Football Families looks at young footballers aiming to become pros, new reality show Destination X continues, while Saving Lives at Sea returns with a mayday for a small boat crossing in the English Channel . . .
Pick of the Day
Football Families, 10.10pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Surprised – and delighted – that a series such as this is getting a prime-time slot on RTÉ One. It would've been unthinkable a few years ago and shows how the perception of the League of Ireland has greatly improved.
It explores the world of underage elite football with some of Premier Division club Shelbourne's most talented young players, all hoping, against all odds, to make it as professional footballers.
Despite a wealth of talent, only a tiny fraction of the best young Irish players make it to the League of Ireland or further afield.
The series follows teenagers who are committed to achieving their dreams in the face of extreme pressure, scrutiny, injuries and setbacks, while also revealing how their passion for the sport impacts on their families' lives.
Here’s where players and parents can often go to extremes to try and get an edge in this extremely competitive environment.
New or Returning Shows
Saving Lives at Sea, 8.00pm, BBC Two
It’s season 10 of the documentary series about the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, showing its rescues in British coastal waters and around Ireland.
At 4.50am, after responding to a mayday for a small boat crossing in the English Channel, the Dover lifeboat is returning to station with 68 casualties on board.
Suddenly they are alerted to a new task - another vessel has capsized, and more than 20 people are now fighting for their lives in the water.
The Gone, 9.00pm, BBC Two
If you missed this on RTÉ, here’s the second season of the drama, starring Richard Flood (below, left), where Irish detective Theo Richter teams up with New Zealand cop Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe, below, right) to solve a missing Irish person case.
When journalist Aileen Ryan goes missing, Irish detective Theo Richter and Kiwi detective Diana Huia are compelled to remain in the small town of Mt Affinity in New Zealand and lead the search.
After discovering Aileen went missing while chasing a lead on the town's historical Mountain Murders, the detectives enter a game of cat and mouse with the Goatman.
Queen Victoria: Secret Marriage, Secret Child? 9.00pm, Channel 4
The increasingly ubiquitous Rob Rinder (below, left) interrogates historian Dr Fern Riddell's extraordinary new theory about the true nature of British monarch Queen Victoria's friendship with her Highland servant John Brown.
Drawing on an extraordinary archive, the author shows him documents that could blow apart the traditional understanding of the relationship.
Instead of a platonic friendship with a monarch grieving the death of Prince Albert, the newly discovered evidence points to a deeply romantic relationship.
It was one that blossomed despite the concerns of the Queen's family, courtiers and even Parliament.
The most shocking potential finding is that the union may have produced a child.
New to Stream
Leanne, Netflix
A new US comedy aeries about Leanne (played by comedian Leanne Morgan), a woman whose world is turned upside down when her husband of 33 years unexpectedly leaves her for another woman.
Supported by her family, including her ride-or-die sister Carol (Kristen Johnston), Leanne learns to embrace the chaos and finds strength, laughter and hope in the most unexpected places. This heartfelt comedy proves that it's never too late to rewrite your story.
An Honest Life, Netflix
In this Swedish drama, Simon arrives in Lund full of anticipation and ready for his life to really begin but is quickly disappointed by law school.
Then during a violent protest march he meets the anarchistic young woman Max and falls in love.
She dazzles him with a world of excess, lies and huge risks - and when he realizes the damage that’s done, it’s already too late to escape.
This is a thriller about betrayal, class and the appeal of living outside the law.
Glass Heart, Netflix
Here's a Japanese drama series that tells the story of Akane Saijo (Yu Miyazaki), a college student and aspiring drummer, who finds herself suddenly kicked out of her band.
Things then take a turn for the better when brilliant musician Naoki Fujitani (Takeru Satoh) stumbles upon her talent and invites her to join his new ensemble.
The series sets a new benchmark in Japanese drama with its massive filming scale, including scenes featuring tens of thousands of extras for music performances.
Don’t Miss
Destination X, 9.00pm, BBC One
As this new reality show hosted by Rob Brydon (below) continues, the intrepid players head toward their next Destination X, crossing a border and reaching new heights in a series of nerve-wrecking and heart-stopping challenges.
They range from a majestical beach to one of the most iconic peaks in Europe.
But the trip to the beach proves no picnic, as Rob Brydon poses the players a moral dilemma that really pushes their buttons
The passengers then brave an action-packed escape room in the sky, leading one team to a potentially map-beating advantage.
Who can trust who on the bus, and have the players seen enough to figure out where in the world they really are?
Supercruising: Life at Sea, 8.00pm, Channel 4
The MS Nieuw Statendam prepares to set sail from Fort Lauderdale on a two-week voyage around the Caribbean, and it falls to British cruise and travel director Clare to get the party started.
British travellers Richard and Jackie are in full holiday mode as the ship is carefully navigated out of the busy cruise port.
Next stop is the Dominican Republic, where the couple visit a chocolate-making co-operative.
But it's the ship's 'Dressy Night' that's the icing on the cake as, under the direction of chef Sinu, the galley staff work hard to create a 'taste explosion' that blows away the cruisers.
The Graduate, 11.10pm, BBC Four
One of two great films on BBC Four tonight – the other being Back to the Future, which begins at 7pm.
Mike Nichols’ Oscar-winning comedy drama, starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross, is complimented by a superb soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel.
As for the story, Hofffman heads the cast as naive college graduate Benjamin Braddock, hailed as a genius by his overbearing parents.
He gets seduced by the middle-aged wife of his father's business partner – played by Ann Bancroft - but later falls in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).
