{"id":386475,"date":"2026-03-15T14:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/386475\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T14:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:10:15","slug":"the-10-best-new-shows-to-watch-starting-tonight-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/386475\/","title":{"rendered":"the 10 best new shows to watch, starting tonight \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pick of the weekTurbulence: The Story of RyanairMonday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.35pm<\/p>\n

When Ryanair<\/a> started out 40 years ago, it was a tiny operation funded by businessman Tony Ryan<\/a>, with a fleet consisting of just one turboprop plane. It wasn\u2019t long, though, before the budget airline upended the entire aviation industry on its way to total dominance of the European skies. Every day, millions of passengers willingly subject themselves to ritual baggage humiliation in order to avail of cheap airfares, and it seems the more chief executive Michael O\u2019Leary<\/a> cuts back on our baggage allowance, the bigger the airline becomes. <\/p>\n

This two-part documentary series tracks the rise and rise of Ryanair since its humble beginnings in the mid-1980s, and insiders and former staff members give the lowdown on just how ruthless and resilient the carrier had to be to soar above the competition. It\u2019s a reminder that this is O\u2019Leary\u2019s world, and we\u2019re lucky to get a cramped seat to fly in it. <\/p>\n

HighlightsThe Other Bennet Sister Sunday, BBC1, 8pm \"EllaElla Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister. Photograph: BBC\/Bad Wolf <\/p>\n

On a sunny spring day, we like nothing better than going boating on the Thames with a picnic and our well-thumbed copy of Pride and Prejudice, don\u2019t you know. But whenever we reach the last page, we often wonder, why didn\u2019t Jane Austen spend more time developing the character of the seldom-seen, somewhat dorky middle Bennet sister, Mary? Happily, author Janice Hadlow redressed the balance with her acclaimed novel, in which Mary emerges from her sisters\u2019 shadows and sets off on her own adventure into London\u2019s high society, and into the wide-open spaces of Britain\u2019s Lake District. <\/p>\n

Ella Bruccoleri stars as Mary in this new period drama based on the novel, with Richard E Grant and Ruth Jones as her parents, the Bennets, keen to get their five unmarried daughters launched on the social scene in Regency London. Laurie Davidson and D\u00f3nal Finn star as Mary\u2019s would-be suitors, but alas, wearing spectacles is not the done thing when looking for a husband, nor is being the smartest debutante in the room, and Mary will have to establish her own identity and find her own direction if she is going to make her mark in the world.<\/p>\n

The Great House RevivalSunday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.30pm \"IrishIrish architect Hugh Wallace died halfway through making this The Great House Revival series <\/p>\n

Hugh Wallace<\/a> brought an expert eye and an infectious enthusiasm to every series of The Great House Revival, and last year began work on a new series, charting eight huge home restoration projects around the country. Many of these properties had become derelict and dilapidated, but once again Wallace\u2019s positivity and obvious pleasure at seeing these old buildings brought back to life proved an inspiration to homeowners as they took on the challenging work. When Wallace died halfway through making the series, and shortly after completing the 12th series of Home of the Year, the world of entertainment and architecture were left devastated. To honour his memory, and celebrate his passion for built heritage and history, his good friend Brendan Courtney has stepped in to help see Wallace\u2019s final project through to the end, finishing off the remaining filming on the series, and meeting many of the homeowners who have completed their restoration projects. <\/p>\n

Oscars LiveSunday, RT\u00c92, 11pm & ITV\"JessieJessie Buckley is among the nominees for best actress at the Oscars this year. Photograph: Kate Green\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for the 98th Academy Awards<\/a> at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, so get the popcorn in and get ready for a marathon gong session, as the great and good of the \u201cmotion picture\u201d industry gather to honour their peers and maybe even act out a few beefs that are bound to go viral. Irish film fans will be cancelling work on Monday morning to stay up and see if Jessie Buckley does the business and bags the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Hamnet. There are other Irish hopefuls to keep fingers crossed for: film-maker John Kelly, who is nominated alongside Andrew Freedman for the animated short Retirement Plan, and Element Pictures, the excellent production team behind Best Picture nominee Bugonia. If you haven\u2019t got the stamina to stay up half the night, or the boss has turned down your request for Monday off, highlights from the extravaganza will be aired on RT\u00c92 on Monday at 9.30pm.<\/p>\n

Ronan Keating\u2019s Wild AtlanticMonday, BBC One, 8pm\"InIn the first episode, Keating challenges his nephew to a traditional Irish game of road bowling. Photograph: BBC\/Alley Cats <\/p>\n

The Boyzone man and the Beeb have been having a great aul\u2019 love-in lately, with Keating headlining the broadcaster\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve show at its Riverside Studios, and getting lots of love from viewers. Now, he\u2019s joined forces with BBC again for this very personal travel series, taking viewers on a tour along the Wild Atlantic Way, from Cork and Kerry up to Mayo and Sligo, on to Donegal and ending in Derry. It\u2019ll be an emotional rollercoaster for Ro as he revisits his own childhood and reconnects with his family along the way. In the first episode, Keating challenges his nephew Ruair\u00ed to a traditional Irish game of road bowling, learns the art of foraging and gets some Zen healing at Ireland\u2019s first Tibetan Buddhist temple. <\/p>\n

