The Euro 2024 tournament kicks off as hosts Germany face Scotland, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson – in her final role – star in The Great Escaper, there's more from The Nevermets, and Criminal Minds returns for a new run . . .
Pick of the Day
Live UEFA Euro 2024, 7.00pm, RTÉ2
Streaming on RTÉ Player
It’s Germany v Scotland (KO 8.00pm) as coverage of the Group A match from Munich Football Arena, as hosts Germany get the tournament under way.
Julian Nagelsmann's team go into the tournament having qualified automatically and are one of the favourites to win the competition.
They are looking to win their first major trophy since their World Cup win in 2014, and their first European Championship victory since 1996.
Scotland qualified for their second consecutive Euros after finishing below Spain, but comfortably ahead of the likes of Norway and Georgia.
In their last appearance three years ago, they finished bottom of their group behind England, Croatia and Czech Republic, and they haven't won a game at this tournament since 1996.
Jacqui Hurley presents, with analysis from Dietmar Hamann and Shay Given.
New or Returning Shows
Paranormal: The Village That Saw Aliens, 9.00pm, BBC Three
In 1977, 14 schoolboys from a village in west Wales made headlines around the world after they claimed to see a UFO in the playground.
The media frenzy was fuelled by the fact the boys had been placed under exam conditions and asked to draw what they saw.
All depicted a large silver craft with eerie similarities.
But their 'close encounter' was only the start as it triggered a wave of unexplained phenomena along the Welsh coastline.
Natural sceptic Sian Eleri (above) delves into reports of the sighting, beginning by tracking down those whose 'alien' encounter triggered what was dubbed the biggest mass UFO sighting in Britain.
Episode two follows at 9.30pm.
Don’t Miss
The Nevermets, 10.00pm, Channel 4
The IRL couplings continue as this week, 24-year-old social media manager Leah from Glasgow prepares to meet her all-American lover Chad.
He's 48 and lives with his 16-year-old daughter and is meeting Leah for the very first time in person, after two months of communicating online.
Meanwhile, 38-year-old Matt makes the epic 7,000-mile journey to meet his first ever girlfriend, Maria, for the very first time after three years of an online relationship.
Elsewhere, Jay and Veena await a decision on Veena's tourist visa that will allow her to visit Jay in the UK.
Little Women, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Writer/director Greta Gerwig's impressive adaptation of the often-filmed Louisa May Alcott novel, starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson and Florence Pugh, put her right in the mainstream.
Well worth a look for some strong performances, including our own Saoirse – but particularly Florence Pugh.
In 1868, New York City teacher Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) goes to Mr Dashwood, an editor who agrees to publish a story she has written.
She reflects back and forth on her life, telling the story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 11.25pm, BBC One
Bit of a late one – but it is Friday night.
Based on John le Carré's 1974 Cold War novel, starring an Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman, alongside Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds and Roger Lloyd Pack.
Oldman plays George Smiley, the deputy to the head of British intelligence, who is forced into retirement after an operation ends in disaster with the death of an MI6 agent.
Smiley is later recruited by the government to return to duty and investigate the possibility of a Soviet mole in a high-ranking position within MI6.
Boogie Fever: A TOTP2 Disco Special, 11.00pm, BBC Four
Cutbacks at the Beeb have seriously dented their Friday music content, which used to be great. Now it’s just tons of Top of the Pops and some re-heats.
Here, Steve Wright presents performances of disco classics from the BBC archives, featuring some crackers and the occasional bit of dross.
George McCrae, Chic, Gloria Gaynor (above), Linx and Heatwave are among the former. The biggest musical crime here is committed by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots.
New to Stream
The Great Escaper, Sky Cinema Premiere
In the summer of 2014, pensioner Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines.
He had staged a 'great escape’ from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.
It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing.
But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.
Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson).
Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams, Netflix
Tales of supernatural sci-fi phenomena unfold in this collection of seven mind-bending, interconnected stories imagined by writer-director Joko Anwar.
Criminal Minds: Evolution, Disney+
In the wake of last season’s shocking finale, the new season picks up as the FBI’s elite team of profilers investigates the deadly mystery of Gold Star.
As the conspiracy unfolds, the Behavioral Analysis Unit is met with an unexpected complication when serial killer Elias Voit negotiates a deal that transfers him to federal custody in the BAU’s own backyard.
The team faces its biggest threat yet and cannot emerge unscathed from the mind-bending consequences.
Ultraman: Rising, Netflix
With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman.
But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju.
Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.
