What’s on? 10 top telly tips for Friday July 17
The Best of The Late Late Show highlights country music, there’s a new documentary series about Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs, Diarmuid Gavin is back, Cursed is new on Netflix, and Brad Pitt stars in Ad Astra . . .
Pick of the Day
The Best of The Late Late Show, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
A look back at country music specials from the past five years of Ireland’s longest-running and much-loved chat show.
Ryan Turbridy introduces music from the likes of Big Tom, Daniel O’Donnell, Philomena Begley, Charlie Pride, Cliona Hagan and Mike Denver.
Here’s the opening to the 2019 Country Special:
Don’t Miss
I Love 1981, 10.00pm, BBC Two
Singer Adam Ant presents a retrospective look at the pop culture of 1981, when Kim Wilde, Clare Grogan and Tom Selleck were among the pin-ups
It was the year young TV-watchers was introduced to animated crimefighter Danger Mouse, the sport of darts was in its heyday, and the films Gregory’s Girl and Porky’s hit cinemas.
Here’s Adam Ant with his first big hit of the 1980s:
New or Returning Shows
Gardening Together with Diarmuid Gavin, 8.00pm, RTÉ One
The horticultural designer encourages people across Ireland to get out in their gardens, taking calls, answering questions and offering a range of practical tips. In the first edition, he helps design a garden for Mary Fitzpatrick in Co Wicklow, and creates a sunken fire pit and seating area in his own patch.
Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs, 9.00pm, Sky Nature
Documentary about dogs that help humans in surprising ways, including a Great Dane that has helped a 13-year-old girl with a muscle-wasting condition to walk, swim and even ride a bike.
Plus, the stories of a Border collie mix who finds survivors during earthquakes, a labrador-German Shepherd mix who helps stop ivory poaching, and a team of water rescue dogs in Italy.
New to Download
Absentia, Amazon Prime
After the dramatic events of season two, Emily Byrne (former Castle star Stana Katic) is serving out the final days of her FBI suspension while working hard to be the best possible mother to Flynn.
Everything is upended when an international criminal case hits too close to home, threatening the family she is so desperately trying to hold together.
Emily and her ex-husband, Special Agent Nick Durand (Patrick Heusinger), can’t help but intervene, and Nick’s life is endangered.
Cursed, Netflix
This new show might fill the Game of Thrones gap for some.
Based on the New York Times bestselling book, Cursed is a re-imagination of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a young woman with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake.
After her mother’s death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a humble mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword.
Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther.
Ad Astra, Sky Cinema & NOW TV
This James Gray-directed drama stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland.
A visually thrilling adventure with Pitt in one of his finest performances to date, Ad Astra is both a journey to the outer reaches of the solar system and deep into the human experience.
Pitt plays astronaut Roy McBride, undertaking a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet, uncovering secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Ending Today
Celebrity Snoop Dogs, 8.30pm, Channel 4
Cameras go inside the locked-down houses of well-known faces around the UK. It’s USP is that the filming is done by the celebrity homeowners’ dogs – so-called Snoop Dogs.
This edition features a look inside the homes of a Labradoodle and two American spaniels – brothers from different mothers.
As usual, the identities of the owners of these loveable rogues and their beautiful homes remains concealed – at least for a while.
Huey Morgan’s Latin Music Adventure, 9.30pm, BBC Four
On the last leg of his journey, Huey visits New York City, home to over a million Puerto Ricans and the place where he first fell in love with the hot sounds of Latin Music.
El Barrio or Spanish Harlem became the focal point for the community, with Latin music the soundtrack to their survival.
Flying south to Puerto Rico itself Huey sets off on a journey to discover the music that was left behind, hunting down the roots of Salsa in the capital San Juan, and the traditional folk styles of Bomba and Plena. Last in the series.
The Other One, 9.00pm, BBC One
It’s the final episode of this enjoyable sitcom about two sisters who had no idea the other existed until their father drops dead, starring Ellie White, Lauren Socha, Rebecca Front, Siobhan Finneran and Amit Shah.
This week, Cat decides to take Cathy on a sister honeymoon to cheer her up, Marilyn finds Colin’s missing will, and she and Tess have to tell the girls the shocking news.
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