What's on? TV highlights for Thursday

Loads on tonight, including Sarah Lancashire in a new drama called The Accident, a documentary about a priest-turned-filmmaker, Hector crossing the USA, and the final episode of Catherine the Great . . .

Pick of the Day

The Accident, 9.00pm, Channel 4

This looks the business. And the cast is fantastic.

Written by Jack Thorne and starring Sarah Lancashire, Mark Lewis Jones, Sidse Babbett Knudsen and Joanna Scanlan, this drama's set in the fictional community of Glyngolau - a 'left behind' town in Wales.

In episode one, an explosion on the construction site of a much-needed and sought-after regeneration project claims the lives of several teenagers who have broken into the half-built premises to make mischief.

One mother, Polly (Lancashire), directs her anger at the development's project's leader, Harriet Paulsen (Babbett Knudsen) but as grief gives way to anger, Polly and the community have to confront difficult truths in the search for justice.

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New or Returning Shows

Father Delaney, Silent Witness, 10.15pm, RTÉ One

Joe Duffy narrates the story of a Dublin priest and amateur filmmaker, Fr Jack Delaney, who captured all walks of Irish life in the days before television.

When a box of 16mm film rolls was brought into the Irish Film Institute archive in the 1990s by a member of the public, its value wasn't immediately obvious, but Irene Devitt had a hunch that the self-shot archive collection of her late uncle, Fr Jack Delaney, was significant. She was right.

The man behind the lens was Fr Jack Delaney, who served in parishes in Dublin’s inner city and suburbs for over 50 years, from 1930 until his death in 1982.

This documentary pieces together those back stories, hearing from family members, from people in the footage and from Irish stars with surprising connections to the films, who combine to bring these silent pictures to life.

OAP B&B, 9.30pm, Virgin Media One

Here's a new show with a fascinating premise as it pairs elderly homeowners with young renters, giving viewers a snapshot of modern Irish life from two very different perspectives.

The pair in the opening episode are Mildred and Haseeb. Mildred (below) is in her mid 70s and a volunteer in Knock Basilica. She lives alone in rural Roscommon, is a well-known pillar of her local community and church, and also teaches Irish dancing.

31-year-old Haseeb is originally from Pakistan, and is a member of the mosque in Ballaghaderreen. He's from war-torn Kashmir, an area of conflict between India and Pakistan. He came to Ireland to start a new and safer life.

Can this unlikely pair find some common ground and maybe even learn a thing or two?

Hector USA Ó Chósta go Cósta, 9.30pm, TG4

Hector Ó hEochagáin takes on the US road trip of a lifetime as he treks across the southern States from Savannah on the Atlantic to San Diego on the Pacific.

First up, Hector speeds his way into the US and after a brief holdup by the cops, the road trip begins in Georgia as he takes to the waters with Captain Charlie Phillips

He links up with Sheriff Larry Dean to get the lowdown on how safe Georgia, then goes singing with the Gospel Choir in Martin Luther King’s Church before taking a spin in General Lee, the car from The Dukes of Hazzard TV show.

Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive, 10.00pm, Channel 4

In 2017, journalist and television presenter Bill Turnbull (below) was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer shortly after filming The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.

Like many others, Bill chose to ignore the early warning signs and by the time he went to his doctor, the cancer had spread from his prostate to his bones.

He then made the decision to go public in the hope of encouraging more men to get checked. This intimate new film follows Bill over a year as he undertakes a gruelling course of chemotherapy, celebrates the love and support he receives from family, friends and fans, and adopts a healthier diet.

New to Download

Daybreak, Netflix

Navigating a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies and Mad Max-style gangs, a teenage outcast searches for his lost love in this humorous drama series.

Ending Tonight

Catherine the Great, 9.00pm, Sky Atlantic & NOW TV

In the final part of the saga starring Helen Mirren in the title role, Catherine and Potemkin return to St Petersburg after the glorious Dnieper tour.

It's not long before the Ottomans declare war, and Potemkin - older and growing more ill by the day - is forced back out to fight for Catherine and for Russia once again.

FBI, 9.00pm, Sky Witness & NOW TV

Maggie and OA are on a mission to find a couple who are behind a spree of violent armed robberies that resulted in the death of an off-duty police officer.

Hairy Bikers: Route 66, 8.00pm, BBC Two

Dave Myers and Si King mount their bikes for the final leg of their epic journey along the American road. They begin in Las Vegas, where they learn how to make apparently the best mashed potato in the world - inspiring them to cook a massive lobster and prawn cocktail.

The Dog House, 8.00pm, Channel 4

In the final episode, a lurcher with a broken tail arrives with the stray warden. She's been used for hare-coursing and needs serious TLC.

Her confidence has all but disappeared, but can Julie, a scout-leader from Kent, find something to love in her?

Don't Miss

Discovering Film, 8.00pm, Sky Arts & NOW TV

The team review the career of the Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Perhaps best known for the Spielberg-directed films Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dreyfuss was also the youngest actor at the time to win an Academy Award for his role in The Goodbye Girl.

Here he is winning that Oscar:

What's on? TV highlights for Thursday

Pick of the Day

New or Returning Shows

New to Download

Ending Tonight

Don't Miss

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