Today's top TV and streaming choices: Not Going Out, The Butcher Boy and The Orkney Assassin
Seán Bán Breathnach presents live coverage from Cork Racecourse in Mallow. The action continues after the evening's news and weather.
The Zoo RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Zookeeper Julie meets some of the residents at Monkey World in England. Her colleague Brigitte, meanwhile, is in Wexford to help local seal rescuers prepare one of the animals in their care for its release back into the wild.
Sally Bretton and Lee Mack return for the 14th series. Their alter egos, Lucy and Lee, are now empty-nesters who decide to move to the countryside.
Don't Worry Darling RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Director Olivia Wilde's 1950s-set thriller was much maligned on its release, but thanks to an intriguing premise, deserves another look. A suburban housewife grows increasingly concerned that her husband's company is hiding dark secrets. Florence Pugh and Harry Styles play the couple.
The Butcher Boy RTÉ2, 9.45pm
Dark comedy from Neil Jordan in which the behaviour of a boy from a dysfunctional family begins to spiral out of control. Eamonn Owens, Stephen Rea, Sinéad O'Connor and Milo O'Shea star.
Call Her Alex Disney+, streaming now
Back in October 2024, just less than a month before the election, Kamala Harris went on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Her appearance on such a highly popularised new medium was meant to nail her bid for the presidency. Instead, we have Trump and Stephen Miller in the White House and lingering whimpers of 'Why didn't Kamala go on Joe Rogan instead?' Such retrospection is, unfortunately, futile at this point. So, instead, let's find out more about Alex Cooper and what it took to become the most influential female podcaster of a generation. Directed by Ry Russo-Young (Nuclear Family), this two-part docuseries follows Cooper from a shy Pennsylvania kid to a progressive sex-and-dating podcaster, evolving over six years into the CEO of a media empire. More than a success story, it's a portrait of a person creating a space where women feel heard (and their respective others in their life can glean some often-necessary pointers).
The Survivors Netflix, streaming now
We're mostly used to two types of Australian viewing: soaps and super-dry (to the point of cringe) comedy. This is different. The drama follows Kieran Elliott's life after two people drown in his hometown of Evelyn Bay, Australia. To top it off, a young girl also went missing. Returning with his family 15 years later, the simmering guilt resurfaces, especially when the body of a young woman is found on the beach…
K.O. Netflix, streaming now
No one does visceral city grit like the French. Bastien has lived as a recluse since accidentally killing his opponent Enzo in an MMA fight three years ago. Now, Enzo's widow tracks him down as, essentially, he owes her one. Her request? Find her missing teenage son.
Tyler Perry's Straw Netflix, streaming now
Between this and last month's release of She the People, Mr Tyler Perry is getting himself around. This offering, however, is far more stark than May's fare. Here, one mum's day unfurls as it goes from tricky to catastrophic. Pushed to the precipice by a world that seems indifferent to her plight (until they can livestream it), she soon gets attention when she unwittingly holds up a bank.
The Orkney Assassin Prime Video, streaming now
The Orkney Isles lie 130 miles north of Aberdeen. It's a peaceful place with a strong sense of community. In June 1994, however, Bangladeshi waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood was working at the lone curry house when a masked man fatally shot him. This documentary revisits one of Scotland's most extraordinary murder cases, examining racism, loyalty, and the impact of trauma decades later.
Ocean with David Attenborough Disney+, streaming now The man who will never retire explores stunning ocean habitats, highlighting the challenges for marine-life recovery.
The Astroworld Tragedy Netflix, streaming now
On November 5, 2021, Travis Scott stepped on stage to perform at Astroworld, which ended in the deaths of 10 people. An exclusive look told from the perspective of the survivors, paramedics and staff who were at the centre of this tragedy.
Cocaine Air Netflix, streaming now
Indeed, it's wall-to-wall documentaries this week. On March 20, 2013, four French nationals were arrested on a private jet at Punta Cana airport. On board: 700kg of cocaine in 26 suitcases. All lack the profile of an international drug smuggler, and no one knows who owns the luggage.
