After mid-week at-home celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day, many will be swapping the vino for a cuppa and a cosy weekend on the couch.
So, we’ve rounded up some shows, documentaries, and films across RTE, Virgin Media, Channel 4, and BBC to keep you and yours entertained.
Friday
Comic Relief 2021 - BBC One at 19:00
Lenny Henry, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness, Alesha Dixon, and David Tennant preside as stars of stage, screen, and the movies entertain the nation with hilarious sketches, live performances, big surprises, and stunning music acts in a bid to raise much-needed cash for good causes at home and across the world.
Highlights include Michael Sheen, Anna Friel and Keira Knightley in the greatest disaster movie never made, the hosts of Top Gear facing interrogation by their most savage critics to date, and Dawn French back as Geraldine Granger, joined by the Rev Kate Bottley.
Reeling in the years - RTE One at 20:00
This week’s show will look back at 1978, the year that witnessed the launch of RTÉ Two - Ireland's second TV channel.
The Boomtown Rats topped the charts with Rat Trap, Gloria had a hit with One Day at a Time, while after the deaths of Paul VI and John Paul I, Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II.
Gogglebox UK - Channel 4 at 21:00
The UK’s armchair critics share their opinions on what they have been watching during the week, as cameras capture their instant reactions prompted by the week's biggest and best shows.
Central Intelligence - Virgin Media One at 21:30
This action-comedy stars Dwayne Johnson as a one-time geek who suffered constant humiliation at high school but grew up to be a lethal CIA agent.
But when he is targeted by his own organisation, he comes home for a high school reunion, where he enlists the help of the former campus tough guy - now a meek accountant - who very quickly wonders what he has got himself into.
Schitt's Creek - Virgin Media Two at 22:00
There’s a double bill of this hilarious American sitcom this Friday.
Catch Johnny reluctantly agreeing to speak at the funeral of a local man he did not really know, while Alexis struggles with her new boyfriend's love of animals.
Then at 22:30, Johnny and Moira go to Roland's annual Hawaiian party, Alexis and Ted host a couples' dinner party, and David and Stevie's relationship heats up.
Saturday
Live: Guinness Six Nations - Virgin Media One at 13:30
Scotland v Italy kicks off at 2.15 pm, and you can catch all the action from the match in the fifth round of fixtures, held at BT Murrayfield from 13:30 on Virgin Media.
Then Ireland v England kicks off at 4.45 pm, with coverage of both teams' concluding match of the championship, held at Aviva Stadium.
This Time Next Year - Virgin Media Two at 18:00
Davina McCall meets an 11-year-old meningitis survivor hoping to finally have hands, and a young couple with fertility complications who dream of starting a family.
Also taking part are parents whose only wish is for their young son to take his first steps, and a man who, having shed half his body weight, is left with an unsightly physical reminder of his former self.
The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty - Channel 4 at 20:00
This documentary series explores the history of the royal family in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The first episode focuses on the succession crisis following the death of George V, where Prince Edward was forced to choose between claiming the throne and marrying American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
Smother - RTE One at 22:55
Saturday’s installment of the new Irish noir drama sees Val struggle to understand Grace's recent erratic behaviour, while the local Gardaí look closer at the Ahern family as the investigation moves away from treating Denis's death as an accident.
First Dates Ireland - RTE Two at 23:30
Garden designer Anthony, who is 43 and from Tipperary is set up with chef 40-year-old Mandy from Wexford.
Having invested everything in an ongoing quest for love, 38-year-old Chris from Belfast meets tax official Ben, who is 36 and from Dublin, and Niamh comes to the restaurant in search of a kindred spirit and finds one in the form of Denny, who has not dated in 16 years.
Sunday
The Secret Life of Airports - RTE Two at 19:00
This documentary series examines the development of British airports continuing with the golden age of the jet.
Archive footage and interviews with some of the first frequent flyers paint a picture of how air travel expanded horizons and had lasting repercussions on the cultural identity.
A Taste of Italy - More 4 at 19:25
Chef and restaurateur, Nisha Katona, travels to the coastal city of Syracuse in Sicily, where she discovers that it has a lot more than just pizza and pasta to offer.
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan - BBC Two at 21:00
Watch Romesh explore the Sahara desert, where temperatures rise to 50 degrees celsius.
He’ll be guided by Bobo, a local of Berber descent who was born and grew up in the desert, Romesh Ranganathan discovers a place that is vast and inhospitable, impossibly bleak and beautiful.
Piers Morgan’s Life Stories - Virgin Media Two at 21:30
On Sunday, Harry Redknapp talks to Piers about his life and career as one of the most respected and experienced football managers in the modern game, as well as his victorious I'm a Celebrity appearance in 2018 when he was crowned King of the Jungle.
He discusses the many twists and turns of his rollercoaster life, including a road accident in 1990 in which his friend Brian Tiler died.
Harry also opens up about a dramatic dawn raid on his house and the death threats he received when he became manager of Southampton.
Gogglebox Ireland - Virgin Media One at 22:00
The Irish installment of this fan-favourite sees Deirdre O'Kane provide the voiceover as a selection of telly addicts pass comment on the week's programmes from the comfort of their living rooms.
