TV Highlights

'Masterpiece: Ireland's Favourite Painting' (RTE 1, Tuesday 17th April, 10.15pm) - This series travels the length and breadth of Ireland, visiting public galleries to see their collections of art and talking to curators and other experts to nominate their favourite paintings, as well as the Irish public themselves, through 'Today With Pat Kenny' on RTE Radio 1, to nominate their favourites. A group of respected art professionals, chaired by Mike Murphy, gathered to reduce this inspiring long-list to a shortlist of 10, joined in this by Ireland's first lady, Sabina Higgins. The idea was to select 10 paintings on behalf of - and for - the Irish public; paintings that could be put before the nation's viewers to let them decide which one might earn the title of 'Ireland's Favourite Painting'. ____________________________________________________________ 'Divine Women' (BBC 2, Wednesday, 9pm) - In this three-part series, award-winning historian, Bettany Hughes, sets out on an epic journey across continents and back in time to trace the hidden and, often controversial, history of women in religion. From Ancient Greece and Rome to China and India, she uncovers stories which unlock a secret history of the world: one which still affects us today. From the dawn of time, humans have felt the need to worship, to find a purpose and bring a shape to human existence. Women have always been at the heart of our understanding of the divine but, Hughes argues, this part of our history has often been ignored, buried away. In this first episode, Hughes goes back to the beginning of time and visits the world's oldest religious site to find startling evidence that women were there, at the very birth of organised religion. ____________________________________________________________ 'Titanic: A Commemoration In Music And Film' (BBC 2, Saturday, 8.30pm) -Live from Belfast's Waterfront Hall, John Humphreys hosts this commemorative event to mark the centenary of the sinking of 'RMS Titanic'. A unique blend of music and documentary the show features special performances from Bryan Ferry, Joss Stone, Nicola Benedetti, Alfie Boe, Charlie Siem, Maverick Sabre and the Ulster Orchestra. The performances wrap around a documentary which tells the story of the ill-fated ship, those who built her, the people who sailed on her and the enduring legacy of the tragedy. Imelda Staunton and Simon Callow read extant material drawn from survivors' accounts and newspaper reports of the time, while award-winning musician Jamie Cullum explores the importance of music on board the ship. The show will also feature the world premiere of 'Titanic Drums', an original composition featuring 100 traditional drummers from across Ireland, massed choirs, soloist Peter Corry and six-times world champion drummer Mark Wilson. ____________________________________________________________ 'This World: Norway's Massacre' (BBC 2, Sunday, 9pm) - In July 2011, Norway suffered the worst attack by a terrorist acting alone in the history of the world. Yet Anders Breivik was not an Al-Qaeda sympathiser, but an ethnic Norwegian from the affluent side of Oslo. 'This World' traces the story of the attacks. Combining powerful eyewitness testimony, unique footage, unseen archive and interviews with those involved - including the Norwegian prime minister - the programme-makers offer new insights into the life and mind of Breivik, exposing the hidden hatreds that drove him. The documentary pieces together the course of the attacks, revealing the delays that gave Breivik time to continue his massacre. As witnesses raise questions about the police response, those in charge, including the leader of the team who arrested Breivik, speak to the programme. ___________________________________________________________ Movie Of The Week: 'This Boy's Life' (RTE 1, Saturday, 11.05am) - Despite the lateness of the screening, this 1993 drama starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro centres on a flaky mother looking for a normal life and a good man to help raise her son, Toby. After settling in Seattle, she meets the respectful, respectable Dwight Hansen - a man who appears to tick all the right boxes. The boy's stepfather-to-be seems to want to mould Toby into a better person, and, in the process, uses emotional and physical violence to achieve his end. De Niro is in powerful form and Di Caprio shows his youthful promise.