The Late Late Show is back, as are Would I Lie to you? And Death in Paradise, while Amanda and Alan's Italian Job has Amanda Holden and Alan Carr renovating in Sicily . . .
Pick of the Day
The Late Late Show, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Ryan Tubridy's back with the first Late Late of 2023.
Julian Benson will talk about finally buying a house for cystic fibrosis patients and their families to stay in while they are receiving treatment in hospital - thanks to monies raised through the Julian Benson CF Foundation and The Late Late Show.
Olympian and winner of Love Island in 2019 Greg O'Shea (below) joins Ryan to chat about rising to fame, retiring from rugby, and the impact the last three years have taken on his mental health.
As Operation Transformation returned to our screens earlier this week, Ryan welcome this year's leaders - Marie Clear, Andrea Daly, Lorraine Dempsey, Stephanie Bowden and Thomas Hynes.
Sunday World's Nicola Tallant will discuss how the Kinahan gang rose to become one of the biggest crime cartels in the world and how it's all come crashing down after they found themselves in the crosshairs of the US authorities.
To mark Nollaig Na mBan, there will be a very special performance by some of Ireland's best female singers and musicians including Niamh Farrell (Ham Sandwich, above), Pamela Connolly (Pillow Queens), Krea (Wyvern Lingo), Faye O'Rourke (Soda Blonde), Saibh Skelly, and Susan O'Neill.
They will perform Sinéad O'Connor's anthemic hit Mandinka with the Theodora Byrne choir and an all-female band.
Don’t Miss
The Graham Norton Show, 11.10pm, BBC One
The bould Graham (below) reviews trending news stories and welcomes another group of Hollywood A-listers and British TV big shots to his red sofa to chat about what they've been up to recently.
Among those joining him in this edition are The Tourist and Belfast actor Jamie Dornan and Happy Valley star James Norton.
Plus, Lewis Capaldi performs his current single Pointless and another bunch of intrepid audience members attempt to recount an anecdote from the dreaded red chair.
Manhunter, 11.05pm, BBC Two
Here’s a Friday night treat.
Michael Mann's impressive 1986 thriller, based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon, with William Petersen, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Brian Cox and Joan Allen.
Petersen plays a former FBI agent who is coaxed out of retirement to track down a serial killer behind the slaughter of entire families.
The detective needs an angle on the murderer's psychology and the only way to get this insight is to face his nightmares and consult cannibalistic psychopath Dr Hannibal Lecktor in prison.
Bowie at the BBC, 9.00pm, BBC Four
A bit of a Bowie night begins with this chronology of clips from the BBC archive giving an overview of Bowie's career from 1964 until his death in 2016.
It offers a series of fascinating snapshots into his rapidly evolving chameleon-like career across music, films and the theatre.
Among the many clips are performances on Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later with Jools Holland, plus Bowie in interviews about his roles in The Elephant Man, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and Labyrinth.
That’s followed at 10pm by David Bowie: Finding Fame, the final part of Francis Whately's trilogy of films on Bowie's life, telling the story of the five years when many of the ideas that would help him become an icon were first born.
Starting in 1966, soon after David Jones changed his name to David Bowie, the film traces his interest in everything from Holst and Pinky and Perky to Anthony Newley and Tibetan Buddhism.
It then explains how he used all of these influences to create not only Ziggy Stardust, but the material for his entire career.
New or Returning Shows
Would I Lie to You? 8.00pm, BBC One
Here’s a fun way to kick-start your Friday night.
Bez, Motsi Mabuse, Shazia Mirza and Steve Pemberton join host Rob Brydon (above) and regular captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack on the comedy panel show.
As usual, the participants set out to hoodwink their opponents with absurd facts and plausible fibs about themselves in a bid to secure a team victory, through rounds such as Home Truths and Quick-fire Lies.
Death in Paradise, 9.00pm, BBC One
It’s season 12 of this Caribbean-set whodunit, starring Ralf Little, Don Warrington and Tahj Miles.
In the opener, a group of astronomers gathers on the cliffs of Saint Marie to watch Jupiter and Saturn align - a once-in-a-lifetime planetary event.
However, one of its number - renowned professor Bertrand Sworder - meets an untimely death.
The circumstances of his demise warrant the involvement of Neville and Naomi, who soon learn there was some professional hostility towards Sworder.
Back at the station, Darlene announces that she has passed her exam and is ready to be a trainee officer.
Food Unwrapped’s New Year Health Kick, 7.30pm, Channel 4
Here’s a special episode offering advice on improving health and well-being through food. Happy healthy new year!
New recruit John Whaite (above) explores how vegan streaky bacon replicates the texture of meat, Kate Quilton finds out if lettuce can help people sleep, while Helen Lawal uncovers whether any foods can help protect skin from sun damage.
Jimmy Doherty is in Alabama to discover why sweet potatoes count as one of the five-a-day, but regular potatoes don't.
Matt Tebbutt gets to the bottom of just how much fibre people should be eating for a healthy bowel. Plus, a look at whether black garlic holds the key to staying youthful.
Amanda and Alan’s Italian Job, 8.30pm, BBC One
Amanda Holden purchases two dilapidated apartments nestled in the sun-kissed hills of rural Sicily, intending to raise them from their ruins and create luxury holiday homes.
The hope is that she and workmate friend Alan Carr - yep, that Alan Carr - to make a huge profit they can donate to charity.
After arriving at the crumbling property for the first time, the piles of rubbish and abandoned junk suggest to both that that this visit will be no holiday.
New to Stream
The Rig, Prime Video
Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Calvin Demba and Martin Compston are among the cast in this six-part drama.
A group of workers on a remote Scottish oil rig are due to return to the mainland when a mysterious fog enshrouds them and supernatural forces take hold.
Copenhagen Cowboy, Netflix
Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn returns to the telly world with what promises to be a dark thriller.
After a lifetime of being sold as a human good luck charm, a woman with mysterious supernatural abilities seeks revenge against those who wronged her.
