Housewife of the Year looks at a time when a woman's place was in the home, Hold the Front Page explores the Robinson scandal that rocked the DUP, Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius continues, and Saoirse Ronan stars in On Chesil Beach . . .
Pick of the Day
Housewife of the Year, 9.30pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
You may find it hard to believe (well, if you’re under 40) that this actually was an annual - and hugely popular - event in Ireland.
Something along the lines of The Rose of Tralee, with aprons and saucepans.
Between 1967 and 1995, many women took part in the annual televised competition Housewife of the Year. You got to meet Gay Byrne, tell your story in front of the nation - and maybe even win something.
This documentary hears from some of the contestants, sharing their experiences of the contest - and much more besides.
The film was the winner of Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh 2024.
New or Returning Shows
Dover 24/7: Britain's Busiest Port, 8.00pm, Channel 4
This new series goes behind the scenes at the transport hub, following the people who deal with everything from raging storms and IT meltdowns to police emergencies and threats to life.
Dover police are on high alert when a lorry driver claims he has a gun. The cargo team take delivery of a shipment of bananas, which totals a third of the UK's weekly supply
Dragon Hearts, 6.30pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
The ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing is one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. In Ireland, the first club was set up in 2020 in Dublin.
But for many it is more than just a sport - it has been proven to help boost upper-body strength in breast cancer patients and survivors, so it is both a bonding experience and key to their psychological wellbeing.
This documentary follows club members from Dublin to Donegal, Carlow to Sligo, and Mayo and Cork, as they train tirelessly, compete fiercely and support one another. In Irish.
Don’t Miss
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius, 9.00pm, BBC Two
Having rejected a marriage proposal that could secure her financial stability at 27, Jane Austen chose to dedicate her life to writing.
Forced to change focus after her father fell gravely ill, Jane, her sister and her mother were plunged into financial turmoil when he died.
Her brother Edward offered the Austen women Chawton Cottage, a modest but permanent home, the stability of which reignited Jane's creative spark, leading to the publication of both Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.
Hold the Front Page, 10.40pm, BBC One
BBC journalists reveal how they exposed the shocking scandal that toppled Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson (below) and his wife, Iris, from power.
It was an episode that revealed a web of financial deceit tied to an extramarital affair, that beggared belief.
Spotlight's Darragh MacIntyre, Mary McKeagney and Imelda Lynch were there to see the investigation through to its shocking conclusion, exploding the long-simmering scandal that would change the face of Northern Irish politics forever.
Ending Today
The Bombing of Pan Am 103, 9.00pm, BBC One
Over a decade after the Lockerbie bombing, the accused finally stand trial in a purpose-built Scottish court in the Netherlands.
Bereaved relatives around the world campaign for access to the trial.
Scottish police and the FBI continue to work tirelessly to secure vital witness testimony and deliver meticulously collected forensic evidence.
Kevin McKidd of Grey’s Anatomy fame guest stars in this final episode.
Rise of the Nazis, 9.50pm, BBC Four
The final episode of this series examines the infamous Night of the Long Knives in late June and early July of 1934.
It's a time when Adolf Hitler (above) - urged on by Hermann Goering and Heinrich Himmler - ordered a series of political executions on those seen as a threat to the Nazi regime.
The most well-known of these was Ernst Roehm, commander and co-founder of the Sturmabteilung, the Nazi Party's militia, whom Hitler had come to see as a potential rival.
At least 85 people died during the purge, although the final death toll may have been in the hundreds.
Bank Holiday Movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark, 3.30pm, RTÉ One
I reckon I’ve seen this great film at least 20 times – but I’ll never forget the first viewing of the big-screen action adventure, starring Harrison Ford as Indy, with Karen Allen, Paul Freeman and John Rhys-Davies
I was late into the cinema and was so caught up in the exciting opening sequence that I walloped my knee off the seat in front as I sat down.
Lesson learned: always be on time for the start of a movie.
You must know the story, but here goes: intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones goes in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artefact of devastating power.
His quest leads him to Egypt, where those nasty Nazis are plotting to use the Ark to further Hitler's plans for world domination - aided by Jones's deceitful French rival.
Foscadh, 9.15pm, TG4
This drama, starring Dónall Ó Héalaí, Fionnuala Flaherty, Cillian Ó Gairbhí and Macdara Ó Flatharta, is based on Dónal Ryan's 2013 novel, The Thing About December, about a man on the margins.
When his over-protective parents pass away, friendless recluse John Cunliffe discovers their land to be extremely valuable, and he is forced to navigate the choppy waters of trust, vengeance and romance for the first time.
On Chesil Beach, 11.00pm, BBC Two
Romantic drama, set in the early 1960s, starring Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle, adapted by Ian McEwan from his novella of the same name.
Ronan and Howle play Edward and Florence, two young university graduates from very different backgrounds, who decide to get married after an intense, but non-physical affair.
When the pair embark on their honeymoon to Chesil Beach on the Dorset coast, they are both suddenly struck by their fear of the upcoming consummation of the marriage.
