The search for Ireland's Fittest Family continues, there's Hugh O'Conor's enjoyable coming-of-age comedy drama Metal Heart, some more GAA provincial finals, and Martin Freeman stars in Christmas comedy Nativity!
Pick of the Day
Ireland's Fittest Family, 6.30pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
In this week’s show, presenter Laura Fox is joined by families from Offaly, Cavan, Louth and Kerry. All – of course - are competing to stake a claim for the title of the nation's fittest family.
Coaches Sonia O'Sullivan, Nina Carberry, Davy Fitzgerald and Donncha O'Callaghan training them to carry potato sacks, balance high above the ground and face off in the water eliminator, in order to win a prize of €15,000.
Sonia’s Maher family from Offaly, Donncha’s Stratford family from Cavan, Davy’s Farrell family from Louth and Nina’s O’Regan family from Kerry.
Don’t Miss
Planet Earth III, 6.20pm, BBC One
This penultimate episode looks at the ways in which wild animals have adapted to survive in human population centres.
They range from cobras in India hunting in houses, to macaques in Bali stealing mobile phones to barter with temple staff in return for food.
Elsewhere, rhinos walk through the streets of Sauraha, Nepal, while in Australia, tawny frogmouths find streetlights useful in catching prey, but have to avoid being eaten by household cats.
Andrew Lloyd Webber at the BBC, 8.00pm, BBC Four
To mark his 75th birthday, British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (below) takes a nostalgic journey through the BBC archives, looking back on some of his biggest and best-loved songs.
Performances are by heavyweights such as Barbra Streisand, Elaine Paige, Diana Ross, Michael Ball and Michael Crawford.
Lloyd Webber also shares stories from behind scenes of his most popular works, shedding light on how he knew Madonna would perform Evita years before she did, how the cast of Starlight Express ended up on roller-skates, and how Jason Donovan and his Technicolour Dream Coat had a new generation falling in love with musical theatre.
On a similar musical theatre tip, that’s followed at 9.30pm by Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, the stage production from May 2022 devised to celebrate Stephen Sondheim's talents as a composer and lyricist.
Featuring an all-star cast including Michael Ball, Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Petula Clark, Judi Dench, Haydn Gwynne, Bonnie Langford, Damian Lewis, Julia McKenzie, Bernadette Peters, Sian Phillips, Imelda Staunton and Gary Wilmot
Then at 11.40pm there’s Sondheim at the BBC, featuring archive footage of performances of his songs by some of the world's biggest stars, taken from BBC shows over a period of 60 years.
The programme includes clips of Shirley Bassey, Sammy Davis Jr, Michael Ball and Liza Minnelli.
The Snowman, 5.20pm, Channel 4
It’s that time of year again.
Raymond Briggs' festive favourite, a wonderful, wordless animated fantasy telling the story of a small boy whose snowman magically comes to life and whisks him off on the journey of a lifetime to the North Pole.
Howard Blake's score includes the award-winning song Walking in the Air, which was taken to number five in the charts by a young Aled Jones, but is here sung by Peter Auty.
Followed at 5.55pm by the sequel The Snowman and the Snowdog, telling the story of another youngster's magical Christmas.
A boy's snowman and snowdog come to life at the stroke of midnight and take him on an adventure to the North Pole, where he and his new companions meet an assortment of colourful characters, including Santa himself, before returning home – to a wonderful surprise.
New or Returning Shows
24 Hours in Police Custody, 9.00pm, Channel 4
Feature-length special telling the inside story of an armed siege in a Bedford tower block - including unprecedented access to the command suite during a live siege.
A man rings 999 to report that he's seen a man with a weapon that looks like an AK-47 rifle shouting that he'll shoot the next person who he sees in the head.
The call has come from a block of flats where two men have already blockaded themselves in a flat. As one of the men inside begins posting live on Facebook, armed officers are ordered to surround the building.
Whale with Steve Backshall, 8.00pm, Sky Nature Streaming on NOW
This looks amazing.
In this brand-new four-part series, Steve Backshall will free dive with iconic whales and their dolphin cousins, getting closer than ever before to these ancient mariners, witnessing new and rarely seen behaviours.
In immersive, blue chip natural history sequences, viewers can see mighty sperm whales, caring humpback whales, intelligent killer whales and ingenious bottlenose dolphins.
Backshall will explore their complex social relationships, revealing their surprising hunting techniques, and discovering that - just like us - many whales have close family units.
Sunday Cinema
Metal Heart, 9.30pm, RTÉ One
Director Hugh O'Conor's enjoyable coming-of-age comedy drama, starring Jordanne Jones, Leah McNamara and Moe Dunford.
A bubbling rivalry between shy goth Emma and her blonde socialite twin sister Chantal comes to a head when their parents leave them home alone for the summer.
Chantal's plans are put on hold when she suffers a minor car crash, and matters take an intriguing turn when Dan, a mysterious young neighbour moves in next door.
Booksmart, 11.55pm, BBC One
This comedy is an impressive directorial debut for Olivia Wilde and stars Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein and Jessica Williams.
This is well worth staying up late for – or recording.
On the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realise they should have worked less and played more.
Determined not to fall short of their more party-prone peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
Family Flick
Nativity! 3.15pm, BBC One
Christmas comedy, starring Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen.
A primary school teacher is given the job of directing a nativity play and is determined to outdo a rival from a nearby private school.
When he dishonestly claims his ex-girlfriend is a Hollywood producer and is coming to see the show with an eye on making a film, he finds himself becoming a local celebrity.
Sport
GAA Beo, 1.00pm, TG4
Micheál Ó Domhnaill introduces coverage of the AIB Club Championship Connacht Football Final from Dr Hyde Park, as St Brigid's meet Corofin (Throw-in 1.30pm).
That’s followed at 3.15pm by live coverage of the AIB Club Championship Munster Hurling Final at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles.
This time around, the contestants are Ballygunner and Clonlara. The throw-in is at 3.30pm.
Finally, at 5.30pm Ruairí Óg Cushendall face Slaughtneil in deferred coverage of the AIB Club Championship Ulster Hurling Final.
