The latest season of reality show Love Island begins, as does controversial new HBO drama The Idol, there's the finale of drama Steeltown Murders, and some cracking bank holiday movies . . .
Pick of the Day
Love Island, 9.00pm, Virgin Media Two
The summer of love starts right here, as Maya Jama says hello to a brand-new line-up of gorgeous singles.
They include twenty-two-year-old Dublin estate agent Catherine Agbaje (below), a semi-professional footballer who's deaf in one ear, a musical theatre performer and a girl turned off by boys with, eh, lunch boxes.
As the class of summer '23 couple up and settle in, the journey to finding love begins. With £50,000 at stake, nobody wants to go home anytime soon.
So, strap yourselves in for another unforgettable summer adventure, with new episodes every weeknight and Sunday at 9pm on Virgin Media Two.
Don’t Miss
Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, 9.00pm, BBC Two
This impressive documentary series is well worth getting into, even if you’ve missed the opening episodes.
Tonight’s programme sees the devastating impact of the conflict being explored through the stories of three women, as IRA prisoners begin their hunger strike in protest against Margaret Thatcher's policies.
Tit for tat killings, car bombs and assassinations became commonplace in Northern Ireland and fatigue from a population desperate for a respite from the cycle of violence creeps in.
League of Ireland, 6.30pm, Virgin Media Two
It’s rare to see a League of Ireland game featuring on a bank holiday, so it’s a sign that the league’s profile is improving.
This time the Premier Division action comes from the cosy confines of Richmond Park, where fourth-placed St Patrick’s Athletic host Derry City, who are second.
The Saints are flying under recently appointed coach Jon Daly (above), while the Candystripes have been pretty impressive on the road – especially in Dublin. Something’s got to give.
New or Returning Shows
The Idol, 9.00pm, Sky Atlantic
This new HBO drama – taking up the slot where Succession used to be – has been causing some concern, due to its candid look at sex.
After a nervous breakdown derailed pop star Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America.
Her passions are reignited by Tedros (played by Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past.
Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?
Some have called their burgeoning relationship ‘complex’ while others label it ‘misogynistic’. As ever, you can make up your own mind about it.
Vicky McClure: My Grandad’s War, 9.00pm, ITV
In this one-off special to mark the anniversary of D-Day, Line of Duty star Vicky McClure (below) embarks on an emotional journey with her 97-year-old grandfather, Ralph.
She’s keen to learn about his role in the most extraordinary single day of the Second World War.
Vicky sets out to understand how Ralph - then still a teenager from Nottingham - found himself in the Royal Navy and at the centre of a world-changing battle on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.
The pair visit the only surviving example of the type of landing craft he trained and crossed the Channel on, and discover aerial pictures believed to show his flotilla landing at Normandy - before travelling back to the beach he last visited almost 80 years ago.
New to Stream
Barracuda Queens, Netflix
When they fall deep into debt, a group of young women in an affluent Stockholm suburb turns to robbing their neighbors' houses. Inspired by true events.
Ending Today
Steeltown Murders, 9.00pm, BBC One
Paul insists on having Kappen's body exhumed. Jackie reluctantly allows it, but warns him that a wrong step could fatally compromise the force's reputation.
At a press conference discussing the exhumation, questions are raised about the line of enquiry regarding Willoughby, and why more is not being done to eliminate other suspects first.
Paul nonetheless puts all his efforts into following the Kappen theory, forcing Phil and Geraint to take matters into their own hands.
Bank Holiday Movies
Those Who Wish Me Dead, 9.30pm, RTÉ One
Here’s a 2021 crime drama, starring Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult and Finn Little.
A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness, with a survival expert sent to protect him - and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.
The Eiger Sanction, 11.15pm, BBC Two
A rare screening of this 1975 action film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
An art professor who once worked as an assassin is blackmailed into returning to his old career to eliminate a spy.
Adding to the tension, his target is in the middle of a mountaineering expedition, forcing the hitman to embark on a perilous climb up the Eiger in hot pursuit.
The film also features George Kennedy, Jack Cassidy and Vonetta McGee.
La La Land, 9.30pm, TG4
Damien Chazelle's Bafta-winning musical, starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling and John Legend, is an enjoyable homage to the genre that enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s at MGM Studios.
Jobbing actress Mia and struggling jazz pianist Sebastian fall in love and attempt to realise their respective dreams in Los Angeles - a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts.
In common with many people who’ve headed to LA, they discover that keeping the wolf from the door without compromising their beliefs proves harder than expected.
