Today's top TV and streaming picks: North Circular, 7500 and Wednesday
RTÉ One, 7pm
To mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, the programme profiles Daniel O'Connell, the man known as 'the Liberator'. Reporters Brian Hurley and John Kilraine trace his early years and his political career in both Ireland and England.
MasterChef
BBC One, 8pm
Despite the controversy surrounding now-fired presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace, the culinary contest returns with a new batch of competitors trying to prove they have what it takes to make it as a professional chef in a top restaurant.
North Circular
RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Award-winning programme that combines documentary with musical performances to celebrate Dublin's North Circular Road. Various local characters share their stories, while John Francis Flynn, Eoghan O'Ceannabháin and Séan Ó Túama are among the performers.
Air India Crash: What Went Wrong?
Channel 4, 10pm
On June 12, Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport during what should have been a routine journey to London. This documentary's makers investigate what might have caused the tragedy.
7500
RTÉ2, 9pm
High-flying drama originally available on streaming giant Amazon Prime. A pilot forms an unlikely bond with one of the terrorists who has taken over his plane while fighting to save the lives of everyone on board. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Omid Memar head the cast.
Wednesday
Netflix, streaming now
Of course, it's releasing on a Wednesday. Would a Wednesday in late September/early October better suit the eerie vibe? Absolutely. But humanity is always chasing the next season – observe Starbucks dropping its Pumpkin Spice this month (August 26, to be exact). Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) returns to roam the halls of Nevermore Academy, where new horrors and teen woes await. With her deadpan delivery, she dives into another school year of ghoulish japes, juggling family, foes and supernatural mayhem. Tim Burton steers the twisted ship into season two, where a new mystery unfolds, pushing Wednesday into even darker territory (put it this way, it's not for the early tweens). Familiar faces Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán reprise their roles, while new blood includes Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Evie Templeton and Noah Taylor, with bonus guest appearances from Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Lumley and Thandiwe Newton.
Platonic
AppleTV+, streaming now
More of besties Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne being various forms of 'platonic'.
King of The Hill
Disney+, streaming now
Between this and the return of South Park, it's 1997 all over again (if only). Hank and Peggy return to Arlen after building their retirement fund in Saudi Arabia (peddling propane, obvs), while Bobby now lives it up in Dallas as a chef. For more grown-up animation, there's also Eyes of Wakanda.
Hunting The Yorkshire Ripper
Prime Video, streaming now
Not to be confused with Jack the Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe shared a taste for misdirection and was ultimately facilitated by a Wearside Jack, whose notes and tapes led the police astray back in the 1970s. Fifty years later, retired detective Chris Gregg assembles a cold case team to hunt the impersonator who kept Sutcliffe's crimes alive.
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51
Netflix, streaming now
Frankly, I don't mind that they're starting to get repetitive; it's still appointment viewing every week in Chez McGinley. In 2019, a joke Facebook event to 'storm Area 51' went viral, drawing millions and triggering warnings from US authorities. Indeed, it does sound exceedingly similar to last month's Real Project X instalment, but I'm still here for it.
Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes
Netflix, streaming now
'Tis the turn of David Berkowitz's police tapes to get an airing. This chilling docuseries unpacks the Son of Sam killings, exposing Berkowitz's disturbing mindset he unleashed on 1970s NYC.
Brady and the Blues
Prime Video, streaming now
Prime appears to be chasing some of that Welcome to Wrexham magic with a new sports docuseries featuring NFL icon Tom Brady. Mind you, this could be entirely different given Brady, at 3.3pc, is very much a minority stakeholder in Birmingham City FC.
Perfect Match
Netflix, streaming now
Netflix's biggest reality stars – from Love Is Blind to Too Hot To Handle – head to paradise to search for love (or more followers) in a strategic dating showdown. So, like Battle Camp but with more bikinis. For more 'unscripted' drama, WWE: Unreal takes fans inside the writer's room for a look at the chaos behind the curtain. Leanne
Netflix, streaming now
Leanne Morgan's world flips when her husband leaves after 33 years. Menopausal and newly single, she leans on her family – especially her fierce sister Carol (Kristen Johnston) – to tackle this next chapter with Southern grit and lashings of 'jello salad'. Chuck Lorre is involved, so it can't be too bad.
