Music leads the way tonight with Phil Lynott - Songs for While I'm Away and McCartney 3, 2, 1. Then there's the arrival of the Gossip Girl reboot, and the final episode of George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations . . .
Pick of the Day
Phil Lynott - Songs for While I'm Away, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Coming just a day after the death of Rolling Stone Charlie Watts, here’s a film about an Irish rock legend, the late great Phil Lynott.
Which reminds me: the first band I was in, I played bass and bought the perspex guitar Phil used in the early, Whiskey in the Jar days of Lizzy (see below). Wish I'd kept it!
Anyway. This promises to be a celebration of the Thin Lizzy frontman, exploring the man and his music through his own words.
There are also interviews with an array of admirers, friends and family who, speak with warmth, authority and humour about his public and private life.
Here’s Alan Corr’s review.
Don’t Miss
McCartney 3, 2, 1, Disney+
Paul McCartney sits down for a rare, in-depth, one-on-one with legendary record producer Rick Rubin.
The pair discuss Macca's groundbreaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 1970s' arena rock of Wings and his 50 years and counting as a solo artist.
In this six-episode series that explores music and creativity, the conversation covers the songwriting, influences, and personal relationships that informed the iconic songs that have served as the soundtrack to so many millions of lives.
New or Returning Shows
Gossip Girl, 10.35pm, BBC One
Here’s yet another TV show revival.
This time it’s of the US teen drama centering on the cosseted lives of some well-heeled teenagers at a New York private school whose lives are dominated by social media.
As the school year begins, a new student at Constance St Jude's finds herself thrust into the spotlight, while a mysterious presence threatens the status quo.
The original show was hugely entertaining. Fingers crossed, this collection of spoiled brats can do something similar.
The Molecule That Made Us, 10.35pm, 9.00pm, BBC Four
This is a documentary exploring the importance of water to civilisation, beginning with a look at how just a few drops can cause deserts to bloom, create rivers in the air and drive the great animal migrations.
Water? You’ll really miss it when it’s gone.
Munich 72 and Beyond, 7.45pm, PBS America
During the second week of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, fear and worry had already been expressed by some over the safety of Israeli competitors.
Then, on September 5th, eight members of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Black September faction scaled the fence into the Olympic Village with assault rifles, pistols and grenades in-tow.
Munich ’72 and Beyond tells the story of the Munich Massacre where eleven Israeli Olympic team members were taken hostage and subsequently executed.
This documentary retells the story with personal interviews from those related to the murdered athletes and documents the building of a memorial nearly half-a-century later.
Burning Man: Art on Fire, 8.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW TV
This promises to be an inspirational insight into the spectacular art at the centre of the annual week-long event.
The film follows the journeys of artists who defy reason to bring their massive installations to the punishing Nevada desert.
Filmed just after Burning Man’s much-loved founder Larry Harvey died suddenly, the artists and makers are challenged by high emotions, impossible timing and blinding dust storms.
The Queen Unseen, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Something for the insatiable royalists out there, here’s a profile of the woman behind the British crown.
Fans can hear intimate personal stories of the Queen from those who know her, while a clinical psychologist unpicks her guarded body language.
You’re welcome.
New to Stream
Clickbait, Netflix
In this thriller series, eight different points of view provide tantalizing clues to the perpetrator of a gruesome crime fueled by social media.
Motel Makeover, Netflix
Two budding hospitality entrepreneurs look to expand their empire by renovating an old motel in Ontario - just as the COVID-19 pandemic hits.
Ending Tonight
George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations, 9.00pm, Channel 4
In the final show of this run, the architect meets Bernie, who has bought a ramshackle stable on the banks of the Humber and plans to turn it into a luxury home for his retirement.
Originally a large stable block serving a grand Victorian estate nearby, it comprises a saddle room, stalls and a tack room.
But having only served as a home for horses, turning it into a luxury house is a brave move.