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
What to watch on TV and streaming today: Ice Waterfalls, The Town and Night Always Comes
Ice Waterfalls TG4, 4.15pm Catalan adventurer and elite kayaker Aniol Serrasolses is a man on a mission – he wants to break the record for the largest ever recorded kayak drop from a glacial waterfall. Cameras chart his efforts to do so, which involve an Arctic expedition to Norway and a 20-metre-high slab of ice. RTÉ2, 6.35pm The latest stop is Istanbul, where Roberts reveals the methods employed by the Ottomans to take the city from the Romans. She also journeys down the Bosphorus and haggles at a bazaar. Roy Orbison Night BBC Two, from 9.10pm An evening of programmes dedicated to the singer begins with a selection of his performances on the BBC. It's followed by Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night from 1988 (9.45pm), more concert footage in Roy Sings Orbison (10.45pm) and the profile One of the Lonely Ones (11.15pm). The Town TG4, 9.30pm Impressive crime drama written, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. A thief's efforts to keep a hostage sweet by getting to know her result in him falling in love. His plan to give up his errant ways doesn't go down well with his unstable partner. Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner also appear. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande RTÉ2, 10.25pm Although not one to watch with the family, this is a touching comedy-drama with Emma Thompson as a retired teacher who hires a gigolo (Daryl McCormack) to help her experience passion for the first time. Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser Netflix, streaming now Remember the 'transformation' shows of the Noughties? At one end of the scale, you had What Not To Wear and 10 Years Younger. At the other end, there was Extreme Makeover and The Swan. While most of the aforementioned predominantly featured women changing themselves for societal approval, The Biggest Loser was different. The global franchise, which ran from 2004 until (would you believe it) 2016, equally targeted men. Now, this docu-series looks at the making of the hit reality competition, exploring the good, the bad, and the exceptionally complicated. Featuring interviews with former contestants, trainers, producers and health professionals, the three-parter examines the show's approach to transformation, the support systems in place, and the unique challenges of filming a reality television show predominantly hinged on people with obesity issues losing weight in record time in the name of entertainment. Limitless: Live Better Now Disney+, streaming now Chris Hemsworth takes on three epic challenges to explore science-backed ways to improve our health. It proves that, when you're a famous actor fronting a documentary, your resources are 'limitless', as Thor becomes a drummer at a stadium gig, climbs a frozen 600-foot wall, and embraces brutal Special Forces pain training in South Korea. Speaking of which... The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies Netflix, streaming now South Korea is known for its cultural exports like K-pop and drama, but its story runs far deeper. Like Ireland, it bears the scars of oppression – a legacy that has fuelled renowned artistic expression. This powerful documentary series revisits traumatic events that profoundly shaped the nation. Night Always Comes Netflix, streaming now Movie time now. And it's a light little number (I jest) featuring Vanessa Kirby, Julia Fox and Eli Roth. Adapted from Willy Vlautin's bestselling novel, it follows Lynette, a woman who risks everything to secure a house for her family in a city they can no longer afford to live in.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Guinness and co are in need of a masterplan
Netflix may have its critics, but its sense of timing is usually good. Whether that is positive news for the Guinness brewing dynasty, and the brand's parent company Diageo, is something we will discover next month. That's when a new eight-part drama hits our screens recounting the creation of a global business empire which has become synonymous with Ireland. The House of Guinness is set in 19th-century Dublin and New York and unfolds the complexities of a Succession-style plot following the death of Benjamin Guinness and the Machiavellian impact of his will on the lives of his four adult children: Arthur, Edward, Ann, and Ben. The vice-president in charge of content at Netflix explained the attraction of the story: '...wealth, poverty, power, influence, and great tragedy are all intertwined to create a rich tapestry of material to draw from. I've always been fascinated by their stories, and am excited to bring the characters to life for the world to see.' That responsibility falls to someone with an impressive CV in shows with cult potential — the writer Steven Knight who has delivered memorable scripts for SAS Rogue Heroes and, of course, Peaky Blinders, the iconic six-instalment series which showcased the adventures of a mixed heritage Birmingham, Romany, and Irish gang in the UK in the years following the First World War. There's an impressive cast, with a major role undertaken by James Norton, who played the chilling sociopath Tommy Lee Royce from Happy Valley, exchanging his (natural) West Riding accent for training in the tones of 19th-century Dublin. Norton plays Seán Rafferty, a company hardman whose job it is to keep the Guinness workforce on their toes. Other cast members include Dervla Kirwan, Anthony Boyle, and Cork-born actor Jack Gleeson, memorable for his portrayal of the sinister and sadistic Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones. Knight has a ready plotline should he be tempted to use it with the emergence of southern rivals, Beamish and Murphy's, who bridle against the dominance of the capital city's favourite tipple. But perhaps he has already been there and done that with his account of the power struggles