15-year-old Arlene Arkinson is the subject of this week's Murder in the Badlands, Ear to the Ground and Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera, and Mary Berry hosts a brand-new show . . .
Pick of the Day
Murder in the Badlands, 10.15pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
This week’s episode of this series tells the inside story of 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson, who disappeared in 1994.
Arlene left a housing estate in Castlederg to attend a disco in Bundoran.
Her older sister Kathleen (above) waved her goodbye but would never see her again.
Her remains are undiscovered but presumed to have been buried in one of the vast swathes of bogland or forestry on the border with Northern Ireland.
Don’t Miss
Falling for the Life of Alex Whelan, 10.30pm, RTÉ2
Streaming on RTÉ Player
This latest Storyland short is based on the short story by award-winning author Yan Ge. Looks great!
It follows a young Chinese girl who meets the guy of her dreams at a film club in Dublin, only to find out the next day that he has died under mysterious circumstances.
She sets out on a mission to discover the truth, unable to shake the feeling that something special is now forever lost.
It stars Lila Coleman (Normal People), Chris Walley (The Young Offenders), David Rawle (Moone Boy) and Screen Daily 2023 Rising Star, Patrick Martins.
Taskmaster, 9.00pm, Channel 4
Lucy Beaumont wonders if she should risk flicking a forbidden switch, Julian Clary wonders if he needs more than one pie, while Sue Perkins (below) assesses whether a deer head is preferable to a boundary line.
Faced with all this wonderment, Sam Campbell rips off his own head. Alex Horne wonders if Taskmaster Greg Davies will ever respect him as he tries to maintain order amid the chaos.
All is True, 9.15pm, BBC Four
Ben Elton-scripted drama about the latter stages of William Shakespeare’s life, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, with Judi Dench and Ian McKellen.
After London's Globe Theatre burns to the ground in 1613, playwright Shakespeare stops writing and returns to his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, much to the surprise of his family members, who he has neglected for two decades.
New or Returning Show
Ear to the Ground, 7.00pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
The long-running farming and rural affairs series returns for a new season. Its 31st.
Presenter Helen Carroll is taking a temporary break - but it's a case of back to the future with former presenter Maeve Dineen (above, centre) joining Darragh McCullough (above, right) and Ella McSweeney (above, left) to navigate the ever-changing landscape of rural Ireland
This week, Maeve visits a farming TikToker in Killarney, Darragh meets a Cork dairy farmer whose herd has tested positive for TB and Ella spends the day with a competitor as he vies for the prize at the All Ireland Hedge Laying Championships.
Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera, 9.00pm, UTV/ITV1
Return of the series featuring eyewitness filming, and those behind the stories share their memories of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The season 7 opener includes a plane stalling in mid-air while skydivers are clinging to the outside, and the dramatic moment a British skier fights for her life in an avalanche.
Roger Allam (above) narrates the footage.
Mary Makes it Easy, 7.30pm, BBC Two
Mary Berry (below) hosts the brand-new series, which really should’ve been called Marry Makes it Berry Easy.
Every week she’s joined by famous friends who need culinary help to show them how easy cooking can be, beginning with her former Great British Bake Off colleague Mel Giedroyc.
The pair head off on a camping trip, during which Mary shows Mel how to cook a speedy vegetarian ragu, and a hearty and wholesome chicken tartiflette and tasty ciabatta tricolore, while Mel has a go at making Mary's simple creamy raspberry parfaits.
Anam: Songs for Hearts & Minds, 11.00pm, RTÉ2
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Here’s a new live music show, kicking off with three of Ireland's most beloved songwriters, Lisa Hannigan (below), Paul Noonan and Gemma Hayes, performing at Cahir Castle in Tipperary.
New to Stream
All the Light We cannot See, Netflix
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this series follows the story of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl and her father, Daniel LeBlanc.
They flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance.
Marie-Laure’s path collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope.
Ending Today
Interview With the Vampire, 9.00pm, BBC Two
It’s the final double dose of Gothic horror based on Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Eric Bogosian.
First up, Lestat struggles to rebuild trust with Louis, over Claudia's protests. In Dubai, Molloy continues to provoke his host.
In the finale at 9.45pm, Lestat is persuaded to hold a lavish Mardi Gras ball before quitting New Orleans, where several scores get settled.
