What’s that I was hearing about Macho of the Day? Oh wait, it was about Match of the Day on BBC One, and the odd controversy (provisionally resolved by Monday) about who should present it. On Times Radio Breakfast last Saturday morning Hugo Rifkind, on board to plug his own show for later that morning,…

The trailers for the new comic drama series The Dry (RTÉ One, Wednesdays) looked promising as were the first few minutes, with recovering alcoholic Shiv trying to engage in conversation with a guy in the airport drinking morning pints. But he accused her of being “an f——religious nut”. Then they launched into a shouting match…

There is much debate about single-sex schools versus mixed schools, with our current arrangements favouring choice and diversity of school models. I listened with interest to the discussion on Drivetime (RTÉ Radio One, Wednesday) when Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD (Labour) was very much against single-sex schools. His view was based on equality arguments, but presenter…

At least two big occasions demand our attention this week – Lent and the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Songs of Praise (BBC One, Sunday) covered both of these really well. The programme came from the Lincoln area, with presenter Sean Fletcher, who described Lent as a time when people challenge themselves,…

One of the reasons I’d rage against war is that it is entirely man made. Natural disasters produce a different response, but human inadequacy or irresponsibility can make the outcome worse. The media coverage of the Turkey/Syria earthquake included suggestions that after the 1999 earthquake in the area, buildings were not subsequently erected to be…

I was triggered too much last week so I’m edgy. I get triggered when I hear stories about trigger warnings being added to innocuous or even worthy material. Last year it was the (trenchantly anti-racist) novel To Kill a Mockingbird, last week it was Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen! Lunchtime Live (Newstalk, Tuesday) took a…

Last Friday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and there were several related programmes of interest during the week. How The Holocaust Began (BBC Two, Monday) was one of the most chilling. So many documentaries have been made that it must be hard to find some fresh angle. Even so, it is essential that we are frequently…

It’s pro-life season in the USA, with the Marches for Life in Washington and on the East Coast. The EWTN channel is broadcasting a range of pro-life programmes for the occasion. One of the best was Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (EWTN, Saturday), a new documentary from Canadian Kevin Dunn. Comprised of four personal story vignettes…

One of my favourite Christmas albums is Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook and one of my favourite TV shows is the Transatlantic Sessions, so I was in my element last Friday night on BBC Four. It was the start of Wayfaring Stranger with Phil Cunningham, a three part series on the links between the folk music…