There’s a documentary outlining Putin’s Road to War, another double dose of My Brilliant Friend, new show Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, more First Dates Ireland, and How to Sleep Well With Michael Mosley . . .
Pick of the Day
Putin's Road to War, 10.15pm, RTÉ One
Veteran US film-maker Michael Kirk - fans of PBS should be familiar with his work - and his team reveal the inside story of what led to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The programme examines the events that shaped Vladimir Putin, the grievances that drive him and how a growing conflict with the West exploded into war in Europe.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
What I find funny (peculiar rather than amusing) in all of this is how the powers-that-be elsewhere act like Putin sneaked up on them, when he was there, in plain sight, all along.
Don’t Miss
My Brilliant Friend, 9.00pm, Sky Atlantic
Have to point out that I hate that Sky are now showing this superb series in double episodes. This show needs to be savoured, not binged.
Showing an episode once a week makes it quite a treat. In terms of TV it’s more like a good bottle of wine than constant hits of crack cocaine.
Anyway, enough about my hobbies. As the story resumes, Elena embraces the feminist cause and has a quarrel with Pietro on the subject.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Pasquale and Nadia turn up at Elena’s house in Florence. They’re soiled, rude, shabby and Pasquale is even hostile to Pietro.
When they finally leave, Pietro and Elena quarrel: he never wants anything like it to happen again.
Then, while on holiday, Lila’s son Gennaro fights with Elena’s daughters. She’s tolerant about it until she finds out they’ve started playing doctor.
In a phone call Lila tells Elena that her sister Elisa is seeing Marcello Solara. Shocked by the news, she travels to Naples to speak to her about it in person.
First Dates Ireland, 9.30pm, RTÉ2
Maître d' Mateo (below) and the gang are back with the latest bunch of folk hoping for a bite and a bit of romance.
First up is Dee, a 61-year-old GP from Westmeath, who is set up on a date with fellow healthcare worker James, who is 64 and from Mayo.
Meanwhile, 27-year-old Chris from Dublin meets 26-year-old Aine from Limerick, and adventurous Lisa from Dublin is set up with silver fox Aidan, who is also from Dublin.
Billy Connolly Does . . . 10.00pm, Gold
In this week’s episode, Billy explains that when it comes to culture, for him, anything goes, and he also riffs on being made into an iconic children's toy.
As a bonus for his long-term fans, he also takes a Connolly-like look at swearing as an art form.
La La Land, 9.00pm, BBC Four
Damien Chazelle's Bafta-winning musical, starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling and John Legend, is now probably more famous for being mis-announced as the Best Film at the 2017 Oscars.
Overhyped at the time, it’s hugely enjoyable – but pales in comparison with The Greatest Showman, which came out shortly afterwards and basically redefined the musical.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Here, Stone stars as jobbing actress Mia and Gosling plays struggling jazz pianist Sebastian.
They fall in love and attempt to realise their respective dreams in Los Angeles - a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts.
But keeping the wolf from the door without compromising their beliefs proves harder than expected.
New or Returning Shows
The Pact, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Here’s a BBC drama that you might have missed last year, starring Laura Fraser, Eiry Thomas, Heledd Gwynn and Julie Hesmondhalgh.
When a young brewery boss is found dead, a chain of events is triggered that draws four of his employees into a fragile pact of silence that will completely change their lives.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Anna and her friends Nancy, Louie and Cat work at the brewery under young boss Jack Evans, whose bullying, spite and manipulation has taken its toll.
After too many drinks at a work function, the women make a snap decision to bundle Jack into a car and dump him in the woods as a prank - but soon after, Jack is found dead.
How to Sleep Well With Michael Mosley, 9.00pm, BBC Two
In these troubled times, getting a good night’s sleep has never been more difficult for so many.
This Horizon special might help.
Michael Mosley (above) has struggled with his sleep for years and wants to know if the latest insights can help the millions like him.
He discovers why cutting our sleep short can be linked to a host of illnesses, including serious diseases like Alzheimer's.
Plus, he finds out why a bad night can also leave us reaching for the sugar.
Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, 9.00pm, BBC One
The acerbic Gordon Ramsay - can you imagine working in his kitchen? - sets out on a hunt for the next generation food star.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
He’s seeking someone running an exciting and innovative food or drink business in which Ramsay will invest £150,000 of his own money.
His own money? This has to be worth a watch.
The quest is narrowed down to 12 food-and-drink entrepreneurs, who are set a series of relentless challenges designed to test their character and showcase their business skills.
The contest begins in the Cornish town of Newquay.
New to Stream
Super PupZ, Netflix
Four superpowered pups work as a pack to help their new kid pals - and a furry alien friend - in what promises to be a cute and cuddly cosmic adventure!
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Ending Today
Extraordinary Escapes With Sandi Toksvig, 9.00pm, Channel 4
Comedian Jenny Eclair joins Sandi (below) on her final escape and head to Wales, the Wye Valley and the Malvern Hills.
The couple visit a century-old flatpack house, a converted fruit store and a home in the Brecon Beacons that appears to `hover".
The pair also enjoy a spot of canoeing along the River Wye and visit an ancient orchard to a pick some apples to munch on with some local cheese and cider.
