What’s Trending?
As the United States prepares to elect its 45th President, the world looks on in anticipation. This week, the third and final televised debate saw both candidates clash on topics such as immigration, Iraq and abortion. Watch coverage of the full 90 minute debate between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump on RTÉ Player. For a bite-sized insight to the debate which took place in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, watch The US Debate in Less Than 9 Minutes on RTÉ Player.
What's new?
Receiving widespread acclaim from critics, period drama, The Americans is back for a fourth season. Set in the early 1980’s during the Cold War, The Americans follows two KGB agents as they pose as an American couple while attempting to carry out covert intelligence operations shortly after Ronald Reagan’s election to President.
The series follows married couple, Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings as they go about their business while keeping their true identity safe from outsiders and their unsuspecting children in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. In the first of the new season, Philip tells Martha about staging Gene’s “suicide” as the FBI begins to investigate the analyst’s death, raising tensions around her home and at the office. Meanwhile, despite her clear feelings of guilt for having told him the truth, Pastor Tim encourages Paige to continue asking her parents for information about their lives as spies. For some serious spy drama, check out The Americans now on RTÉ Player.
What not to miss?
Prime Time
Prime Time returned with more in-depth analysis of current affairs and topical reports. This week, Prime Time looked at the recent moves against Airbnb questioning, are they a desperate bid to turn the clock back or a timely effort to keep scarce homes for people to live in? The programme also takes a look at the inadequate levels of treatment for eating disorders in Ireland. Watch it now on RTÉ Player.
What’s coming up?
Through interviews with sex offenders and those that work with them, this special, investigative, ‘Would You Believe?’ documentary lifts the lid on Ireland’s sex offenders to discover a number of unpalatable truths: most are not paedophiles, most are never caught or convicted and almost 40% of them are children under 18; most sexual abuse happens within families and is kept secret. Demonising the few sex offenders who are convicted is understandable, perhaps, but takes the focus away from the majority, who continue to operate undetected.
In fact, it endangers rather than protects our children and our society. For over 20 years, reporter Mick Peelo has investigated sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. He now believes it’s time to take the focus off the Church and look at ourselves. Seeking answers to some difficult and taboo questions, he meets and interviews sex offenders and the people who work with them to discover whether or not they are really ‘Beyond Redemption’. Watch now on RTÉ Player.