between the Shelbys, the Sabinis, and Alfie Solomons's Camden Town gang. Whether Guinness benefits from this publicity, and whether it is brand-enhancing, we will be able to discern more clearly by late autumn. But it comes during a period when there have been some uncharacteristic lapses in the company's usual stately progress. On the plus side, it ousted Budweiser in 2024 to commence a four-year stint as 'the official beer of the Premier League'. It is also the 'official beer' of the Six Nations international rugby competition. This week it moved further into club competition by agreeing separate partnerships with Arsenal and Newcastle, the latter in a city which has its own legendary beverage, Newkie Broon ale. While Guinness may be everywhere, with countless memes about 'splitting the G', there are signs of shareholder discontent with its parent company. It is less than a month since its CEO Debra Crew stepped down without a succession plan. Ms Crew, who had been in place since June 2023, received a total pay package equivalent to €4.17m for the financial year ending June 30. The company's shares have lost a third of their value since the summer of 2023. Diageo reported a drop in both sales and profits in the six months ended December 2024, according to figures released this week. This was despite growth in demand for Guinness which resulted in supplies running out or being rationed in the UK last Christmas. We all noted the news that spending by Cork's hurling fans plummeted by 13% on July 20, the day of the All-Ireland defeat by Tipperary. No doubt the reason for raising a glass by some visitors to Dublin was undermined by that dispiriting defeat. It's down to Oasis fans to make up for that shortfall with the concerts in the city today and tomorrow, and there's every chance that they will. But for Guinness and Diageo, a renewal of confidence requires, in the words of Noel Gallagher, a masterplan. And just like that, soccer is back It may stick in the throat of GAA diehards but there won't be many Irish sports fans who haven't noticed that, with the appearance of champions Liverpool at Anfield last night, the Premier League is back.. And so, after one apparently interminable season, we are about to commence on another which will finish on July 19, 11 months from now, with the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New York and another photobomb opportunity for US president Donald Trump. Before then, there will be 380 games in the Premier League plus countless subsidiary divisions; the League of Ireland; the Champions League; the Europa League; the Conference League; assorted cup competitions; and internationals, friendly and otherwise. Plus the burgeoning and increasingly popular women's game. No wonder Sky is pioneering a new multi-view service which allows you to watch four games at once. A small hint to broadcasters. This isn't enough for computer game veterans who are adept at multitasking. And where's the soco-bot which can be sent out to watch all the matches the viewer doesn't want ... those 0-0s on a rainy night in Stoke? Arguments over identifying ethnic origins There is no indication, as yet, of any great support for the proposition that the ethnicity or nationality of suspects should be drawn to the attention of the general public at the point at which they are charged and enter the criminal justice system. Indeed, the whole issue of court procedure is one on which there are wildly varying opinions. One contributor to the Irish Examiner this week took the view that defendants should not be named until a trial has ended, and only when a conviction is secured. The media (and social media), he wrote, 'could lead the way by doing the right thing and have a shred of humanity and not name or identify any suspect unless or until they have been found guilty of the crime with which they were charged'. While it is possible to construct mighty arguments around this proposition, it is enough to note that ordinary people are thinking about the administration of justice and whether it can be made better. Or, given the law of unforseen consequences, worse. In Ireland, An Garda Síochána does not usually release the ethnicity of individuals charged with crimes. Sometimes restrictions are cited for reasons of privacy or data protection, although these arguments are increasingly governed by the law of diminishing returns for some citizens. There are exceptions where it is deemed necessary to assist investigations or head off potential public order problems stimulated by the circulation of misinformation. In Britain, the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council says forces should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects at the point of charge. This follows mounting public concerns and is part of a review to ensure processes are fit for purpose in an age of rapid information spread. The touchstone was last year's knife murders of three small children and serious injuries to 10 others at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport. The murderer, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was born in Cardiff to an evangelical family from Rwanda. In the information vacuum which followed his arrest, Britain experienced serious rioting. That data blackout is now perceived as a serious error of judgement. The complexities were underlined this week when the family of six-year-old Bebe King, one of the three girls killed, urged ministers to reconsider their support for disclosing the ethnicity of serious crime suspects. Michael Weston King, the victim's grandfather, said such information is 'completely irrelevant', and that 'mental health issues and the propensity to commit crime happens in any ethnicity, nationality, or race'. This is true, but we would be naïve to think that such demands for 'disclosure' and 'transparency' will not gather strength in our own country. Each one of us, rather like our letter writer on Monday, must decide where we stand.
RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Love is Blind UK hosts: 'People are just sick of the swipe culture'
Netflix's hit dating show Love is Blind UK is back for a second season with husband and wife duo Matt and Emma Willis at the helm, who say the massive popularity of the series is partially down to people being jaded by online dating apps and "swipe culture". The series began in 2020 in the US, where there have been eight seasons, and spawned a host of international spin-offs, including Brazil, Sweden, Mexico and Japan, with the UK edition premiering last year. The second season of Love is Blind UK sees UK and Ireland-based singletons choose someone to marry "sight unseen" after a whirlwind period of dating in Pods, where an opaque wall separates the contestants. Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Emma Willis, best known for presenting Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother and The Voice UK, said she was "super excited" to be back for another run. "I'm pumped and ready to see who walks down the aisle!" she said. "I love it. I feel like we're just peeping through the window of someone's personal life. It's great." Her husband and co-presenter, Busted star Matt Willis, agreed wholeheartedly. "You know, I think we're both very much into love," he said. "We love watching our friends fall in love. Emma's the matchmaking queen, if she can match anyone up, she will. So this is kind of a perfect job. It's just a really great thing to be part of." "It's lovely to watch it in the flesh as well. We get to watch it all unfold," Emma continued. "We have the best job on in it really, because we see them at the beginning, we dip in along the way and then we see them again a year later to see how's it's gone and if they're still together." The first season of the UK version of the series stood out as the contestants, for the most part, seemed to be in for the right reasons, and not, say, to achieve a certain type of overnight fame. For Matt and Emma, what do they think draws people to apply for the show in their droves? "The thing we hear again and again is that people are just sick of the dating world," Matt said. "It's a very different terrain out there to when I met Emma, you know, and I can't imagine it. "And look, for some people, it's really working, some people are finding love on the apps and they definitely are a good thing. But I think a lot of people are just so sick of this 'swipe culture'. "They want to find something true, want to find something real, want to know the other person wants it to. And this is that show." "Going on emotion rather than visuals, I think it's something really special," Emma agreed. The physical barrier of the wall really does seem to lead to intense bonds forming quickly between the contestants. It's something that's difficult to imagine as a viewer. "There's something about that Pod," Matt said. "When we went in there, it's this glowing purple wall that you stare at and fall in love with. And I get it!" "It's really calm and the air is warm, it's that kind of perfect temperature to make you feel comfortable and it's really peaceful," Emma interjected. "There's no external noise. So when you think about yourself being in a pod where you could hear your own breath, it's like that. But the only thing you can hear is one other person. It's mad, really isn't it? "Once you go in one, you can understand how they let their guard down, because you can't see any cameras either." Despite becoming acquainted with the contestants, they weren't able to call who might end up together after the Pods. "I was really surprised," Matt said. "I made a list of people, I started to match them up and had a piece of paper with lots of names written down. I got it way wrong! Nothing was right." "Yeah but you've done that on visuals haven't you!", Emma teased. "I try not to, you can't guess," she added. "You can't meet a bunch of people for the first time for 10 minutes and then look at their picture and go 'Oh, they're gonna be together, they're gonna be together.' Matt loves that game!" As for what people might expect this season - the hosts didn't hold back. "There is lots of beautiful romance, and there is drama," Emma said. "It's a gentle start and then it really kicks off. That's all I'm going to say." "It's a slow builder," Matt observed, before promising plenty of "gossip juice". "It's pure people watching, isn't it?" Emma commented of the enduring love for the series. "And I think there's nothing nicer than watching people fall in love. "I know everybody likes drama and controversy, but watching a love story unfold in front of your eyes - that's pretty special. We all love rom-coms, don't we? Whether you admit it or not, this is like a very long rom-com." And as for advice for anyone considering applying for the third season of the Netflix dating series? "If you're apprehensive, just do it, give it a go," Emma said. "Please go in there with good intentions and be open, be open to the process. And be open to the person or the people that you're talking to. "I know that is much easier said than done for some people but if you're gonna go into something like this then go in open and ready to immerse yourself." "And I'd say don't play it cool," Matt added. "That's a killer piece of advice for most of life. Just show them who you are, don't try to be someone else."
