John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Fri Oct 19- Thu Oct 25).
Pick of the Week
The Republic of Telly (Monday, RTÉ Two)
What started out in 2009 as a Neil Delamere-hosted Mailbag-meets-TV Burp look at the telly is now a must-see smorgasbord of a show that – like The Late Late – has something for everyone in the audience. Season four beckons with the familiar faces of Dermot Whelan, Jennifer Maguire and Bernard O’Shea - although there are reports that Jenny has moved to the block by immigrating to the USA, while Bernard will have his own show within ROT.
Also back are the likes of Dead Cat Bounce, Damo & Ivor, Darby the Leprechaun, Handy Sandie plus a new feature, the Republic Of Phonebooth. And this year’s behind-the-scenes sketch guests will include Domhnall Gleeson, Sinead O’Connor, George Lee, Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh and the inevitable Georgia Salpa.
Also: a shameless plug for the wickedly cynical The Thick of It (Saturday, BBC TWO), which this week offers an hour-long special, with all the main characters up before a tribunal. Instead of the usual foul-mouthed foul-ups, here viewers can expect some dry satire at hearings investigating the death of health worker Douglas Tickell. This is easily the sharpest show on TV these days.
Star of the week
Graham Norton
The Graham Norton Show (Friday, BBC ONE)
His rise on British TV has been almost seamless, but that’s only part of the Graham Norton story. He’s a damn smart operator, so he is. Not one to play the celebrity circuit – “while I’m on nodding terms with loads of celebs I don’t make plans to hang out,” he recently told the Radio Times – but the Cork comedian’s come some way since he first figured on most folks’ TV radar back when he played the intensely annoying Father Noel Furlong in Father Ted on Channel 4.
That led to him getting his own shows such as So Graham Norton on Channel 4 and, after a brief stint in the US, he moved to the BBC and the mainstream, presenting Saturday evening show Strictly Dance Fever on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture. This led to other shows including How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and When Will I Be Famous?, The Graham Norton Show and he also became the voice of BBC TV’s Eurovision Song Contest coverage, replacing fellow Irishman, Terry Wogan.
But since The Graham Norton Show – which began in 2007 - replaced the departing Jonathan Ross's slot as the Beeb’s main TV chat show in October 2010, he’s taken over the mantle of the UK’s number one host. Being in that prime position means he gets the pick of the available talent, and Friday’s opening show sees Arnold Schwarzenegger, Miranda Hart and Ronnie Corbett share his sofa. The following Friday’s guests include the James Bond trio of Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Barden.
Starting this week
Spy (Friday, Sky One)
Sky’s secret agent sitcom about Darren Boyd’s down-on-his-luck computer salesman Tim, who gets accidentally recruited as a trainee MI5 agent, makes a comical return. As the second season opens, Tim is still reeling from the revelation that Caitlin’s presumed-dead fiancé Agent Marion Portis is very much alive, and - worse again - the slick American is now working at MI5. Can Tim work his magic and win Caitlin back?
The Walking Dead (Friday, FX)
Back for a third round, this Andrew Lincoln-led zombie thriller is set for great things after the major shifts that made the end of season two jaw-droppingly great fun. The farm went up in flames, we learned that all the survivors are infected, Shane got his ass whipped and we got our first glimpse of the prison - and saw Danai Gurira debut as the kick-ass Michonne. In the highly-anticipated new season, the survivors continue to fight the dead, but they'll soon discover that they should also fear the living.
Surprise, Surprise (Sunday, UTV)
Ten years after it was last on television, Surprise, Surprise returns with Holly Willoughby taking over the helm in place of the show's original presenter, Cilla Black. Offering typical weekend family viewing, Willoughby and her roving reporters - Westlife's Kian Egan and Capital FM's breakfast host, Dave Berry - offer up a variety of heart-warming and tear-jerking moments (so don’t say you haven’t been warned). First up, 43-year-old Kim Gumble is hoping to surprise her 24-year-old son Luke, who risked his life to save his best friend, Billy-Joe Sewell.
Brazil with Michael Palin (Wednesday, BBC ONE)
The genuinely delightful Michael Palin’s off on his travels once more: this time it’s destination Brazil. The fifth-largest country on earth with an abundance of resources and a melting pot of peoples, it’s a nation that's risen almost out of nowhere to become a 21st-century superpower, and is next in line to host both the World Cup and Olympic Games. In this four-part series, Palin begins in the north east – where Europeans first settled and grew rich on slave labour. Here, the mix of indigenous people, African slaves, and relatively few Europeans created many of the characteristic elements of Brazilian life: food, dance, music and a multiplicity of religions.
Ear to the Ground (Thursday, RTÉ One)
Presenters Darragh McCullough, Helen Carroll and Ella McSweeney are back with a brand new season of the hugely popular farming, food and rural affairs programme. To begin the new season, and in the wake of the Spence family slurry deaths, Ear to the Ground’s Helen Carroll investigates the unseen killer present on every farm and meets a near death survivor. Also, Sam MacNeice, a grower of Armagh Bramley apples, tells Ella McSweeney how the apple yield is down by 50% this year as a result of poor weather.
Also starting this week:
Girls (Monday, Sky Atlantic); Arrow (Monday, Sky One); Elementary (Tuesday, Sky Living); Chicago Fire (Wednesday, Sky Living)
Ending this week
Waterloo Road (Thursday, BBC ONE)
As Waterloo Road draws to a close it’s the last day of term but not everyone is in good spirits. Back on the booze, Christine blames work pressures and doesn’t even try to hide her alcoholism from Connor. But little does she know that he’s secretly plotting with Imogen to run away together. Then Connor and Imogen’s plans to move into the empty schoolhouse during the holidays are threatened after Christine overhears Scout and Phoenix talking.
Documentary of the week
The Town That Caught Tourette’s (Thursday, Channel 4)
Now here’s a typically odd Channel 4 doc. In October 2011 in the tiny town of Le Roy, New York, a handful of teenage girls from the same high school suddenly developed symptoms that looked like Tourette's syndrome: facial twitching, violent limb gestures and uncontrollable verbal outbursts. The epidemic strangely seemed to affect only teenage girls, resulting in panicked parents and theories coming in thick and fast. This remarkable documentary has secured exclusive access to the people at the heart of the outbreak. Using archive footage, it also tells how this bizarre situation began and how the individuals and their families not only dealt with the symptoms, but how they reacted to the media frenzy surrounding their small American town.
Repeat of the week
Revenge (Monday, E4)
Looks like this one could be back sooner rather than later on RTÉ Two, so if you need a bit of a refresher, here’s another chance to watch the season one finale of this incredibly addictive show. With the Graysons continuing down a path of self-destruction, Amanda fully intends to finally follow through with her plan for revenge - until an explosive event changes everything. By the way, how great is Madeline Stowe as the cold-hearted, self-serving, evil witch that is Victoria Grayson? Revenge is worth watching just to see her in action.
John Byrne
