Updated: Wednesday, 18th August, 2010 4:54pm

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TV Highlights

by John Daly

Daithi O Se will present this year's Rose of Tralee.

'The Rose Of Tralee' (RTE 1, Monday & Tuesday, 8pm) - Can a Kerryman boost the ratings of this venerable showcase badly in need of a boost into the modern age?

This year, Dáithí " Sé will present the still hugely popular television event for the first time and will interview 32 Roses over the two nights. Last year, a peak TV audience of 885,000 viewers tuned in to see Charmaine Kenny crowned as the 51st Rose of Tralee.

No doubt, " Sé will bring his own brand of blarney to the proceedings, including helping the young damsels on and off with their footwear…and anything else that's required, probably.

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'The Librarians' (RTE 2, Wednesday, 11.55pm) - Frances O'Brien, devout Catholic and panic disorder sufferer, is back at the Middleton Interactive Learning Centre. But being head librarian of this outer suburban library is harder than ever - especially when her right to the throne is being threatened by her Muslim colleague Nada - touted as the NBL (Next Big Librarian).

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'This Sporting Life' (RTE 1, Thursday, 7pm) - A timely programme just a few days before the Dubs attempt to make it to an All-Ireland Football Final tells the story of Dessie Farrell, one of the few Dubs to have lifted the Sam Maguire.

His championship debut was in 1992 and in 1995 Dessie finally got his hands on the most prized silverware in Gaelic football.

A former psychiatric nurse, he has had his own share of problems. In 1998, following a car accident, he was charged with drink-driving but not convicted. The incident was later replayed on the front page of a Sunday newspaper on the day of a Dublin match - a game that saw Dessie getting sent off.

The year 2002 saw him coping with his own depression - a condition that he has spoken openly about in a bid to help others.

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'Pete Versus Life' (Ch4, Friday, 10pm) - 'Pete Versus Life' is a new five-part comedy drama starring Rafe Spall as struggling young sports journalist Pete Griffiths.

Although well-meaning, Pete often lacks the emotional maturity required to deal with his more intricate problems and wishes that life had clearly defined rules, like sport. But life isn't like sport, as Pete finds out when he meets an attractive older lady at an art auction, and they hit it off. But being a 'toy boy' results in complications.

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'Ghosthunting With....' (ITV, Saturday, 10pm) - For one night, Katie Price, and new husband Alex Reid, will delve into the dark abyss of the deep unknown in three truly horrifying UK locations.

Used to their lavish life of pampering, celebrity bashes and photoshoots, Katie and Alex are the couple who have it all, but could the irrepressible Price have finally bitten of more than she can chew? In the capable hands of famous ghosthunter Yvette Fielding, the intrepid duo will travel to Hell and back in an attempt to reach through the mortal barrier and try to make contact with whoever or whatever lies on the other side.

Along with friends Gary Cockerill and Phil Turner and Katie's brother, Danny, what will happen when the famous couple are wrenched from their glamorous life and plunged head-first into the deep, dark world of the paranormal investigation? With guaranteed shocks, screaming and frights, Katie, Alex and their friends will spend the night on the sprawling estate Great Tew in darkest rural Oxfordshire.

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'Horsepower With Martin Clunes' (ITV, Sunday, 9pm) - From remotest Mongolia to the deserts of Arabia. From the Mustangs of Nevada to the Windsor Greys of Buckingham Palace. From chariots to cowboys, armoured knights to mounted police and horse whisperers, actor and horse lover Martin Clunes travels the world to unlock the secrets of a partnership which shaped the world.

Not so very long ago, every society on earth seemed to be dependent on this equine power, for warfare, ceremony, farming, transport, sport and pleasure. Today, the horse is still so much a part of our world, in so many ways. On this journey, Clunes unravels the true story of how man and horse first got together, what the horse has done for us through the ages, and what the horse still means to us today

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Movie Of The Week: 'Saving Private Ryan' (RTE 2, Saturday, 9.30pm) - Tom Hanks and Matt Damon lead an all-star cast in this winning tale of World War II directed by Steven Spielberg. Following the Normandy landings, a group of US soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. It ends up being an epic journey where man's humanity is constantly underscored in a story that will pull you in regardless of how many times you've seen it already.