Tonight's top TV tips include Kevin McGahern hosting new panel show Clear History, Sheridan Smith holding the leash on Pooch Perfect, Jimmy Carr, Spike Lee - and the return of Caribbean crime show Death in Paradise . . .
Pick of the Day
Clear History, 9.30pm, RTÉ2
Fans of Republic of Telly will no doubt be delighted to see its former host, Kevin McGahern, head this new panel show about revisiting - and rewriting - the past.
Weekly guests are confronted with some embarrassing moments from their past, and team captains Joanne McNally and Colin Murphy (below) highlight some of the lowlights from the nation’s collective memory.
First up for the Time Tunnel treatment are immunologist Luke O’Neill and radio presenter Laura O’Mahony.
Don't Miss
Pooch Perfect, 8.00pm, BBC One
Hands up who got a dog during the pandemic?
In this new series, doggie lover Sheridan Smith and her fluffy co-host Stanley are on a mission to find the UK’s best dog groomer.
In this first heat, the four contesting groomers are given one of the most popular breeds to grace British salons - the long-haired shih tzu.
Next, the groomers need to let their imagination off the lead when they give four curly-coated canines a cute teddy bear trim to parade on the dogwalk in front of their owners.
The Directors, 8.00pm, Sky Arts & NOW TV
Season six of this series opens with American director Spike Lee.
Bursting onto the scene in the 1980s, Lee’s 1985 debut She’s Got To Have It was significant for its representation of black people as upscale, educated urbanites, rather than the stereotypical depictions of pimps and grifters that existed through the Blacksploitation period.
Lee’s seminal Do the Right Thing (see trailer below) was next, famously snubbed at the same Academy Awards that saw Driving Miss Daisy win best picture.
A biopic of Malcolm X starring Denzel Washington followed, and while Lee would not be officially recognised by the Academy before winning his first award for BlacKKKlansman in 2018, he remains regarded as one of the most important filmmakers active today.
Dames of Classic Drama at the BBC, 11.10pm, BBC Four
This repeat is well worth a look - even if you’ve seen it before.
David Tennant narrates the story of four dames of classic drama, from a golden age of British television drama.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and for many British actors and actresses that means the BBC.
Lurking in the Beeb’s vast archives - from long before their talents were recognised by royal decree - are found the early work and some career defining moments of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg and Helen Mirren.
New or Returning Shows
Death in Paradise, 9.00pm, BBC One
The long-running cosy Caribbean whodunit returns for a tenth season, with Ralph Little (above) once more leading the investigations as DI Neville Parker.
When a TV news presenter is found strangled in her pool, Neville is sure that her popular co-host is guilty. But given that he was live on air at the time of the murder, how could he have done it?
Meanwhile, the team welcomes back an old colleague.
An Cumann, 8.00pm, TG4
This new series tells the stories of four very different sports clubs as they compete, battle for honours, and strive to survive the unpredictable 2020 season.
The first episode focuses on Cumann Dornálaíochta Chonamara and the young stars of Cumann Rugbaí Corca Dhuibhe as both clubs hope to build on the successess of recent seasons.
Cumann Sacair Ghaoth Dobhair Aontainte have a home fixture with Whitestrand United and we take a trip down memory lane with Cumann Liathróid Láimhe Mícheál Breathnach.
The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, 9.00pm, Channel 4
Host Jimmy Carr (below) is joined by a panel of celebrity quizzers, including Rob Beckett, Roisin Conaty, Nish Kumar, Katherine Ryan, Oti Mabuse and Rob Brydon, as they go head-to-head to find out who knows the most about the most.
Jimmy will be helped by Jon Snow, Charles Dance, the children from Mitchell Brook Primary School and a host of celebrity question-setters.
Laochra Gael: Kevin Cassidy, 9.30pm, TG4
The series returns for an 19th season, with the story of Donegal gaelic footballer, Kevin Cassidy.
Born in Glasgow, the family moved to his mother's homeplace of Donegal in his youth. With a new language and sport to learn, Kevin embraced both eagerly.
He was a star for Gaoth Dobhair and soon became a cornerstone of the county team. Under Jim McGuinness, they were on the brink of glory, with Cassidy at the heart.
But he was suddenly dropped from the panel because of his contribution to a book, and when the Championship win came, Kevin Cassidy was nowhere to be seen.
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, 8.00pm, Channel 4
Architect George Clarke is back with more inspirational and ingenious small builds, showing how tiny spaces can be transformed into incredible places to live, work and play.
In the first episode of this new run, he meets a couple who turn an old fire engine into a bar to raise money for firefighters' charities, and 23-year-old Max who's building a shepherd's hut from scratch, including the nuts and bolts.
He also visits an extraordinary home in Chile and Will Hardie builds a telescope.
Here's a classic build:
Closing Gambit: 1978 - Korchnoi versus Karpov and the Kremlin, 8.20pm, PBS America
If you enjoyed Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, this documentary should be a must-watch.
It tells the story of the 1978 World Chess Championship between loyal USSR Communist Party member Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, who had defected from the Soviet Union.
