What are we watching on TV?

An Bothy Band, a lot of it as Gaeilge on BBC2, 10:00 to 11:30pm Sunday 16/03/2025. Are they as good as I remember them 50 years ago? And then some. Changes in personnel brought about by deaths, 4 or 5 worn-out and wrung-out managers, the best flute player in the world (according to James Galway), and the first trad outfit to feature a real rhythm section (the bit you dance and tap your feet to). Tommy & Michéal for sure looking down smiling and also there in spirit, well worth the hour and 30 mins of anyone's time. The craic was and is still mighty.
 
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1883 Like @GSheehy says is a good series - perfect for a cold and wet weekend and perhaps a bottle of wine or two. A wagon train from Fort-Worth to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado Oregon and a few more western states sets the scene through the eyes of several people seeking settlement in The West.

Sam Elliott who plays Shay Brennan (who else?) without doubt is the star of the show. Isabel May plays Elsa whose diary tells the story of the trials and tribulations of the settlers. The rugged hat worn throughout was made for her and I reckon milliners everywhere will gain as a result.

You have to ignore the Manhattan accents of some of the Comanche Injuns and turn a blind eye to their use of extra whitening toothpaste. There are many things on which too many liberties were taken, but don’t let those get in the way of your entertainment.

It’s an excellent series and paced slow enough for the discerning viewer and fast enough for the former Zane Grey readers and has enough soap opera for the braindead.
 
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University Challenge, appropriately on Paddy's Day, QUB won an absolute thriller against Imperial College London with a tie-break question. 170-170 at the "final whistle". Well done lads and lassy. I know the series was recorded last year, with no real idea when it would be broadcast, but still, credit where credit is due.
 
Bosch Legacy on Amazon Prime, not as good as the original series but still superior TV. Irish actress Orla Brady guest stars in this season playing an actual Dub for a change (I last saw her as a Romulan on Star Trek).
 
Documentary on RTE. Stephen Rea, The Fire In Me Now.

The only complaint I would make about it was that it was too short.

A revealing programme, touching upon his acting career and involvement in the Civil Rights movement and what he terms the 'cultural struggle' which he feels was at least as important in establishing a sense of nationhood (eg The Abbey) as what was achieved at gunpoint.

We spend our lives giving birth to ourselves - paraphrasing a quote from it on the process of maturing / growing up.

www.rte.ie

The fire inside Stephen Rea - inside the new documentary

Over an acting career spanning decades, Stephen Rea has shown himself to be a versatile and prolific talent.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie
 
On bbc2 a Disclosures documentary right now about whisky cask 'bandits' in Scotland taking the money and running... a bunch of people losing their life savings, five and six figure sums.

This article summarises it:
www.bbc.com

Cancer patient lost life savings to whisky barrel scammers

Jay Evans was among hundreds duped into ploughing millions of pounds into casks that were overpriced or did not exist.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
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New travelogue series starting on More4 Wednesday at 9pm - Travels with Agatha.

Actor David Suchet (TV's Poirot) traces the epic journey Agatha's Christie made with her husband, Archie, in 1922 to promote the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. The first episode starts in South Africa. Similar in style to e.g. Michael Portillo's Great Continental Railway Journeys, Suchet's long connection to the author's work adds a new dimension.
 
"The Bombing of Pan Am 103" docudrama on BBC1. It started last night (Sunday) and continued tonight and I'm not sure what to make of it.

Part of the story so far is about the sovereign Scottish police struggle for control of the investigation. The plane blew up over Scotland and crashed on the town of Lockerbie, killing 17 of its citizens, with debris of all kinds spread over an area of 850 sq miles. It's stats heavy too, which'll keep the geeks engaged I guess and there are also sub-plots within the main story. (I'm still not entirely sure what the main story is). The FBI, German security and so on all play their intelligence cards close to their chests, being called out by the main man (Peter Mullan) the Scottish Detective Chief Superintendent.

There's a Lockerbie programme on BBC4 tonight which I'll watch.

The docudrama has me puzzled, but I'll stick with it, [EDIT] ESB Networks / Electric Ireland permitting.

I wanted to follow the Final of Mastermind tonight too, but when I got home at 6:15 pm I had no electricity. Between then and the start of "The Bombing of Pan Am 103" I had 7 or 8 more supply breaks. No explanation, no apology but my digital meter showed consumption of "C000000000" at one stage. Great service guys, thanks.
 
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Sky had similar to the above recently on the anniversary. The full 4 part documentary, which was very good. Then the docu-drama with Colin Firth. Gave a different perspective but was watchable. Not sure how entirely accurate these are but watchable.
 
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