TV guide: 12 of the best shows to watch this week, beginning tonight

From a concert to mark the coronation of King Charles to Ireland’s Eurovision semi-final

Conor O'Donohoe of Ireland’s representatives for Eurovision 2023, Wild Youth. Photograph: Jeff Spicer/Getty
Conor O'Donohoe of Ireland’s representatives for Eurovision 2023, Wild Youth. Photograph: Jeff Spicer/Getty

Coronation Concert

Sunday, BBC One, 8pm

After all the formalities of Saturday’s coronation ceremony, King Charles is probably ready to kick back, throw on a pair of jeans and catch a few live bands. And as it happens, there’s a big gig booked for Winsdor Castle, on the East Lawn to be precise, and 10,000 lucky guests will join Charles and Camilla as they rock out to such superstars as Katy Perry, Take That, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and Freya Ridings. Who knows, maybe the king and queen consort will drop into the mosh pit for a bit of a crowd-surf.

God, swerve the king: rock’n’roll proclaims independence from the royalsOpens in new window ]

Kin

Sunday, RTÉ One, 9.30pm

The second series of RTE’s newest crime drama reaches its explosive finale, and judging by the viewership figures so far, it looks as though Montrose has found its worthy successor to Love/Hate. Series two has already clocked up more than 1.1 million streams on the RTÉ Player, as viewers are riveted by the ongoing saga of the Kinsella crime family. The station is not giving much away about what happens in the series finale, but we do know that the conflict will go into overdrive as Amanda (Clare Dunne) will do what’s necessary to survive, while Nikita (Yasmin Seky) and Anthony (Mark McKenna jnr) are forced to face the consequences of their actions.

Missing: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle

Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Annie McCarrick disappeared in 1993. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins
Annie McCarrick disappeared in 1993. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins

The mysterious disappearance of several young women in the 1990s left authorities baffled, and opened the door for the conspiracy theorists. The disappearances took place with a so-called “Vanishing Triangle”, leading to wild speculation about a possible connection between these disappearances, and even rumours that a serial killer may be at work. This two-part series looks back through the case files, beginning with the disappearance of Annie McCarrick in 1993, and sets out to show that the main connection between these events is the tragedy of the women’s disappearance, and the devastation felt by their families, who are still looking for answers.

Carl Frampton: Men in Crisis

Monday, BBC One, 10.30pm
Carl Frampton in Men in Crisis. Photograph: BBC
Carl Frampton in Men in Crisis. Photograph: BBC

Champion boxer Carl Frampton is on a mission to find out why so many young men in Northern Ireland take their own lives, and explores the options for men to seek help for their mental health issues. The problem is particularly bad in north Belfast, where Frampton grew up, and he visits local hubs where men can meet and discuss the challenges they face, and meets young men struggling with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, and dealing with the social stigma associated with poor mental health.

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Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final 1

Tuesday, BBC One, 8pm

It’s the first of two semi-finals for this year’s Eurovision, when musicians and singers from all over Europe (but not Russia) compete for the chance to strut their stuff in Saturday’s final, live from Liverpool. Ireland is among the hopefuls in tonight’s heat, and we’re pinning all our hopes on four young lads from Dublin, Wild Youth, and their song We Are One. Some of us, though, will wonder what might have been if John Lydon and Public Image Limited got to represent us in Liverpool.

Mad Women

Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
 Mad Women
Mad Women

Wonder what Don Draper would have made of this: women coming up with memorable ad campaigns and not just being eye candy in the office. In this programme, we’ll meet the pioneering women who created some of the most iconic ads on the telly, including Shake & Vac, Lynx, Levi’s and Flake. We’ll also meet the women at the cutting edge of today multimedia advertising campaigns and get a glimpse in the future of ads.

Taking Sides: Britain and the Civil War

Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Michael Portillo in Taking Sides: Britain and the Civil War. Photograph: RTÉ
Michael Portillo in Taking Sides: Britain and the Civil War. Photograph: RTÉ

Besides being telly’s most prominent train traveller, Michael Portillo is also somewhat of an armchair expert in Anglo-Irish affairs, particularly Britain’s relationship with Ireland at crucial points in history. In this new series, Portillo examines Britain’s response to the Irish Civil War, and how the government faced the dilemma of which side of the conflict to support. Portillo sifts through the historical archives to tell the story of the Civil War from a very British perspective.

Food Matters

Wednesday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm

The food sustainability series comes to a close. Presenter Michael Kelly meets environmental scientist Odile Le Bolloch, of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Wexford to find out how serious Ireland’s food waste problem is. The results are shocking: in 2020, nearly a third of food in Irish households got thrown out. He also talks to Irish Times journalist Conor Pope about public attitudes to food waste, and meets several entrepreneurs who are working on innovative solutions to food waste.

Inside No 9

Thursday, BBC Two, 10pm

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith return with series eight of their macabre comedy series, with another batch of twisted tales revolving around the number nine. Judging from last week’s bloody episode, Mother’s Ruin, the League of Gentlemen duo can still write a gripping story with lots of schlock value, so prepare for a rollercoaster ride to the dark side in this penultimate series (the duo say they’ll wrap it up neatly after series nine, but who knows?).

Ré Réabhlóide, CLG agus Cogadh na gCarad

Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm

The Irish Civil War left a lot of open wounds in Irish society, with families, friendships and communities torn apart by the conflict. One unlikely organisation emerged to spur healing: the GAA. Having previously embodied the revolutionary spirit, the sports organisation soon became a force for reconciliation, slowly knitting sundered relationships back together. Gaelic games presenter Gráinne McElwain explores this pivotal time in the history of the GAA and looks at how even in Kerry – the scene of many atrocities – people on both sides of the conflict were able to put bitterness aside and come together on the playing field.

I’m A Celebrity South Africa Final

Friday, UTV & VM1, 9pm

It’s the final week of the new I’m A Celebrity iteration, and viewers’ endurance has been tested to the limit as this motley crew of previous I’m a Celebrity participants battles to see who’s the biggest glutton for punishment. With no public vote, and the series pre-recorded, the viewers might feel a little left out of the party. Still the “celebs” seem to be still having a suitably horrid time taking part in all the icky tests and trials. Tonight we’ll find out who will be crowned the first I’m a Celebrity Legend, but fans will be looking forward to when the live action returns to Australia.

The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show

Friday, BBC One, 11.10pm

If RTÉ are looking for a new Tubs to present The Late Late Show, maybe they could check out a few podcasts. This real-life married couple started off presenting their own hit podcast, and now they’re back for the second series of their TV chatshow, in which they’re joined by various celebrity guests to poke fun at relationships, parenting, life, the universe and everything. The series will feature slots such as Please Keep Me Anonymous, in which intimate secrets are shared with the world, and a new twist on decluttering called It Goes Or I Go.