Appetite for Distraction

What to watch and listen to this week: The making of modern Dublin and a Love Island finale

A new RTÉ documentary tells the story of a Dublin fireman a fireman who cycled around the city with a Brownie 8mm movie camera recording changes to his city from the 1950s to the 1970s

Leslie Crowe, a fireman who cycled around Dublin with a Brownie 8mm movie camera recording changes to the city from the 1950s to the 1970s, shown on Camera Bicycle Tripod, Sunday, 8pm, RTÉ One

Reviews and previews by Emmanuel Kehoe, Nadine O’Regan and Jenny Murphy Byrne

TV PICKS OF THE WEEK

Camera Bicycle Tripod, Sunday, 8pm, RTÉ One

This engaging documentary tells the story of Leslie Crowe, a fireman who cycled around Dublin with a Brownie 8mm movie camera recording changes to his city from the 1950s to the 1970s. Nuala O’Connor’s documentary looks at a collection whose footage documents a city undergoing radical modernisation: the demolition of tenements in the old city and the development of semi-rural villages into the suburbs of Coolock, Raheny and Santry, where he lived. Historian Diarmaid Ferriter and the IFI’s Kasandra O’Connell contribute, and Leslie’s daughters, Eileen Sweeney and Anne Crowe, speak of life in the Crowe family. EK

British soldier Alexander Blackman in War and Justice: The case of Marine A, Sunday, 9pm, Channel 4

War and Justice: The case of Marine A, Sunday, 9pm, Channel 4

This documentary follows the case of British soldier Alexander Blackman who shot dead a wounded and unarmed Afghan fighter in 2011. He was sentenced to life for murder in 2013, but the original court martial verdict was reduced to that of manslaughter in 2017 and Blackman was released that year. EK

Gemma Owen and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu in Love Island: The Live Final, Monday, 9pm, Virgin Media Two and UTV

Love Island: The Live Final, Monday, 9pm, Virgin Media Two and UTV

Yes, the reality series is finally drawing to a close, after plenty of dramatics, smooching, recouplings and some problematic scenes between the theoretically loved-up couples that have once again put its audience into the position of wondering whether endorsing this programme by watching it is really the right thing to do. Who will be crowned favourite couple and net the £50,000 cash prize? It hardly matters, now that Gemma Owen and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu have amassed over one million followers each, they’re already the winners in the real world, as big brand collaborations beckon. NO’R

Keith Byrne and Noel Murray in Nothing to Declare, Tuesday, 10.30pm, RTÉ 1

Nothing to Declare, Tuesday, 10.30pm, RTÉ 1

Directed by Garret Daly, this charming documentary revisits the adventures of Keith Byrne and Noel Murray, two Dubliners who managed to run away from their homes in Dublin – when they were aged just 10 and 13 – and make it the whole way to America, stowing themselves away on a transatlantic flight. Recounted by the men themselves as still mischievous and likeable adults, this is a heartwarming and loveable lookback. NO’R

Alicia Vikander in Irma Vep, Tuesday, 9pm, Sky Atlantic, Now

Irma Vep, Tuesday, 9pm, Sky Atlantic, Now

This mini-series reimagining of the 1996 Olivier Assayas film stars Alicia Vikander as Mira, an American movie star who comes to France to play Irma Vep in a TV adaptation of the French silent film serial Les Vampires. A satire on the movie industry, Irma Vep has won plaudits for its lavish style and flair since its release on HBO last month. EK

Cathair na Mílte Grian, Wednesday, 9.30pm, TG4: ‘An immersive cinematic pilgrimage’

Cathair na Mílte Grian, Wednesday, 9.30pm, TG4

Described as “an immersive cinematic pilgrimage”, this new arts documentary makes connections between the inhabitants of two distant and disparate cities, Dublin and Hiroshima. Drawing on a legacy of world cinema including the work of Alan Resnais, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Kineto Shindo and John Huston, it attempts to shine a light on our trauma as descendants of the atomic age. EK

STREAMING PICKS OF THE WEEK

Tom Sturridge and Vivienne Acheampong in The Sandman. Picture: Netflix

The Sandman, Netflix, from Friday

Fans of graphic novels have been waiting for this lavish adaptation of the first two books of Neil Gaiman’s work for years. First views promise a series that is majestic and creepy. Tom Sturrige plays Dream, the personification of dreams aka Morpheus, aka the Sandman, who escapes after a long imprisonment to reclaim his place in people’s heads as well as the tools of his trade. Gwendoline Christopher is Lucifer, David Thewlis is John Dee, Charles Dance is Mr Burgess and Stephen Fry is Gilbert. Dream’s family of spirits – Desire, Destiny, Despair, Death make this almost a modern version of a mediaeval mystery play. EK

Gilles Marini and Neil Patrick Harris Uncoupled. Picture: Netflix

Uncoupled, Netflix, available now

Neil Patrick Harris stars in this sharply written and very addictive new comedy, which tells of Michael, a New York City real estate broker who must start over in his 40s when his long-term partner Colin unexpectedly abandons him. Full of wit and pathos, it’s already being called Sex and the City, except with gay men – and given S&TC’s Darren Star’s involvement, that’s not a bad description at all. NO’R

GAME PICK OF THE WEEK

Escape Academy, PS4/PS5, XSX/S, and PC

Escape Academy, PS4/PS5, XSX/S, and PC

Escape Academy is perfectly crafted for social gaming – so play with a friend or online, as you train to become the ultimate escapist, by solving tricky puzzles or defeating unexpected challenges. The challenges are easy at the start, but that simplicity will quickly lull you into a false sense of security – make sure you have a pen and paper handy for the later stages. JMB