Monday's TV tips
Saving Ray is a brand new four-part TV3 special following 31 year old Dublin man Ray Adamson on an uplifting and emotional journey as he takes on a personal weight loss mission with one goal fixed in his mind, to see his boys grow into men.
Starting on a road of weight loss with a goal of losing four stone before his wedding, Ray must dramatically change his diet and that of his families in just 12 weeks.
At 28 stone, Ray must take on a gruelling exercise regime that will not only help shift his weight but also improve his overall fitness and health.
But, before all of this he must address why a 31 year old man has allowed his body weight to reach the size of three normal men.
There are around 37 million drivers in the UK. Some of them are great behind the wheel, while you’re left wondering how others ever managed to pass their test.
And then there are those who have been learning for years, but never seem to get any further – and we’re about to meet two of them in this documentary.
Mum of two Keeley is now 40 and has been having driving lessons for 21 years. She’s failed her test nine times, and puts it down to a lack of confidence behind the wheel.
“I can be an emotional wreck,” says Keeley. “Put me in a car with a tester and I just turn into a lump of jelly.”
She’s about to be taken under the wing of super-instructor Simon, while his colleague Ursula tackles retired teacher Malcolm.
“Malcolm’s driving I would score about two out of 10,” says Ursula.
Oh dear...
The IRA attempt on the life of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had struck at the heart of government. As dawn broke, the true audacity of the strike and how close Thatcher and her colleagues came to death became obvious. Despite this, she insisted that the conference continue, much to the surprise of many colleagues and observers.
Although the prime minister and her cabinet were unharmed, the explosion killed five people. Many more sustained serious injuries and some were left with permanent disabilities, including Margaret Tebbit, the wife of cabinet minister and confidant of the Prime Minister, Norman Tebbit.
The film hears from many who were close to the events of that evening, including Robin Butler, Thatcher’s private secretary, who was with her when the bomb went off, Norman Tebbit, who was also badly injured, and Michael Dobbs, then a government advisor and now a writer.
The story is illustrated by contributions from local journalists and rescue workers who witnessed the bomb and its aftermath at first hand.
They say that the pen is mightier than the sword – something that film critic Oliver Houghton should, perhaps, have kept in mind.
His body is found in the Thames at the point where the River Fleet runs into it. Was he killed because of something he wrote? Quite possibly, after all, these artistic types can be very touchy – one wrong word may have pushed a director or actor over the edge, prompting them to bump him off.
Sasha Miller isn’t immediately concerned about motive. Instead, she’s fed up that the case brings her back into contact with her ex-husband Ned Hancock.
UCOS get involved because Houghton was once questioned in connection with the murder of a conceptual artist 20 years ago – a case that has long been cold.
That death could be linked to some occult goings-on from the 1970s, and before long, the team is delving into a very murky world indeed.
When we’re children, we spend an awful lot of time hoping we can grow up fast so we don’t have to go to school or do whatever our parents tell us.
But then, once we reach adulthood, we wish we were kids again without the responsibilities that come with being out in the world.
Now Jon Richardson is about to explore the subjects that send shivers down the spine of reluctant thirtysomethings everywhere – things like mortgages, marriage and parenthood.
All three can be pretty scary, but where would the world be if we all shied away from them, and stayed at home with mummy and daddy forever?
Richardson will be accompanied along the way by his friend and fellow comedian Matt Forde, and they begin with an investigation into relationships, during which they meet a couple who have been married for 54 years as well as one of the UK’s leading matchmakers.
England’s green and pleasant land is about to be shattered by lies, murder and teenage problems in this new drama.
It’s set in Overton, a seemingly typical village where farming is everyone’s bread-and-butter, and race horses dominate their minds.
But this idyll isn’t quite what it seems. Scratch its surface and cracks soon begin to show – particularly among the area’s young residents who, in search of something to do, have adopted a variety of dangerous hobbies.
But who wanted one of them dead, and why? We’re about to find out as, during the course of an investigation into a teenager’s murder, various secrets are about to come to light...
Tommy Lawrence Wright takes a break from Waterloo Road to star, alongside Rizzle Kicks member Jordan Stephens, Submarine’s Yasmin Paige, Harry Potter’s Jessie Cave and Callum Turner, who was recently named as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.
Media tycoon Elliot Carver sparks a war between China and the West so he can cover it in his TV, magazines and newspapers – and there’s no prizes for guessing who’s called in to stop him.
Bond’s showdown with the sadistic Dr Kaufman is ’delicious’, there’s a car park chase to die for and a motorbike scene that would have given Evel Knievel nightmares.
Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as the suave superspy proves to be one of the most polished entries yet. Some would argue that it’s a patchy affair and certainly not as streamlined as GoldenEye, but TND bristles with fine moments.
It also boasts one of the best pre-credit scenes in the series’ history, thanks largely to the David Arnold score, Vic Armstrong’s stunt direction, and a near wordless performance from 007 causing havoc at a terrorist arms bazaar.
Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher
American writer Tom Ricks travels to Paris to win back his estranged wife and daughter and piece together his shattered existence.
Unfortunately, his attempts to woo back his family end in disappointment and Tom is forced to make ends meet by living in a rundown hotel in the suburbs and working as a night security guard.
Unexpectedly, Tom crosses paths with the elegant and seductive Margit and they begin a passionate affair, which consumes his every waking minute.
Then the husband falls victim to a series of bizarre events that endangers his daughter, and Rick senses the enigmatic Margit may not be all she appears.
Bafta Award winner Pawel Pawlikowski directs this fair adaptation of the best-selling novel by Douglas Kennedy. It’s helped by a great cast, and at 83 minutes there’s no chance of it outstaying its welcome.
Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig, Samir Guesmi, Delphine Chuillot, Julie Papillo
