Michael Portillo hosts Taking Sides: Britain and the Civil War, it's an all-Milan affair in the Champions League semi-final, there’s a documentary about murdered journalist Lyra McKee, and Race Across the World concludes . . .
Pick of the Day
Taking Sides: Britain and the Civil War, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Former Tory politician Michael Portillo is back for an all-Ireland affair - the Civil War, arguably the most divisive chapter in the nation’s history.
This time he looks at Britain’s role in perpetrating the split. The Irish who had killed together were now killing each other – and Britain chose sides.
Portillo has assembled a series of secret military reports, cabinet memos, private correspondence and dusty old diaries that reveal a Faustian pact.
With Ireland’s revolutionary generation torn in two, Taking Sides: Britian and the Civil War tells the story through documents written by a mutual enemy.
Don’t Miss
Live UEFA Champions League, 7.00pm, Virgin Media Two
It’s an extra special Derby della Madonnina as Milan face local rivals Inter at the San Siro stadium they share (KO 8.00pm) in this intriguing Champions League semi-final first leg.
This is the second time these great Italian clubs have met at this stage of the Champions League. Last time, Milan won through to beat another Italian side, Juventus, in the 2003 decider.
The Rossoneri also faced Italian opposition in the quarter-finals, upsetting incoming Serie A champions Napoli with a 2-1 aggregate win.
Inter booked their place in the last four when they overcame Benfica 5-3 over two legs and have also won the last two meetings between the sides.
Given the local rivalry and what's at stake, this could be a right bruiser of a contest.
Mark Moriarty: Off Duty Chef, 8.30pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
This week Mark demonstrates different ways to cook lamb, layering thinly sliced potatoes and tender lamb in a casserole dish and bakes it to perfection fora comforting lamb boulangere.
He then takes inspiration from his recent honeymoon in Greece and shows how to make a gyro, marinating and grilling the meat and assembles it in a warm wrap with a tangy tzatziki sauce.
Clive Myrie's Italian Road Trip, 6.30pm, BBC Two
Clive Myrie has visited Rome before, but this time, he heads out of the centre and up one of the city’s seven hills to the rarely visited neighbourhood of Monteverde.
This is where he talks football - an Italian obsession second only to food - with a butcher and puts his Caribbean cooking knowledge to good use.
He also comes to the surprising realisation that if he ever moves to Rome, he’ll probably take up cricket.
New or Returning Shows
Lyra, 9.30pm, TG4
As the title suggests, this documentary is about Irish journalist Lyra McKee (below), who was killed in Derry in 2019.
It draws on an archive of audio recordings, home videos, field notes and interviews with those who knew her before her life was taken so tragically at the age of just 29.
The film also paints a complex picture of Northern Ireland's political history, and brings into sharp focus the ways in which the 1998 Good Friday agreement, with its promised end to violence for future generations, has struggled to be fully realised.
Kids, 9.00pm, Channel 4
With unprecedented access to the young people and their families in the care of Coventry Children's Services, this three-part series follows teenagers through a crucial year.
Seventeen-year-old Xorin had to be moved out of the city because he was being exploited by a drugs gang.
Now, after three years in a children's homes in Wales, Xorin returns to Coventry to rebuild his life with his mum Kelly.
Annabelle is 19 and pregnant with her first child and determined to break the cycle of care after being removed from her parents as a five-year-old.
New to Stream
Queen Cleopatra, Netflix
Here’s a docudrama about Queen Cleopatra of Egypt of the Ptolemaic lineage from Macedonia, Greece, who ruled for 21 years, between the years 51 BC and 30 BC, ending - spoiler alert - with her suicide.
The cast includes Adele James in the lead role, with Craig Russell as Mark Antony.
You're probably familiar with the story, but this may throw some new light on the topic, or at least be informative.
Dance Brothers, Netflix
Two brothers trying to make it as dancers open their own club, but their artistic drive soon clashes with the business, threatening their relationship.
Missing: Dead or Alive? Netflix
Follow officers from a South Carolina sheriff’s department as they urgently search for individuals who've disappeared under troubling circumstances.
Ending Today
Race Across the World, 9.00pm, BBC One
The eight-week expedition comes to an end as the contestants race to the final check point at the most-easterly point of the North American continent.
The pairs reflect on their journey so far and the ways it has changed them both physically and emotionally as they reach the finish line and find out who will be crowned winners and welcomed into the Race Across the World hall of fame.
Then at 11.40pm there’s The Reunion. For the first time since the end of the race, the contestants reunite to reflect on their journeys and reveal insights into their strategies.
The racers compare experiences, share their highest highs and lowest lows and talk about what they learned along the way.
