Well, 2021 came in with a bang, what with rapid escalation of Covid-19 infection rates, continuing upheaval in US politics and a rare apology from RTÉ. Vocation story In this context, I enjoyed listening to the more relaxed discussions on The Leap of Faith (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday). Michael Comyn spoke to Dr Dermot Farrell,…
The Christmas to New Year season is a rich time for TV and Radio programmes with a religious flavour. Much of the material is made up of repeats so I’m always on the lookout for something different. The mockumentary Death to 2020 (Netflix) was ideal viewing for New Year’s Eve – a scattershot and satirical…
Sometimes when I look back on the year in TV and Radio there’s a certain sameness, but not this year. So many columns I wrote featured Covid-19 in some shape or form. One effect of the coronavirus was the proliferation of repeats in the media schedules with broadcasters finding it increasingly difficult to make programmes…
Is fairness too much to ask for when it comes to debating what remains a contentious issue, asks Brendan O’Regan At this time of year we’re turning our minds to that special baby in the manger, and so it seemed particularly crass that Newstalk chose to raise again the issue of abortion on Thursday December…
The Greatest Story Ever Told BBC 2 Sat Dec 19, 9am (1965) Max Von Sydow. From his lowly but venerated birth through his adult years as a teacher roving the Holy Land, Jesus attracts admirers and enemies unlike any man before. Sweeping cinematic retelling of the life of Jesus Christ. In concert: The King’s Singers…
Yes, we’ve been having a tough year, and for some it has been a lot tougher than for others. Still, it’s no harm to get some perspective. This was thoroughly provided by The Hunger: The Story of the Irish Famine (RTÉ 1). The first episode was shown last week on Monday and Wednesday and it…
Who would have thought that an absorbing drama could be made of someone playing chess! Up to now the best chess film I’d seen was Queen of Katwe but drama series The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) is making quite a stir and everyone I know that has seen it is impressed. Anya-Taylor Joy plays the enigmatic…
I’m wary of gurus, even if they are promoting stuff I agree with. They may not seek that status but I’d say it is often thrust upon them by over enthusiastic and under critical followers. The crown is not always resisted. After watching The Rise of Jordan Peterson (Sky Arts, Tuesday) I’m still not sure…
I keep a sharp eye on what’s coming up on a wide range of TV and radio channels, and plan ahead accordingly. But sometimes it’s nice to get an unexpected surprise. Late last Sunday night I was having a look at what Shalom World TV, an online Catholic channel, had to offer and was lucky…
It’s all a bit of a blur, a fog of red and blue as numbers like 253 and 214 flit through my mind and phrases like ‘without proof’ invade my consciousness. No, it’s not a dream or a hangover, just too many late nights watching US politics. When Donald Trump was elected president of the…