Check out Paddy Kehoe's TV Choices for the week ahead, Saturday February 7 to Friday 13.
Stephen Fry hosts the BAFTAS, Ireland take on Italy in the Six Nations and the 57th Annual Grammy Awards are hosted by LL Cool J. There's also a behind-the-scenes half hour Game of Thrones doc on Sky Atlantic.
Pick of the Week
Then Comes Marriage? Thursday, RTÉ 2
Every couple plans the flowers, the food, the perfect venue – but, does anyone really plan for the marriage? This one-off documentary gives three couples the opportunity to prepare for their future life together, over three days spent together in a luxury country house. Aided by psychologist Allison Keating and psychoanalyst Ray O’Neill, the couples deal with topics such as finance, sex and intimacy, conflict management, family, and communication issues.
Star of the Week: Stephen Fry, The British Academy Film Awards, Sunday, BBC One
Oh well, why not good old avuncular Stephen Fry then. Stephen is hosting the BAFTAS after his remarkable turn with Gaybo on The Meaning of Life which excited a deal of interest, not just in this country, but in The (Manchester) Guardian, no less for Fry's virulent outburst of atheism
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Sporting Event of the Week
RBS SIX NATIONS 2015: Ireland V Italy, RTÉ 2, Saturday
Tom McGurk is joined by Brent Pope, Donal Lenihan, George Hook, Ronan O’Gara and Shane Horgan for live coverage as Ireland begin the defence of their title in Rome against Italy. Kick-off 2.30pm, with commentary from Hugh Cahill and Ralph Keyes. France v Scotland follows live from Murrayfield with commentary from George Hamilton and Bernard Jackman, kick-off 5.00pm.
Starting This Week
The EBBA Music Awards, Saturday, RTÉ 2
Blathnaid Treacy presents the European Border Breaker Awards from the city of Groningen in The Netherlands. Hosted by Jools Holland, the EBBA’s celebrate European artists who have achieved international success with their first release. Nominees include Hozier, Milky Chance and John Newman, with live performances from The Common Linets , Indila and previous winners The Ting Tings.
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The British Academy Film Awards, Sunday, BBC One
Stephen Fry hosts tonight event, with The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything in strong contention for awards. In the Best Actress stakes, Amy Adams is nominated for Big Eyes, Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything, Julianne Moore for Still Alice, Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl, Reese Witherspoon for Wild. Ralph Fiennes is in the running for Best Actor for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler, Michael Keaton for Birdman, and Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything. Oddly, Steve Carell is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his superb turn in Foxcatcher, which seems somewhat demeaning.
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The 2015 57th Annual Grammy Awards, Monday, RTÉ 2
Two-time Grammy award winner LL Cool J returns as host of the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, marking his fourth consecutive year as MC. The lineup for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards currently includes AC/DC, Eric Church, Common, Ariana Grande, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Madonna, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Usher, and Pharrell Williams. Expect Barry Gibb along also to collect a Lifetime award for The Bee Gees, bless ‘em.
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Travel/Cookery Show of the Week
A Cook Abroad: Tony Singh’s India, Monday, BBC Two
Scottish chef Tony Singh travels to India - the country of his ancestors - to trace his family roots and discover whether his mam's Punjabi cooking is the real deal. He begins his journey in Amritsar before braving the treacherous Grand Trunk Road to Delhi.He finishes at the ancestral home in Delhi, where his 93-year-old uncle Ameer opens a window on his family history he will never forget. Watch the series trailer:
The Gift, Tuesday, BBC One
In this new series, presenters Matt Baker and Mel Giedroyc meet people who missed the chance to say thank you or sorry. In 1987 soldier Patrick Provis was left fighting for his life after being hit by an IRA mortar. An army helicopter flew in to rescue him and Patrick survived. Now desperate to draw a line under the trauma, Patrick wants to thank the person who took the decision to rescue him. Also tonight, Grace Bates who for the past 60 years has wanted to apologise to Hermann. They met as teenagers in the 1950s, but a terrible mistake by Grace left Hermann heartbroken and he emigrated to America.
Ceolchuairt, Tuesday, TG4
Dublin piper Mick O Brien embarks on a musical escapade to Sardinia to meet Luigi Lai, the maestro of the Launeddas - an ancient three-reed cane pipe he believes to be the precursor of the uilleann pipes.
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Exposure: The Kill List, Wednesday, ITV
This new documentary reveals the inside story of a special operations command that targeted, captured and killed insurgents during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, how it affected the conflicts and its consequences. Produced by the makers of the 9/11: The Day That Changed The World and The Hunt For Bin Laden. The documentary reveals how the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) under General Stanley McChrystal traced insurgents via cell phones before launching up to a dozen raids a night to capture or kill. Sometimes they targeted the wrong people.
Ending This week
Getaways
Thursday, RTÉ One,
Last in series. Joe Lindsay and Angela Scanlon are in Canada this week, reporting from Toronto and the surrounding area. Angela tests her nerve on the CN Tower’s EdgeWalk, one of the highest outdoor walks on the planet. The duo also take an exhilarating boat journey under the world famous Niagara Falls.
Richard Wilson On the Road
Monday, ITV
Downton Abbey fans are in for a treat tonight. In the final episode Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave) is in Oxfordshire, continuing his driving tour of the UK in his vintage 1960s Daimler, using Shell Guides first published in the 1930s. He calls in to the village of Bampton, which doubles up as the village of Downton in the TV series, Downton Abbey.
Drama of the Week
Wolf Hall: The Devil’s Spit, Wednesday, BBC Two
Anne gives birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth, and Henry does little to hide his disappointment. Anne is aware that her power in Court rests on producing a male heir, and in her paranoia cracks appear in her relationship with Cromwell. Cromwell decrees that everyone in public life must take an oath to recognise Henry’s ‘Supremacy’ as head of the church and the legality of his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Thomas More advises his family to take the oath but will not take it himself and, at Anne Boleyn’s insistence, is committed to the Tower. More is tried, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Cromwell plans the King’s winter progress, to include a trip to Wolf Hall, the home of Sir John Seymour and his daughter, Jane.
Comedy of the Week
Top Gear, Sunday, BBC Two
Well it is a comedy isn’t it, at the end of the day, as Roy Keane might say? Tonight, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to improve and enhance the ambulance, starting from the belief that current ambulances, which are usually very big and based on a diesel van, are in need of a re-think. Top Gear, the laddish TV series it’s okay to like and even envy the doings of its protagonists.
Documentary of the Week
Game of Thrones: A Day in the Life, Tuesday, Sky Atlantic
Half-hour programme which goes behind the scenes. The documentary will cover one day of filming in three separate locations: Belfast, Dubrovnik , and the cities of Sevilla and Osuna in Spain.
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Film of the Week
Broken, Saturday, BBC Two
Skunk (Eloise Laurence) is 11 and diabetic, and Rick (Robert Emms) is her nice neighbour, while Bob (Rory Kinnear) is her mean neighbour. Skunk’s world is about to change. Shortly after witnessing a brutal beating, Skunk’s home, neighbourhood, and school all become treacherous environments. Directed by Rufus Norris, Broken was winner of the Best British Independent Film in British Independent Film Awards in 2012, Broken was adapted by Irish playwright Mark O'Rowe (Howie the Rookie) from a novel by Daniel Clay. Broken also stars Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy, Bill Milner, Denis Lawson and Zana Marjanovic.
