Today’s top telly includes new BBC drama Four Lives, the self-explanatory Ireland's Fittest Family - Hall of Fame, and the timely Food Unwrapped's Healthy New Year . . .
Pick of the Day
Four Lives, 9.00pm, BBC One
This latest offering from the Beeb is a fact-based drama telling the story of murderer Stephen Port, convicted of killing four gay men in 2016.
There’s an interesting bit of casting as Stephen Merchant will portray Port, while the always excellent Sheridan Smith will play Sarah Sak, the mother of Anthony Walgate, one of Port's victims.
Rather than focusing on the mindset of the perpetrator, Four Lives tells the story from the point of view of his victims and their families.
The first episode looks at aspiring fashion designer Anthony Walgate and Slovakian Gabriel Kovari, who was searching for a more liberal life in London.
When one of these young men is given a lethal overdose by Port, he claims to have merely discovered the body.
Don’t Miss
Ireland's Fittest Family - Hall of Fame, 6.30pm, RTÉ One
Here’s a treat for fans of this popular series.
Presenter Mairead Ronan is joined by coaches Donncha O Callaghan, Anna Geary, Davy Fitzgerald and Derval O’Rourke to look back on the most memorable moments and families from the show.
Since it first surfaced in 2014 there have been nine regular seasons of the programme and three celebrity specials. Got to lots of scope there.
Joker, 9.30pm, RTÉ One
Director Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed, Batman-related but Dark Knight-free drama, starring an Oscar-winning Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, alongside Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz.
In Gotham City, Arthur Fleck's mental health issues cause him to be disregarded and mistreated by society. He’s a far from happy chap and won’t take it anymore.
He embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime - a path that brings him face to face with his alter-ego, the Joker.
Food Unwrapped's Healthy New Year, 7.30pm, Channel 4
Has anyone else noticed that their clothes shrank over Christmas?
If so, here’s a special episode of this informative series offering advice on improving health and well-being through food. For example, Jimmy Doherty explores if chia seeds might help with over-eating.
Briony May Williams asks why producers of gluten-free products seem to be charging more for less, while Matt Tebbutt explores whether raw pet food could be the key to a healthy dog.
Also, Kate Quilton discovers some surprising science about watermelon.
Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, 9.00pm, RTÉ2
Here's the BBC’s recent documentary exploring the last years of the Queen frontman's life, as well as following the preparations for the concert staged in his memory at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992.
The film features interviews with Mercury's bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, sister Kashmira Bulsara and friends Anita Dobson and David Wigg.
Also among the talking heads are some of those who performed at the gig, including Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliott, Lisa Stansfield and Paul Young.
The best part of that day? Well, nothing beats this as far as I'm concerned:
New or Returning Shows
The Tower, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Here’s a recent ITV crime thriller based on Kate London's novel Post Mortem, starring Gemma Whelan.
A veteran beat cop and a teenage girl fall to their deaths from a tower block in south-east London.
Left alive on the roof are a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer Lizzie Adama, who disappears within hours.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Collins is charged with leading the investigation, trying to track down Lizzie before she comes to serious harm and uncovering the truth behind what happened.
Change Makers, 8.30pm, RTÉ One
The Irish Universities Association has partnered with RTÉ and New Decade TV to introduce viewers to the most transformative research-led projects - and the inspiring people behind them.
The series will showcase the remarkable and lasting public impact of leading research projects by eight universities in Ireland in various areas.
They include categories such as children’s health, health technology, education, youth justice, gender equality and inclusion, as well as the environment.
Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich, 9.00pm, BBC Two
Here’s a look at what life is like for the millionaires and billionaires who live in the tax haven in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the people who serve them.
The first edition features a woman whose wardrobe is worth £4 million, a man whose car number plate alone is worth £7 million, and a teenage billionaire who loves wrapping supercars.
Obscene, really.
Party Island: Summer in Zante, 10.00pm, Channel 4
Yet another documentary, this time about British holidaymakers and workers on the Greek island of Zante.
Featuring a student nurse planning to travel the world after serving her time on the Covid wards, the owners of a bar famous for its infamous dentist chair, and a man contemplating telling his parents what his girlfriend does for a living.
Sounds a bit like a puke-stained, budget version of The White Lotus.
New to Stream
The Gentlemen, Netflix
This 2019 Guy Ritchie gangster flick stars Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrel and Hugh Grant.
Making moves to sell his valuable UK cannabis empire, an American kingpin sets off a series of plots, schemes and barefaced plays for his business.
