There's a documentary about Hothouse Flowers, new shows include Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Spain and Whites Only: Ade's Extremist Adventure - and the big Bank Holiday movie is Dune . . .
Pick of the Day
Hothouse Flowers - Stick around and laugh a while, 6.30pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
The earliest incarnation of the Dublin band Hothouse Flowers was in a school talent show.
Three years later in 1988, they played to 600 million on another talent show on television (The Eurovision Song Contest), released their debut album, and headlined a gig in the RDS in Dublin to an audience of over 40,000.
35 years later they still have that same live energy that made them stand out in 1988.
This documentary looks back at the band in 1988, and their sold-out UK tour in 2023, while investigating why and how the group still stays together.
New or Returning Shows
Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Spain, 9.00pm, BBC One
In this new series, Anton Du Beke (below) and Giovanni Pernice enjoy an epic road trip across Spain.
On the first leg of their journey, they drive across the Andalusian region.
After a very dramatic arrival in a hot air balloon, the Strictly duo touch down just outside the region's capital city, Seville.
After a day spent cruising on a yacht off the coast of Marbella, Anton and Giovanni walk the Caminito del Rey, once known as the most dangerous trail in the world
Whites Only: Ade's Extremist Adventure, 10.00pm, Channel 4
Ade Adepitan (below) becomes the first black man to visit the whites-only South African town of Orania.
He’s there to discover why the residents are so eager to create a society where multiculturalism seems to have no place.
Many who live in Orania believe that they are working to protect the traditions of the Afrikaner people. But there are undeniable parallels to South Africa's apartheid history.
Don’t Miss
To Be Frank Carson, 10.40pm, BBC One
Here’s a repeat well worth a look if you missed it first time around.
From the 1970s to his death in 2012, Frank Carson was one of Britain and Ireland's best-loved comedians. Born in Belfast, he was also a long-time resident of Balbriggan in Dublin.
Here, Dan Gordon explores the story of the much-loved, old-school comic as he prepares to stage a one-man show on the comic's life.
The Greatest Tomb on Earth: Secrets of Ancient China, 9.00pm, BBC Four
Dan Snow, Alice Roberts and Albert Lin explore the final resting place of China's first emperor, a site 200 times larger than Egypt's Valley of the Kings and home to the famous Terracotta Warriors.
Making use of both the latest forensic technology and ancient texts, they delve into this historic site's secrets and uncover evidence that casts a new light on the founding of the nation.
George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations, 8.00pm, Channel 4
Rollo and Olivia have decided to swap city life for the rolling Chiltern Hills, snapping up an old barber's shop and its 17th Century building in Amersham.
Run as a business for over 100 years, the Grade II listed hairdressers’ salon is now in a state of serious disrepair.
Their plan to convert the loft and create a modern open-plan ground floor is perfect for modern family living, but it's a risk in a building that's over 300 years old.
Ending Today
Dopesick, 9.35pm, RTÉ2
The miniseries - starring Michael Keaton and ased on the non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy - comes to an end.
As the story heads towards a climax, Rick and Randy's criminal investigation threatens Richard Sackler's empire and activists decide to take action against Purdue.
Meanwhile, Finnix tries to heal his beloved community that's been ravaged by addiction
Bank Holiday Movies
Dune, 9.30pm, RTÉ One
With part two currently in cinemas, here’s a chance to see the first instalment of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi drama, starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac.
A gifted young man, born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people.
As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence - a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential - only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Empire of the Sun, 2.55pm, RTÉ One
Steven Spielberg's Second World War drama based on JG Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel, starring Christian Bale (below, left), John Malkovich (below, right) and Nigel Havers.
An English boy living in Shanghai is separated from his parents during the Japanese invasion and forced to live on the streets.
The youngster is befriended by an American sailor, who helps the boy adapt to life without his family, before the pair are eventually captured and subjected to the terrors of internment.
Tarrac, 9.30pm, TG4
Here’s an Irish language contemporary drama, starring Kelly Gough, Lorcan Cranitch, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Kate Finegan, Rachel Feeney and Cillian Ó Gairbhí.
A woman returns to her home on Ireland's south-west coast to help her father recover from a heart attack.
Day to day they get along just fine, but so much that has been left unsaid about the loss of her mother.
Before long, she finds herself returning to the competitive world of rowing in Naomhógs, native Irish boats.
