Wednesday’s TV tips

What should you watch tonight? These things.

Wednesday’s TV tips

FILM: Chocolat (Film4, 6.35pm)

(2000) A woman and her daughter settle down in a sleepy French village after drifting around Europe, and open a chocolate shop opposite the Catholic parish church during Lent.

At first the locals are outraged, but some of them start to come round to the idea after they get a taste of the confectioner’s wares.

And it’s not long before she’s having an effect on more than just the villagers’ diets, as she starts to change their lives for the better.

As you might expect from the title, you do need a bit of a sweet tooth to enjoy this romantic drama, which is adapted from Joanne Harris’s novel.

However, if you’re in the mood for something indulgent, this should definitely hit the spot, with chocolate-box locations, a feel-good plot and Johnny Depp. What’s not to love?

Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Judi Dench

ENTERTAINMENT: The National Television Awards – Live! (UTV, 7.30pm)

The votes have been counted, the tuxedos and posh frocks cleaned and pressed, and the limousines to London’s O2 have been booked.

Yes, it’s time for the National Television Awards to take place, and unlike many trophy-giving showbiz ceremonies, the winners have been decided by you, the public.

Anyone was free to vote via the NTA website, and the list of nominees certainly throws up some intriguing battles – where else would Mary Berry be taking on Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and David Walliams but in the best TV judge category?

Our money is on the Bake-Off queen, as it is on Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire, who is nominated for best drama performance alongside Downton Abbey’s Maggie Smith, Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch and Cilla’s Sheridan Smith.

Dermot O’Leary hosts the event, which also features such categories as talent show, serial drama, daytime, chat show, factual, entertainment programme and comedy.

The Holiday Show Ireland (TV3, 8pm)

Get ready for sun, sea, sightseeing and adventure this January when TV3’s fun-filled and action-packed travel series, The Holiday Show returns to our screens with six half hour episodes.

Presented by Jon Slattery and Ciara Whelan, the series cover everything from romantic get-aways to winter fun!

County Wicklow

This week, Ciara and Jon are going all out on their visit to County Wicklow and treating themselves to a stay at Powerscourt Hotel Resort Spa.

From a picnic on the River Walk to the Espa Spa Treatments to fine dining at Sika Restaurant there is no need to leave the hotel, though it does make the perfect spot for exploring the rest of the Garden of Ireland.

Jon tries the East Coast waves surfing in Maghermore and later joins Ciara as they forage for some wild foods to bring to Glendalough Distillery to make a flavoured local gin.

FILM: Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (ITV4, 8pm)

(1991) They may seem like a couple of nice-but-dim metal fans, but best mates Bill and Ted are destined to bring the world together with their music.

However, the villainous De Nomolos hates the nice, rock-loving future, and sends two robot doppelgangers back in time to kill the pair before they achieve fame – forcing the real Bill and Ted to take on the Grim Reaper so they can return to Earth in time to win a vital Battle of Bands contest.

It may be daft, but this comedy sequel is also funny, charming and frequently inventive.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are perfectly cast as Bill and Ted, but they are given a run for their money by William Sadler’s Grim Reaper, especially in the brilliant scene where they parody Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal by challenging him to a game of Battleships.

It’s further proof that like the titular duo, the Bill & Ted movies are smarter than they look...

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Joss Ackland, William Sadler, George Carlin, Sarah Trigger,

DOCUMENTARY: Pets – Wild at Heart (BBC1, 8pm)

When you think about it, having a pet is an odd idea. The notion of sharing your home with an animal is potentially dangerous – they were once wild, after all, and some believe their true natures are lurking just below the surface.

This new, two-part documentary aims to shed light on that idea. It discusses how despite thousands of years of domestication, common household pets still display primitive behaviour – which most of their owners probably haven’t even noticed.

Much of it appears to be harmless, from playful puppies and hamsters running on a wheel to chirping budgies and scratching cats, but there is some significance there.

There’s also a chance to sample life on two islands in Japan, one of which is crowded by rabbits and the other by cats, and there’s footage of the Peruvian dogs that give up their home comforts once a day to behave as their ancestors once did.

HEALTH: Operation Transformation (RTE One, 8.30pm)

After the highs of leading the country on our Nationwide Walks, the strain is beginning to show for some of our leaders.

