TV Highlights

'Men Of Arlington' (RTE 1, Thursday, 9.35pm) - Built in 1905 as a hostel for working men, Arlington House in Camden Town, London, has been home to generations of emigrant Irish. Many of these men came to Britain to seek a better life, but lost themselves along the way. This documentary tells their stories. and represents a forgotten chapter in the history of Britain and Ireland. Threaded through these testimonies is the work of the 'Aisling Return to Ireland Project', and the history of Arlington House, said to have been home to more Irish men than any other building in the world. _____________________________________________________________ 'Dirty Old Towns' (RTE 1, Wednesday, 8pm) - Diarmuid Gavin follows a community in north inner city Dublin with ambitious plans to transform a piece of inner city waste land into a community garden. Like most other parts of Dublin's north inner-city, Summerhill used to be an upmarket area. Today, though, it has problems common to many urban places including derelict sites, dumping, antisocial behaviour and unemployment. Local man Trevor is a man with a plan for an allotment garden to bring the community together right in the heart of inner-city waste land. Dublin City Council has given his plan the green light - but will Trevor get the community on board and galvanise enough local support to make his dream neighbourhood garden a success? ____________________________________________________________ 'Sexism In Football?' (BBC 1, Wednesday, 10.45pm) - Gabby Logan explores how sexism in football doesn't always end on the pitch, in this one-off documentary. She hears stories from influential women across the men's game and examines just how far-reaching discrimination can be. From boardroom powerhouse Karren Brady to UEFA's Karen Espelund, considered to be the most powerful woman in football, Logan looks at the attitudes they encountered on their way to the top and finds out what it's really like to be a woman working in a man's world. ____________________________________________________________ 'Shameless USA' (RTE 2, Friday, 9.40pm) - Set in working-class Chicago, the Gallagher family, a family of eight, must survive the ups and downs of today's recession. With a mother who is out of her element and an alcoholic father who usually ends up passed out on the living room floor, 18-year-old daughter Fiona is left with the task of keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on the straight and narrow. This series is based on the UK series of the same name. In this opening episode, Fiona spends her summer with a new guy and bartending, while Debbie runs a daycare at their home. Meanwhile, Kevin realises his extended weed-growing left him with a huge electrical bill and Frank borrows his youngest son, Liam, to help him pay a debt. ____________________________________________________________ 'This Is Lionel Richie' (ITV, Friday, 10pm) - The global superstar performs his biggest and most-loved hits live in front of a studio audience. Richie will also be joined on stage singing unmissable duets with singing sensation Pixie Lott and 'X-Factor' star Rebecca Ferguson. The show will also feature an exclusive interview with the legendary singer from his house in LA, conducted by Christine Bleakley. ____________________________________________________________ 'The Consumer Show' (RTE 1, Tuesday, 8.30pm) - Financial guru Eddie Hobbs and investigative journalist Keelin Shanley take on the big issues facing Irish consumers as well as tackling individual viewers' complaints. While useful ways to get better bang for your buck, tackle debt and get best value for your euro will be revealed, bad service, poor value for money and inferior products will have nowhere to hide. ____________________________________________________________ Movie Of The Week: 'Crazy Heart' (RTE 1, Wednesday, 9.35pm) - Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal co-star in this Oscar-winning film about the life of a country music singer. His spirit broken by multiple failed marriages, too much time on the road, and too many nights with the bottle, worn-down country singer Bad Blake had started to feel like he was headed down the path of no return. When probing young writer Jean digs deep enough to unearth the broken man behind the legend, however, Bad realises that redemption may not be such a long shot after all. Bridges won a Best Actor Oscar for the role - and deservedly so. A wonderful film.