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Irish Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Top BBC presenter accused of showing 'penis picture' to junior staff member
The BBC has reportedly been hit with another scandal, after a top female presenter is alleged to have shown a 'penis picture' to a junior member of staff - leaving them in tears. The star is alleged to have revealed an image of a man's penis on her phone during a casual conversation where she asked the producer if she "liked d*** pics". Insiders claim the star, who is listed among the BBC's 50 highest-paid employees, asked the young staff member an inappropriate question before showing her the picture, reports The Mirror. The young producer was said to have been "horrified and in tears" over the encounter. It is unknown whose private parts were in the picture. Bosses were alerted about the encounter, and the presenter was brought into a private meeting where she was told to apologise for her actions. The crisis has been described as a "ticking time bomb" by staff at the BBC, fearing there could be a widespread fallout if the presenter's identity became public. A source claimed to The Sun: "This incident goes beyond ordinary workplace banter. The staff member felt intimidated and upset, believing the act was meant to shock under the guise of a joke. "There's a sense that if this had involved a male presenter, the repercussions would have been immediate and severe. The fact that it's a woman at the centre of this makes the situation even more striking." The insider claimed the conversation was meant 'to be jokey, locker-room type banter' but it resulted in the young producer crying about it. A BBC spokesperson said: "While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously." The BBC has been hit with a number of scandals in the last year, with the axing of a number of Strictly Come Dancing stars over their behaviour, as well as Gregg Wallace and John Torode being fired from MasterChef in recent weeks. The BBC also came under fire for its coverage of the Glastonbury Festival. This year, Welsh presenter Wynne Evans was axed from his radio job at the BBC over allegations about his conduct. The One Show host Jermaine Jenas was also sacked by the corporation for sending inappropriate messages to two female colleagues. Meanwhile, Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children and was spared jail when he admitted three charges of 'making' indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by a convicted paedophile over WhatsApp. The former BBC presenter was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for seven years. The Mirror have reached out to the BBC for comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
MasterChef 2025 review: The cursed 21st season has made it to air with all hint of flavour removed
If you think RTÉ has had a rocky few years, spare a thought for the BBC , which has suffered through a series of crises that put ' Tubsgate ' and other Montrose embarrassments in the shade. There was the furore over former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker's tweets about refugees . Then, a social media meltdown after the BBC's live Glastonbury coverage excluded Kneecap only to spotlight the far more incendiary Bob Vylan . And finally, the pièce de résistance – the radioactive fallout over complaints of inappropriate behaviour against matey MasterChef mainstay Gregg Wallace . He is now very much an ex-MasterChef mainstay after an independent report upheld 45 out of 83 complaints by 13 women who accused Wallace of inappropriate sexual language, cultural insensitivity and an incident of unwelcome physical contact. Joining him in the recycling bin is co-host John Torode – who was dropped for using 'racist language' in a social setting, of which he says he had 'no recollection'. In the normal course, such a litany of complaints would have seen any unaired material binned, never to see daylight. The problem with MasterChef (BBC One, 8pm) is that it isn't about the presenters but the contestants, who have slogged themselves silly to prove they are the best amateur cooks in Britain. Fair enough – cast Wallace and Torrode into the wilderness. But is it reasonable to chuck out the participants with them? Not everyone involved is delighted that the series is making it to air. One contestant, Sarah Shafi, felt strongly that the season should be canned – though in the end, the furthest the BBC would go was to edit her out of the opening episode, which she felt didn't go far enough. 'I didn't say edit me out,' Shafi said. 'I said: 'Axe the show, don't air the show. I'm asking you not to air the show.' Prominent figures have been abusing their power. What message does that send out to women? READ MORE 'For me, it's about the enabling environment. It's that complicity. Those individual powerful men do not [act] in isolation. There is an enabling environment, turning a blind eye … It's about years of these institutions not being accountable.' That's quite a starter course of controversy. But now the main dish – the first episode of the cursed 21st season has finally made it to the air, with Wallace and Torode present and correct, and the hopefuls (minus Shafi) toiling over their hobs. However, anyone tuning in hoping for a whiff of brimstone will be underwhelmed: the BBC has decided to take the sting out of MasterChef by expunging any suggestion of a pulse from proceedings They have done so by minimising Torode and Wallace's screen time and stripping away every trace of banter or bonhomie. They just stand there banging on about flavours and curries and the ticking clock: replace them with two of the masked guards from Squid Game and the experience would have been much the same. 'What do you want from this competition? Why are you here?' Wallace asks New Zealander Penelope early on in one of his few exchanges with the punters. Later, he exclaims… 'Indonesian curry… yeah! That's a crowd pleaser.' Torode says even less, and the hosts are pushed further into the background halfway through as three of 2024's finalists are brought on to help with the judging. [ What does the future hold for popular BBC show Masterchef? Opens in new window ] The Wallace scandal has placed the BBC in an impossible position. Canning MasterChef would have meant crushing the dreams of (most of) this year's contestants. But by airing it, it has left itself open to charges of minimising the accusations against the hosts. Its muddled middle way has been to trim the broadcast to remove all hint of flavour. What's left is a mealy, undercooked hodgepodge – as bland as over-boiled potatoes, and with all the thrill of a triple serving of Brussels sprouts.
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Vicky Jessop: I watched ‘MasterChef' so you don't have to — why are Gregg Wallace and John Torode still on TV?
Did we really expect it to be good? Despite scandals galore, MasterChef season 18 shall go to the ball, if by 'ball' we mean an unedifying quiet launch on BBC iPlayer followed by an equally low-key airing last night on BBC One.