Sl\u00e1n go FeoilSunday, RT\u00c9, March 16th \"ClaireClaire and husband Mick with their dog Buster on Sl\u00e1n go Feoil <\/p>\n

With a punning title as Gaeilge to challenge the mighty Is Mise Le Mess, this new series sees a group of lifelong meat-eaters from Kerry, Donegal and Belfast taking up the challenge to go vegetarian. They\u2019ll have to swear off the animal protein substances for an entire month and survive on a plant-based diet \u2013 a big ask for these committed carnivores. This disparate group includes husband and wife Patrick and Helena, who converted their butcher\u2019s shop into a B&B; Donegal parish priest Fr Brian \u00d3 Fearraigh, who is rebuilding his chapel following a fire, and also hoping to treat his own body as a temple by going veggie; Belfast journalist Storm, who is hoping a veggie diet will help her cut down on costs as well as calories; and Irish-language rapper Conor, who is having a serious beef with his dietary choices. <\/p>\n

Welcome to Moore StreetThursday, RT\u00c9 One, 10.15pm\"MamaMama Shee, a social worker and entrepreneur, can be found at the Moore Street markets selling jollof rice and other Nigerian foods <\/p>\n

It\u2019s Dublin\u2019s oldest street market, long seen as the heart and soul of inner-city Dublin, and this documentary tracks how the historic shopping street has changed and evolved over the years. It\u2019s faced closure, and was threatened with demolition, but Moore Street is still alive, and today it\u2019s where a diverse group of locals and immigrants ply their trade in a bustling, colourful, noisy market. Many of these traders are featured in the series, including the 100-year-old Troy\u2019s Butchers, run by fifth-generation butcher Stephen Troy, who is hoping to keep the business going into its second century, and Nigerian social worker and entrepreneur Edizemi, who arrived in Ireland as an asylum seeker more than 20 years ago, and who runs her food stall Mama Shee, where she cooks up classic Nigerian comfort food including jollof rice. <\/p>\n

Comic Relief: Funny for MoneyFriday, BBC One, 7pm<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Red Nose Day on BBC, which means it\u2019s time for a host of celebrities to act the eejit for a good cause: raising funds for various charity projects in both the UK and around the world. The presenting team for this three-hour special includes Davina McCall, Joel Dommett, Catherine Tate, Nick Mohammed and Katherine Ryan, but the star list doesn\u2019t stop there. Expect some very famous faces to pop up in a world exclusive of Traitors: The Movie: The Sequel, while hit comedy show Amandaland returns, featuring several famous Amandas. Also, Catherine Tate will reanimate her most famous comedy creation, the dyspeptic pensioner Nan, while Dermot O\u2019Leary and Alison Hammond hit on a great fundraising idea: just rob a bank. <\/p>\n

StreamingImperfect WomenFrom March 18th, Apple TV<\/p>\n

Mary, Eleanor and Nancy have been besties for, oh, ages now, but there\u2019s nothing like a murder to test those bonds of friendships. Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara star in this psychological thriller series based on the novel by Araminta Hall. When the three friends meet up one night for a celebration, it turns out to be their last occasion together, as Nancy\u2019s body is found soon afterwards. Police suspicion falls on Mary and Eleanor, and soon secrets are exposed as the truth starts to trickle out. \u201cThis thing that the three of you had, I don\u2019t even know what to call it, but it wasn\u2019t a friendship,\u201d says one cop. Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll and Leslie Odom jnr costar.<\/p>\n

DeadlochFrom March 20th, Prime Video<\/p>\n

The hit crime comedy from Down Under returns for a second series, and this one promises to be sweatier, stickier and snappier than ever, as the detective duo of Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe move to the tropical Northern Territory to investigate the murder of Eddie\u2019s former colleague Bushy. They\u2019ll face some serious perils in this muggy, humid and hostile environment, including swamps, suspicious locals, crocodiles and a nasty dose of thrush. Kate Box and Madeleine Sami return as Dulcie and Eddie, with Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardner back as Abby and Cath, and Luke Hemsworth joining the cast as Jason. Writers Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan promise more madcap fun, mayhem and of course, murder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pick of the weekTurbulence: The Story of RyanairMonday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.35pm When Ryanair started out 40 years ago,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[265],"tags":[3412,52,18,117,115738,19,17,26303,24510,1843,7012,35,1181,623,176783,128,12844],"class_list":["post-386475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-bbc","tag-dublin","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-hugh-wallace","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-language","tag-jessie-buckley","tag-michael-oleary","tag-oscars","tag-ronan-keating","tag-rte","tag-ryanair","tag-tony-ryan","tag-tv","tag-tv-guide"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116233596669792732","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}