Monday’s TV tips
A prequel to the hit TV series, it sees the birth of James T Kirk, his youth in Iowa, and eventual enlistment into Starfleet in an attempt to make sense of his life.
However, as he crosses paths with a few familiar faces - Leonard ’Bones’ McCoy and Uhura to name two – it’s his uneasy alliance with half-Vulcan Spock that forms the backbone of the drama.
As the Enterprise crew tackle the villainous Nero, an aged face from the future helps them on their quest.
This is rguably the best of the film saga, it opens with a heart-breaking prologue (perfect for pulling in non-Trek fans), and rarely lets up for the duration. Chris Pine is a great Kirk, but Zachary Quinto is uncanny as a young Spock.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Eric Bana, Simon Pegg.
It’s cold and dark and, if we’re honest, preening our lawns to perfection is probably the last thing on our minds at the moment – and that’s just those of us who have sizeable gardens to worry about.
What about the folk who have very little space to play around with, and are at a loss as to know what to do with that small garden full stop, never mind maintain it?
Well, Monty Don is your man and it’s on the Beeb where you’ll find the green-fingered guru helping amateur horticulturists for the next few nights.
Monty is turning his attention to small or average-sized spaces, and helping owners do something extraordinary with them. First up, he follows a couple attempting to turn a clay-clogged building site in Petworth, West Sussex, into a piece of Portugal.
Meanwhile, another couple tackle years of overgrowth in their new back garden in their determination to create a productive space.
This week we meet Pat McCann the extraordinary hotelier with €500m to spend on the Irish hotel sector; the married couple at the heart of a thriving Armagh food enterprise, Kestrel Foods, and the technology duo behind Movidius who are changing the way we see the world around us.
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year presents The Entrepreneurs – a new documentary series that goes deep into the personal stories behind many of Ireland’s top entrepreneurs.
In episode 4 of the documentary series, we meet Pat McCann the extraordinary hotelier with €500m to spend on the Irish hotel sector; the married couple at the heart of a thriving Armagh food enterprise, Kestrel Foods, and the technology duo behind Movidius who are changing the way we see the world around us.
The featured entrepreneurs are all shortlisted for this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award.
The final episode of the current run sees the UCOS team working on possibly their most harrowing case yet, after a dug-up time capsule is found to contain a cassette tape made by a murdered school girl.
Amy Taskerland was just 16 when she was murdered on the night of her school disco in 1983. The team have no time to waste as they interview her best friend Harriet, as well as current headteacher Mr Hines, who had been Amy’s teacher.
It falls to Dan Griffin to analyse the tape, which seems to be a strange mix of poetry. However, he discovers that Amy is actually reciting a speech written in secret for the Queen, but only intended for broadcast should there be a nuclear war.
The question is, how did the troubled schoolgirl get hold of it, and did her possession of the incendiary state secret lead to her murder?
Meanwhile, Gerry Standing attends his future son-in-law’s stag night, and Miller enjoys the first throes of romance since her divorce.
Robson Green is nothing if not versatile.
When he’s not indulging his favourite past time of fishing, he can usually be found here, starring as Geordie Keating in this superb detective drama.
Tonight’s episode see heartbroken vicar Sidney turning to the bottle after being asked to perform Guy and Amanda’s wedding ceremony. To take his mind off things, he agrees to help parishioner Isabel prepare for her upcoming nuptials to new man in town, Arthur.
However, mother of the bride Daisy looks set to throw a spanner in the works, as she tells anyone who will listen that her son-in-law to be is out to kill her.
When Daisy is found dead, Mrs Maguire calls Geordie in to investigate, and it’s not long before Sidney is reluctantly dragged into the whole thing. And when Arthur and Isabel push for a fast cremation of the body, suspicions are piqued...
Jean Marsh and Isla Blair guest star.
Philip Boucher Hayes and Grainne Seoige with reconstructions, CCTV footage and live studio appeals to look for information from the public, to help with Garda investigations.
Crimecall returns – for its eleventh series – to Monday nights on RTÉ ONE with Philip Boucher Hayes and Grainne Seoige at the helm.
Each month this long-running, popular programme uses reconstructions, CCTV footage and live studio appeals to look for information from the public, to help with Garda investigations.
Calls to the programme have helped lead to numerous convictions over the previous ten series.
Perhaps Hammer studio’s finest horror about the Transylvanian vampire count (Christopher Lee) and his arrival in period Yorkshire.
The bloodsucker’s latest victim was a man sent to slay him, and setting out in search of further prey, Dracula stalks the family of his would-be assassin. However, he hadn’t banked on a fearless doctor and supernatural expert getting involved and vowing to bring his reign of terror to an end.
Is It Any Good? It’s certainly well worth a look, although it was followed by a series of weaker incarnations. Lee and Peter Cushing are just two of the reasons to tune in – they turn out stunning performances, and have amazing presence in the film.
Michael Gough also provides great support, in an effort from Terence Fisher that somehow, even over half a century later, manages to stand the test of time.
Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling
