Sunday's TV tips

Check out our guide to the best of tonight's TV.

Sunday's TV tips

FILM: Dr Seuss’ The Lorax (Channel 4, 5.20pm)

(2012) Twelve-year-old Ted Wiggins lives in the carefully controlled utopia of Thneed-ville with his mother and feisty grandmother Norma.

Town mayor Aloysius O’Hare provides the residents with all they need including blissful sunshine – everything except for real plants, which are manufactured in a factory.

Ted pines for the girl next door, Audrey, who wants to see a real-life tree growing in her backyard.

So the smitten lad seeks out a hermit called the Once-ler, who apparently knows why all of the Truffula trees disappeared from Thneed-ville.

Integral to the plot is the legendary and slightly annoying guardian of the forest known as The Lorax.

Starring: (The voices of) Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Betty White, Rob Riggle, Elmarie Wendel, Jenny Slate

SPORT: Golf: The Masters Live (BBC2, 6.30pm)

Who will be wearing the famous green jacket by the end of play today? And will there be a British winner?

Frankly, it’s about time somebody from these shores did so. The last time it happened was in 1996 when Nick Faldo donned this most unusual of trophies after winning the third of his Masters titles. A shocking state of affairs if ever there was one.

Really, it’s a surprise there hasn’t been anyone since then. Even Europeans in general have struggled to make their mark at the Augusta National in Georgia - perhaps that will all change in just a few short hours.

Lee Westwood was the highest-placed Brit in seventh at the 2014 competition, with Bubba Watson winning for the second time in three years.

Hazel Irvine introduces the action, while commentary comes from Peter Alliss, Ken Brown, Andrew Cotter and Paul Azinger.

FILM: Man on a Ledge (TV3, 9pm)

(2012) As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.

Starring: Sam Worthington, Mandy Gonzalez, William Sadler

DRAMA: Poldark (BBC1, 9pm)

Does Ross ever have time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labours? It seems not, because every time he achieves something, another event takes place that needs his urgent attention.

That’s certainly the case this week.

The Carnmore smelting company is a success and he outbids George for copper at auction – something that really gets up his rival’s nose. So, Ross should be in a good mood, and he no doubt would be if he hadn’t heard about the fever sweeping through Bodmin Jail which is putting Jim’s life in danger.

Ross and Zacky break Jim out to save his life – but what will the repercussions be for those involved?

Ross also reluctantly attends George’s grand ball, but he clearly isn’t in the mood for frolicking with those he holds responsible for Jim’s incarceration. Instead, he gets roaring drunk, leaving Demelza to fend for herself at her first-ever high society event.

DRAMA: Indian Summers (Channel 4, 9pm)

For years, ever since he was a little boy, Ralph has always had Cynthia fighting his corner.

Unfortunately, their relationship has gone through the wringer in recent weeks, and as the epic drama reaches its penultimate episode, matters come to a head.

A bitter row ensues which leaves them both devastated – are they about to go their separate ways for good, or can the rift be mended?

Meanwhile, it seems that Alice’s well-kept secret is about to be broadcast to the world. Sarah knows that her husband is still alive and threatens to break the news to everyone at the club – unless Alice can find a way to silence her.

Madeleine is also beside herself with worry after receiving devastating news, but it’s Aafrin who could be in the greatest danger. An incriminating note from him to Sita gives Sergeant Singh an opportunity to blackmail him into joining a terrorist group.

FILM: Olympus Has Fallen (Channel 5, 9pm)

(2013) Secret service operative Mike Banning is dismissed from duty after a tragic accident.

As he prepares to leave his assignment, the White House is compromised in a mere 13 minutes by Korean terrorists who stay one step ahead of the US defence forces. However, they don’t count on Banning, who works in a nearby building.

The lead bad guy is desperate to get his hands on the codes for Cerberus, a top secret device capable of wiping out most of America.

As the drama unfolds, every attempt by outside forces to stop the terrorists ends in bloodshed, but Banning will stop at nothing to save the day.

Compared to the hugely enjoyable White House Down, which tackled the same idea, this is a by-the-numbers thriller, with Gerard Butler going through the motions as the John McClane clone Banning. It’s worth a look, but the overly violent tone may leave some watching through latticed fingers.

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster and Angela Bassett.

DRAMA: Tatau (BBC3, 10pm)

You may not know Richard Zajdlic’s name, but you’ll probably be familiar with his work.

He’s worked on such projects as New Tricks, Clocking Off and This Life – and he’s back on the box with a new drama that may send shivers down the spine of anyone preparing to go travelling.

“Kyle and Budgie are two average Joes, best mates – go to any pub or workplace in England and you’ll find them,” says Richard. “They want to travel the world having fun and adventures and escape the grey, monotonous pressures of normal everyday life.”

So far, so good.

But Kyle has a self-designed tattoo on one arm which causes consternation among the locals when the duo arrive on the South Pacific island of Manutaki, where body art isn’t a fashion statement – they’re a a deeply personal reflection of an individual’s spirit, origin and history.

Kyle wants to know what they find so upsetting about his tattoo – and opens up a terrible can of worms in the process.

DOCUMENTARY: Would You Believe? The Tuam Babies (RTE One, 10.35pm)

Local historian, Catherine Corless found herself catapulted into the public eye, when news that there were possibly as many as 800 babies buried in an unmarked mass grave in Tuam, Co Galway, hit the headlines last summer.

That discovery turned her into a media celebrity overnight but also led to her meeting and helping many men and women born in the Tuam Home anxious to trace their roots and finally be free of the shame Irish society had made them feel about their birth.

Catherine’s research proved what locals had long believed, children who died in the Home had been unofficially buried in its grounds.

In the 1970s local residents tended a small grotto in the middle of a housing estate where babies were believed to be buried. Through tenacious research, Catherine has given each of these 796 children a name and told their story to the world.

She hopes that the public enquiry will restore their dignity and self respect and give them the sense of validation they so richly deserve.

FILM: The Final Destination (Channel 4, 11.10pm)

(2009) Originally filmed in eye-popping 3D, the gleefully gory fourth instalment from director David R Ellis sees body parts flying all over the screen, accompanied by fountains of blood and the occasional one-liner.

Bobby Campo plays the lead who saves his friends and other bystanders from certain death at a speedway track, then sees them killed one by one as death restores its true order.

If you can get past the fact that there’s nothing new here - it’s just as formulaic as the past few efforts – then yes, it’s not bad. Settle back, slip your brain into neutral and enjoy.

Starring: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb, Mykelti Williamson, Krista Allen.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

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