So maybe, just maybe, you were considering booking the babysitter, getting spruced up and heading out with the other half for a night of under-the-table footsie and holding hands by candlelight… Then when the babysitter cancels, you can’t find any clean clothes and lets face it you’ve nothing to say to each other at this stage anyway the siren call of the couch and Ryan are just too much to resist.
Tonight on the Late Late Show…
Luckily for us acting legend and all-out ride, Gabriel Byrne will be cozying up to the Tubs this evening. Also on the bill is one of our fave actors of all time, Richard E. Grant (see Withnail & I below) and TV presenter, Christine Bleakley who will be chatting to Ryan about her recent move to New York with her fiancé and getting wild on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Elsewhere in TV land this evening…
G-dog (Graham Norton to the uninitiated) is holding some kind of unofficial Avengers junket with Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen stars of Avengers: Age of Ultron doing the necessary plug with musical interlude from Blur (BBC1 at 10.35pm).
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Friday, TV3, 9pm)
Ultimate couple’s movie. The Man will be transfixed by explosions and Megan Fox while I’ll be enjoying Shia LaBeouf and writing him an open letter offering my services as the woman who can help him get his life back on track. No fear that I’ll be missing key plot points, totally enjoyable nonsense.
Withnail & I (Friday, Channel 4, 00.20am)
For anyone on the graveyard shift tonight tune in to this brilliant black comedy for a bit of company and amusement. If life as a parent is feeling a bit out of control and chaotic perhaps this 80s classic will make you feel a bit more together. Richard E Grant, Paul McGann play the titular Withnail & I on a meandering bender that takes them from London to the Lake District. Eminently quotable, a personal fave that is often referenced around our house is Grant shouting from a car at some school girls:
“SCRUBBERS… they love it.”
Other highlights this weekend include:
The Saturday Night Show (Saturday, RTE1, 9.45pm)
Brendan O’Connor is joined by Una Foden, who will be in studio ahead of the final of The Voice of Ireland this Sunday to talk about juggling a busy career with motherhood and spending time at home in Tipperary. Also on the show are a group of young farmers, Maeve O’Keeffe, Jamie Costin and Ciaran Lenihan chatting about farming in Ireland today. Music will be provided by Key West.
Home of the Year (Sunday, RTE1, 5.25pm)
I’m a little bit addicted to this reality series. It has all the great elements of any reality show, allowing us a glimpse inside people’s lives and while it lacks that salacious edge usually attendant in this genre I do enjoy comparing lives with the participants. It scratches that itch for prying while at the same time being much more upmarket than your average reality show as it involves architecture and design – we can pretend that we’re only watching for the interiors tips. Totally. In tonight’s episode the all-star judging panel head West to eviscerate someone’s choice of throw pillows.
