In the new series, The Works Presents (11.15pm RTÉ One) John Kelly meets an individual artist each week, drawn from across the arts spectrum, beginning with playwright Enda Walsh. We Remember Marilyn (10.15pm Sky Arts) profiles the ill-starred actress, while Reality Bites: Born Addicted (9.30pm RTÉ2) meets expectant mothers who are on methadone, doctors treating the newborns and some of the children - now adults - raised by parents who were heroin addicts.
The Works Presents 11.15pm RTÉ One
New series in which presenter John Kelly interviews a different leading light in the arts, each at a defining moment in his or her career. Each programme explores its subject's creative journey so far - and the road ahead. Subjects for the Autumn include artist Sean Scully as he marks his 70th birthday with a series of exhibitions and a new commission for the church of Santa Cecília de Montserrat; singer/songwriter Glen Hansard on The Frames’ 25 years in music; performance artist Amanda Coogan as she builds up to a major exhibition at the RHA this Autumn; writer Jennifer Johnston as she marks her 85th birthday with the release of a new novel; composer Philip Glass on the occasion of his memoir; and playwright Enda Walsh on his first opera (a collaboration with composer Donncha Dennehy) and forthcoming collaboration with David Bowie.
John Kelly with playwright Enda Walsh
We Remember Marilyn 10.15pm Sky Arts
Fascinating Marilyn Monroe documentary which tracks the actress's journey from her early years in Los Angeles, where she was in and out of institutions and living in foster care with relatives, to the pressure cooker life in Hollywoo. She starred in films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and Some Like It Hot. The ill-starred actress died on August 5, 1962, found on her bed, face down, with a telephone in her hand. Nearby were empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat depression.
Marilyn Monroe
Reality Bites: Born Addicted 9.30pm RTÉ2
In the early 1980's, Dublin fell under the spell of heroin and ever since, people have led lives dominated by chaos. For some, that chaos started from birth - as they grew up around parents who got caught up in the first wave of heroin abuse. For others, drugs simply became part of the lives they led. Methadone offers more stability, and in some cases, a way out for those with an addiction. Today, 10,000 people nationwide are on heroin substitutes, like methadone, but it remains controversial with many users now in their second decade of dependency. Every year, more than 130 babies are born in Ireland chronically addicted to heroin or methadone, developed as a result of their mother's addiction or dependency while pregnant. Participants in tonight’s programme include expectant mothers who are on methadone, doctors treating the new-borns and some of the children - now adults - themselves.
