen, you better wear shades.
Jack the Ripper: Written in Blood
Tuesday, Sky History & Now, 9pm
The Whitechapel murders have sparked numerous dramas and documentaries speculating on the identity and motives of the notorious Victorian-era serial killer, but this three-part docudrama takes a slightly different angle, looking at how the crimes of Jack the Ripper fuelled the growth of tabloid journalism. While London was in the grip of the Ripper’s reign of terror, newspapers – particularly the Star – shamelessly exploited the fear and mistrust felt among the community, printing sensational stories to boost circulation, with little regard for facts or accuracy, creating an atmosphere of panic among readers and even obstructing law enforcement investigations into the murder. Mark Strepan, Moe Dunford, Amy Leigh Hickman and Tyger Drew-Honey star in this drama about how fake news gained a foothold in public discourse more than a century ago.
Ride or Die
Wednesday, BBC One, 10.40pm
Just how dangerous is Northern Ireland’s annual motorcycle road race, the North West 200? To give you some idea, the race has its own race chaplain, Presbyterian minister Rev John Kirkpatrick, who administers pastoral care to the competitors and their families, and helps families grieving loved ones who have lost their lives in what is one of the world’s fastest road races, with competitors reaching speeds of more than 320km/h (200mph) on narrow, twisty roads. This documentary film looks at the relationship between contestants’ Christian faith and the huge gamble with death they take each time they compete in the race. As Rev Kirkpatrick says: “Do you really understand what living is if you never put your life at any risk?”
Streaming
Black Mirror
From Thursday, April 10th, Netflix
Welcome back to the whacked-out, brain-frying world of Charlie Brooker’s satirical sci-fi anthology series, where terror is just a mouse click away and the ghosts have completely taken over the machine. Series seven is “a little bit OG Black Mirror”, says Brooker, going back to its dystopian sci-fi roots, but with plenty of disturbing stuff in the mix to keep our minds churning long after the screen has gone dark. The series features six new stories, two of them feature length, and one of them a sequel to the popular series four opener, USS Callister, in which a socially inept programmer became captain of his own simulated reality starship. Get ready to have your mind ripped apart by these new tales of techno fear and loathing. The star-studded cast includes Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Paul Giamatti, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd and Issa Rae.
Your Friends & Neighbors
From Friday, April 11th, Apple TV+
Disgraced hedge-fund manager Andrew Cooper has been canned from his high-powered job, and now no one will touch him with a 10ft cattle prod. Recently divorced, Coop finds himself home alone in his affluent Vermont suburb, but rather than twiddle his thumbs he decides to stay busy by burgling his neighbours’ homes. Soon he’s got a nice operation going cleaning out big houses, but while stuffing his swag bag with Rolexes, Louis Vuitton handbags and Tiffany necklaces he stumbles on something more valuable – and more dangerous – than luxury goods: the dark secrets and hidden affairs of the wealthy homeowners. It’s not long before Coop finds out that what you know can actually kill you. Jon Hamm heads a cast that also features Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn and Hoon Lee.
