What’s on? Top 10 TV and streaming tips for Saturday

Updated / Saturday, 17 May 2025 09:43

Tonight’s thr night!

By John Byrne

TV Editor

The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final is here, as is the Interstellar Song Contest on Doctor Who, there’s the English FA Cup Final, Leinster face Glasgow Warriors, and George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat . . .
Pick of the Day
Eurovision Song Contest, 8.00pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Live from St Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland, artists and songs from 26 countries compete in the 69th annual running of Europe’s favourite television show.
While it may not be everyone’s idea of a good night in or out, its popularity is undeniable.

The Swiss aren’t just last year’s winners and this year’s hosts – but also the hosts of the very first contest back in 1956.
Twenty countries progressed to this final from the two semi-finals, and they compete alongside host nation Switzerland, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The show is presented by stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger, TV presenter Michelle Hunziker and Eurovision veteran Sandra Studer, with commentary as always from the much-loved Marty Whelan (above).
He’ll give his usual thoughts on the 26 competing nations, and will no doubt be flying the flag for Ireland’s representative, Emmy.
New or Returning Shows
Titanic: Our Secret Histories, 8.00pm, Channel 4
Yet another Titanic-related documentary! This one’s a bit different, though.

It features descendants of people who survived or perished on board the doomed liner sharing their forgotten stories, revealing the global impact of the disaster on families around the world.
The documentary also focuses on the international and third-class passengers and crew aboard the ship and reveals disturbing details of the disaster that have been hidden in plain sight for over 100 years.
New to Stream
Bookworm, Sky Cinema Premiere & NOW
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12-year-old Mildred’s life is turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and estranged, American magician father, Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood), comes to look after her.
Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness, and the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding.
It’s a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
Don’t Miss
Doctor Who, 7.10pm, BBC One
Why not warm-up for the Eurovision with this edition of Doctor Who, which focuses on The Interstellar Song Contest?
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The Time Lord’s quest to get Belinda back home to Earth leads to a space station hosting the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest, where planets from across the universe compete for the top prize.
But a harmless night of music soon becomes a battle to survive.
Guest starring Rylan, Freddie Fox and Graham Norton.
The Many Faces of Les Dawson, 11.35pm, BBC Four
Profile of the Manchester-born comedian Les Dawson, known for his deadpan humour and jokes at the expense of his wife and mother-in-law.

He also had quite an elastic face.
The programme explores his beginnings in northern clubs and appearance on talent show Opportunity Knocks and charts his rise to stardom.
Contributors include John Cleese, Robert Webb and Russell Kane. Narrated by Sally Phillips.
Saturday Cinema
Kelly’s Heroes, 3.05pm, RTÉ One
Here’s one to pass the afternoon if sunshine’s not your thing.
Enjoyable – and quite daft – Second World War adventure, starring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland (as hippie tank commander Oddball), Don Rickles and Harry Dean Stanton.

A rebellious American soldier, who was previously scapegoated for a failed infantry assault, fighting in occupied France learns from a captive German officer the whereabouts of a fortune in Nazi gold.
Recruiting the aid of three fellow soldiers, he puts together a daring plan to penetrate enemy lines to get their hands on the bullion.
The Boys in the Boat, 8.00pm, BBC Two
If you’d prefer an old-fashioned, feelgood flick over the Eurovision, this could do it for you.
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It’s an inspirational true-life story, starring Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner and Peter Guinness, and directed by George Clooney.
A group of underdogs, at the height of the Great Depression, are thrust into the spotlight, taking on elite rivals from around the world as part of the American rowing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
The Untouchables, 10.00pm, BBC Two
Brian De Palma’s superb crime thriller, with Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia and Sean Connery, who won an Oscar for his performance.

Incorruptible federal agent Eliot Ness is assigned the task of fighting organised cr