Once again, this year we are calling on schools to get involved in the nation’s transformation.

This week we launch our brand new Fit at School, Fit Forever campaign, highlighting the urgent need to introduce physical education teachers in our primary schools.

IRISH DRAMA: Red Rock (TV3, 8.30pm)

A mystery woman causes trouble for Garda Sharon Cleere and her colleague Paudge. As they investigate further, they discover something that could land them in hot water.

When Bridget rejects a mystery caller, panic sets in for her.

Sexual tension hits Red Rock as Liam tries to keep things professional and business-like with café landlord Patricia Hennessy, but their rendezvous planned for Friday seems to suggest otherwise.

Over at the Kiely household, sparks are flying as Katie tries to restore order to the family.

Elsewhere, Bridget has her sights set on winning back ex-husband, Vincent, and she won’t take no for an answer.

DOCUMENTARY: Bodyshockers: Nips, Tucks and Tattoos (Channel 4, 10pm)

It’s been a busy couple of years for the lovely Katie Piper. As if it wasn’t brilliant enough that her presenting career is coming on leaps and bounds, she’s also enjoying the first few chaotic months of motherhood and recently became engaged.

As this fantastic series continues, Katie meets air steward Rodrigo, who’s had 24 cosmetic procedures and spent £125,000 in trying to transform himself.

And then there’s Hannah, who is preparing herself for three procedures in one go in the hope that she’ll be given an hourglass figure.

Meanwhile, Ernesto explains that he’s spent two years stretching his ears – but is now desperate to reverse the process.

Katie also meets regretful Stacey, who wishes she’d never had her 65 tattoos done, and Michael, who is undergoing a procedure to have hair taken out of the back of his head and implanted in his face – to give him the bushy beard he’s yearned for for so long.

COMEDY: Up the Women (BBC2, 11.25pm)

If you’re in need of a pick me up after the traumas of Wolf Hall, which is being broadcast immediately before it, then Up the Women should provide it.

The first series was shown on BBC Four, but clearly went down well because this time, it’s moving up in the world – to BBC Two.

Jessica Hynes has once again written the scripts and heads the cast as Margaret, leader of a group of hapless suffragettes who, in 1910 Oxfordshire, are campaigning for votes for women, but not really getting anywhere with it.

This time, the ladies have planned to go on a hunger strike – until Gwen arrives with cheese for everyone. Meanwhile, Helen annoys Emily by trying to arrange a liaison between her and an eligible bachelor, prompting Myrtle to encourage Thomas to make a move on her instead.

Rebecca Front, Judy Parfitt, Geordia Groome and Vicki Pepperdine are among the supporting cast.

FILM: Bad Boys (3e, 11pm)

(1995) From top producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2, Days of Thunder) comes Bad Boys, with Academy Award nominee Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami cops who must find $100 million in stolen heroin before their department is shut down.

With time running out, detectives Burnett (Lawrence) and Lowrey (Smith) track a master thief into the Miami underworld, dodging bullets and bad guys along the way.

A sexy witness (Tea Leoni) can identify the suspect, but a mix-up causes her to believe Burnett is Lowrey, forcing the partners to switch identities.

Now, between shoot-outs and car chases, married man Burnett has to stick close to their only witness, while playboy Lowrey goes home to his partner's wife and kids to learn the joys of parenthood . . . the hard way.

Starring: : Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Tea Leoni.

FILM: The Ring (BBC1, 12.30am)

(2002) It’s an American remake of the 1998 Japanese chiller, Ringu.

Journalist Rachel looks into the case of a group of teenagers who died after watching a supposedly cursed videotape (remember those?) that is said to cause anyone who views it to perish seven days later.

It may sound like an urban myth, but after sitting through the tape herself, Rachel realises it’s all too real – and that unless she finds out where the footage came from, she and her family will be the next victims.

Fans of the Japanese original may feel that it doesn’t quite capture that movie’s innate creepiness, especially in the final third.

But judged on its own merits, this is still a gripping, atmospheric horror, which makes the most of an intriguing premise without resulting to cheap shocks and gore.

The cast is also a cut above the usual slasher-fodder, with Naomi Watts in particular making for a strong, convincing heroine.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman, Jane Alexander

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