What Happened at Auschwitz marks the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation, Video Nasty lands on Virgin Media One, and documentaries about a new dig at Pompeii and the perilous plight of polar bears . . .
Pick of the Day
What Happened at Auschwitz, 8.00pm, BBC One
Here’s a documentary marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest mass murder site in human history.
BBC journalist Jordan Dunbar begins a journey of discovery to know more about what happened at the concentration and extermination camp.
He meets survivors in the UK and journeys to Poland to walk in the footsteps of those who were taken there, most of whom died there.
Jordan also discovers how, with the growth of social media, the story of the Holocaust is being diluted through disinformation and cultural amnesia.
New or Returning Shows
Video Nasty, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Streaming on Virgin Media Play
If you missed it on BBC, here’s another chance to see this new dark comedy drama series, a co-production between the BBC, WDR (Germany) and Virgin Media Television.
It stars Justin Daniels (Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale), Cal O'Driscoll (The Teacher), and Leia Murphy (Fair City), along with Simone Kirby (Kneecap) and Kevin McGahern (Republic of Telly).
Set in 1985, when the home video revolution is in full swing, Video Nasty tells the story of three teenagers who go on a quest to complete a cult VHS collection.
Instead, they get mixed up in a murder investigation, becoming chief suspects and public enemies.
Two teenage horror fans (Billy and Con, 17) have managed to collect 71 of the 72 films on the banned list of video nasties.
But when word gets out that they 'borrowed’ money from the school graduation dance fund to pay for the tapes, they have to travel to England to get the final tape in order to pay the money back.
They are accompanied on the quest by Con’s sister, Zoe, who wants a cut of the sale of the completed collection so that she can move out of home.
Out There, 9.35pm, Virgin Media One
This ITV drama is set in a rural community, starring Martin Clunes and Mark Lewis Jones.
Clunes plays Nathan Williams, a farmer who finds himself fighting back against the dark urban menace making their way into his community.
As wel as grieving the death of his wife two years before, Nathan is forced to do a deal with the devil to protect his family, his land and his livelihood.
The Lost Music of Auschwitz, 9.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW
This is the remarkable story of composer Leo Geyer’s 8-year long mission to piece together a treasure-trove of forgotten fragments of music manuscripts found in the archives of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.
Now, he and his orchestra will finally play the music he has painstakingly uncovered, exactly as it would have sounded at Auschwitz, in some cases for the first time in 80 years.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest death camp the world has ever seen. Around 1.1 million people perished there, most of them Jewish.
But the camp was also home to at least six orchestras, formed of prisoners and commissioned by the SS.
Many of the manuscripts they left behind are almost too faint to read, while others are damaged beyond recognition, so interpreting them takes extensive musical detective work.
He discovers many examples of musicians rebelling, with secret performances, and weaving forbidden melodies into concerts.
Leo’s orchestra perform music by Chopin and Mozart, as well as pieces composed by the prisoners while at Auschwitz, and one of Leo's own compositions.
Where the Polar Bears Wait, 7.00pm, BBC Two
This documentary takes a look at the impact of climate change in the town of Churchill, Manitoba, on the edge of the Canadian Arctic.
This is a place where polar bears come to gather as they wait longer for the sea ice on the bay to form.
As a result, it has become known as the polar bear capital of the world.
But as local scientists race to understand how to protect the bears, the townsfolk work to keep the increasingly hungry creatures away from its population.
Pompeii: The New Dig, 9.00pm, BBC Two
Documentary following an archaeological excavation at the ancient Roman city, showing what life was like in Pompeii before the eruption, as well as the horror faced by the residents as Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
The team turn the focus of their excavation to a luxurious residence that was potentially owned by local politician Aulus Rustius Verus.
This is where they find some intricate art and the body of a woman clutching her most valuable possessions.
The Man Who Shot Tutankhamun, 9.00pm, BBC Four
This is the centrepiece of a night dedicated to King Tut and ancient Egypt.
Margaret Mountford travels to Egypt's Valley of the Kings to investigate the story of British photographer Harry Burton, whose images of the Tutankhamun excavation in the 1920s created a global sensation.
In addition to exploring the locations where Burton worked, the presenter also reveals how the images led to a craze in Egyptian designs.
It also explores how present-day photographers, such as Harry Cory Wright, are currently still influenced by his boundary-pushing work.
Don’t Miss
Vótáil, 8.00pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
This latest episode looks at how, in 1997, Ireland's economy was booming, unemployment was tumbling and the Rainbow Coalition was a popular government.
This presented itself as a seemingly perfect time for a summer election but also opened the possibility for the vote to play into the hands of seasoned campaigner Bertie Ahern.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, 8.00pm, RTÉ2
Tucci’s culinary tour explores the cuisine of Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna and home to the highest number of protected food products in the whole of Italy.
He is driven by chef Massimo Bottura to a premium parmigiano producer, where they break open a fresh wheel, before travelling to Rimini on the Adriatic coast to meet Francesca Fellini.
The niece of director Federico Fellini will be urging him to try the distinctive cappelletti pasta.
Celebrity Mastermind, 7.30pm, BBC Two
Clive Myrie invites Guy Mowbray, Kirsten O'Brien, Tyger Drew-Honey and Justine Greening to take to the black chair.
They’ll be answering questions on the likes of Viking York, the life of Daphne du Maurier, sitcom The IT Crowd and Judge John Bradshaw.
The second round sees them tackling general knowledge questions in a bid to carry off the commemorative trophy.
