THE REMOTE IS our weekly look at upcoming TV highlights.
Across TV and streaming services, we bring you some suggestions for your week’s viewing, based on quality, intrigue, and the simple likelihood that something might end up sparking an interesting discussion. Here’s what you should watch out for this week.
This week sees the arrival of Nothing Compares, a documentary on the life and times of Irish musician Sinéad O’Connor, to Now TV.
For anyone who missed it while it was in theatres, Kathryn Ferguson’s documentary picked up stellar reviews and currently holds a 99% rating on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes.
O’Connor’s life has been the subject of fascination to many on this island and the world over since she made her debut in the late 1980s and became an unignorable force, challenging Catholic tradition, human rights abuses and abuse of children, and the structures of success she found herself within.
Speaking to The Journal when the film was first released last year, Belfaster Ferguson said: “To have this radical icon from our island be treated the way she was, I honestly can say that that’s where the seeds for the film were really sown, because it just had a huge effect, a profound effect.”
The movie features “interviews and insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators who introduce broader themes of Irish history, politics, and global activism”. It’s a heart-rending watch that will make you question the way O’Connor has been treated throughout her career, and think about her place in the pantheon of Irish cultural icons.
The docu-film will be available on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV from 29 July.
On RTÉ One this Thursday at 9.35pm, Prime Time will run an exposé on landlords who are exploiting the sorry state of Ireland’s housing market to obtain sex from prospective renters.
The show will reveal footage of undercover journalism exposing landlords asking for sex “twice a week” from desperate renters and highlight the lack of protections available for vulnerable people in Ireland. The 30-second snippet below gives an insight into just how explosive these revelations might be.
RTÉ Investigates has gone undercover to meet landlords seeking sex in exchange for providing accommodation.
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) July 24, 2023
Watch the full report on Thursday on Prime Time at 9.35pm.#rtept | #rteinvestigates | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/XNRIMre5ia
Documentaries about cults are certainly having a moment these days, and Netflix look set to further capitalise on that interest with their new factual series How To Become A Cult Leader, which looks at the rise of six notorious cult leaders in recent history. This lands on Friday 28 July.
And, as if you need reminding, Ireland will play their second fixture of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at 1pm Ireland time on Wednesday on RTÉ 2.
It’s do-or-die for the girls in green. Canada’s nil-all draw with Nigeria means Vera Pauw’s women are still in with a solid chance of qualifying from Group B, but that will almost certainly require at least a draw against Canada on Wednesday morning, if not a win.
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