Lots of music tonight as Pat Shortt and Mike Hanrahan host Songs of Ireland, there's Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, a Swedish pop documentary and a Neil Diamond night on BBC Two . . .
Pick of the Day
Pat Shortt and his old friend, Stockton’s Wing frontman Mike Hanrahan, take a musical road trip around Ireland to discover the history behind some of our greatest songs.
Then, they perform those songs in local venues with both new and established local musicians.
It’s basically a combination of music, history, travel and craic.
In episode one, Pat and Mike begin their journey in the latter’s native Clare where they perform Spancil Hill with Tara Breen before moving on to Limerick where they perform a spoken word version of The Limerick Rake with Willzee (William Casey).
Leaving Limerick, they travel to Castlemaine in Kerry where they meet Lorraine Nash and collaborate on The Wild Colonial Boy.
Ballycotton in Cork is the next stop where Sophie and Laura O’Keefe, better known as the group Kudos bring their own take to The Bauld Thady Quill.
The show comes to a finish in Pat’s beloved Tipperary and Norma Manly joins the pair for a heart-breaking version of Patrick Sheehan (The Glen of Aherlow).
New or Returning Shows
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, 9.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW
The life of Syd Barrett, founding member of psychedelic superstars Pink Floyd, is full of unanswered questions. Until now.
Piecing together his comet-like rise to pop stardom, his creative and destructive impulses, breakdown, exit from the band and subsequent life alone, this feature-length documentary is set against the social context of the explosive 1960s.
Directed by Storm Thorgerson (Hipgnosis) and award-winning director Roddy Bogawa, it features new interviews with Syd’s friends, lovers, family and former Floyd band mates Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason.
Abba: 50 Years of Pop, 8.50pm, Channel 4
Yep. Even more Abba. But also more of a look at Sweden’s impact on pop in their wake.
Fifty years ago, Swedish group Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo, performing at Brighton Dome in the UK.
It was the moment that saw the group, and Swedish pop music, explode into the wider world's consciousness.
Archive footage tells the story of Sweden's impact on the charts, including performances by Europe, Max Martin, Roxette, Ace of Base and Robyn.
Don’t Miss
Neil Diamond at the BBC, 8.25pm, BBC Two
Opening a Neil Diamond night, this is the pick of the American singer-songwriter's performances for the UK broadcaster over the decades.
This compilation features performances from the early 1970s of hits such as Sweet Caroline, Forever in Blue Jeans and Solitary Man, and appearances on a range of BBC programmes including Wogan, The Shirley Bassey Show, Later with Jools Holland and Top of the Pops.
Alongside all the hits are some rarely seen interview clips that capture Neil's feelings about his enduring career and show how his dislike of fame has always sat in conflict with his passion for performing the songs that he and his fans love so much
Then at 9.25pm, there’s Neil Diamond: Solitary Man, a documentary charting the life and career of the American singer-songwriter.
That’s followed at 10.25pm by In Concert: Neil Diamond, a 1971 performance in which the singer-songwriter is joined by horn and string sections to perform a selection of his hits.
Neil Diamond: Electric Prom is next at 11.05pm and then at 12.10am there’s Neil Diamond: Radio 2 in Concert, where he performs songs from his album Home Before Dark - his 29th studio release.
Inspector Montalbano, 10.00pm, BBC Four
Another chance to see the feature-length final episode of the much-loved Italian crime drama set in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata.
Montalbano grapples with the murder of the leader of an amateur dramatics company whose peculiar take on theatre borders on fanaticism.
His assailant stabbed him in the chest, but without leaving a trace of blood. Might the key to discovering the identity of the killer be bound up in Catalanotti's disturbing conception of the stage?
New to Stream
The Lesson, Sky Cinema & NOW
Daryl McCormack, Richard E Grant, Julie Delpy, Crispin Letts, Stephen McMillan star in director Alice Troughton’s mystery thriller.
Liam (McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author JM Sinclair (Grant).
But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution.
Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Delpy), and their son Bertie (McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam's future as well as their own.
As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination.
Sport
Ireland v Scotland (Kick-off 2.30pm). All the action from both teams' final match of the championship, held at Kingspan Stadium.
Scotland claimed a comfortably 36-10 victory in Edinburgh last year to secure a fourth-placed finish, while Ireland ended a disappointing campaign bottom of the table with five defeats.
Dragons v Connacht (Kick-off 8.00pm). All the action from the match at Rodney Parade. Connacht are one of a number of teams battling to secure a place in the quarter-finals and they will expect to take the points against Dragons, who have found wins hard to come by this season.
Rugbaí Beo, 1.45pm, TG4
A triple header of United Rugby Championship action begins with Bulls v Ospreys (KO 2pm). at Loftus Versfield Stadium in Pretoria.
Followed by Lions v Munster (KO 4pm) from Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
Then at 6pm it’s Stormers v Leinster (Ko 6.05pm) from DHL Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
Saturday Cinema
Fine comedy, terrible time. Starring Oscar nominees Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant, the leads are pure magic together. It's Grant's best performance since the legendary Withnail and I.
While suffering financial troubles, writer Lee Israel starts forging and selling letters by dead celebrities, incorporating intimate details to command high prices.
She also starts stealing authentic letters from libraries and archives to sell, replacing them with forged duplicates.
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