They are dead, but Tibetan Buddhists can stay sitting upright in meditation for weeks

TV WEEK (Wednesday 23rd to Tuesday 29th)

TOP SPECIALS

And Just Like That – The Last Supper (Sky Comedy, Thursday 24th, 9pm)

The season finale of this second season follows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they try to wrap up loose ends and their difficult men in the city that never sleeps. But don’t be too sad – there’s a third season in the works.

Alone: Predator Lake (Sky History, Thursday 24th, 10pm)

It is the boldest test of endurance experiment ever attempted: 10 people will enter the wilderness carrying only what they can fit in a small backpack – alone in harsh, unforgiving terrain with a single mission – stay alive as long as they can – to hunt, build shelters and fend off predators in extreme isolation and psychological distress.

Tukdam: The Point of Death (RTÉ 1, Thursday 24th, 11.15pm)

This feature documentary explores a phenomenon that blurs life and death to an unprecedented degree. In what Tibetan Buddhists call ‘tukdam’, advanced meditators die in a consciously controlled manner. Though dead according to biomedical standards, they often stay sitting upright in meditation; remarkably, their bodies remain fresh and lifelike, without signs of decay for days, sometimes weeks after clinical death.

On the Line: The Richard Williams Story (Sky Documentaries, Saturday 26th, 9pm)

Richard Williams, the son of a cotton picker and the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena, retraces his family’s journey from the poverty stricken streets of Shreveport, Louisiana to the grass courts of Wimbledon, breaking every rule of the lily-white tennis establishment to forever change the sport.

The Peculiar Sensation of Being Pat Ingoldbsy (RTÉ 1, Monday 28th, 9.35pm)

This investigates the idiosyncratic world of writer Pat Ingoldsby, whose poems and anecdotes bear witness to a visceral relationship with his beloved Dublin over 80 years. He is fondly remembered as an eccentric 1980s TV presenter – Pat’s Hat, Pat’s Chat – and more recently as a stalwart of the Dublin streets where he recites and sells his many books of poetry.

WATCH OF THE WEEK

Keep It A Secret (RTÉ 1, Thursday 24th, 10.10pm)

Recounts the inspiring true story of the dawn of Irish surfing, and how the sport’s brave pioneers found peace in the surf during the most violent years of the Troubles. The film takes viewers on a journey back to 1972, a time when every international sporting event in Ireland was cancelled, except for one… Amidst the conflict, a group of surf pioneers from Dublin and Belfast defied political hostilities and came together to host the 1972 Eurosurf Championship.

BEST FILMS

Point Break (BBC 1, Friday 25th, 10.40pm)

A gang of surfers-turned-bank robbers who disguise themselves with masks of former presidents are the focus of federal agent Keanu Reeves, who cosies up to their charismatic leader Patrick Swayze. Things get complicated when the agent falls for a pretty gang member. Some stunning surf photography.

Wifelike (Sky Cinema, from Friday)

A grieving detective in the near future hunts down criminals who trade artificial humans on the black market. In the fight to end AI exploitation, an underground resistance attempts to infiltrate him by sabotaging the programming of the artificial human assigned as his companion to behave like his late wife.

Michael Collins (RTÉ 1, Sunday 27th, 9.30pm)

Michael Collins (Liam Neeson) leads the Irish Republican Army with the help of his allies Harry Boland (Aidan Quinn) and Eamon de Valera (Alan Rickman) in a violent battle for Ireland’s independence from Britain. However, when Collins negotiates the infamous treaty, he sets in motion a bitter Civil War. One of Neil Jordan’s best films.

CLASSIC MOVIE

Thirteen Days (RTÉ 1, Saturday 26th, 11.35pm)

For 13 extraordinary days in October of 1962, the world stood on the brink of an unthinkable catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Across the globe, people anxiously awaited the outcome of a harrowing political, diplomatic and military confrontation that threatened to end in an apocalyptic nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kevin Costner and Bruce Greenwood star.

KIDS STUFF

Johnny English Strikes Again (RTÉ 1, Saturday 26th, 6.35pm)

When a cyber attack reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain, it leaves Johnny English as the last hope of the secret service. Called out of retirement, English dives headfirst into action with the mission to find the mastermind hacker. Rowan Atkinson and Emma Thompson have a laugh.

100% Wolf: The Book of Hath (Sky Kids, from Monday)

Werewolves joining normal human society has not worked out well for Freddy and his ex-Howlington buddies. The Night Patrol has been relegated to desk jobs and the Way of the Wolf has all but been forgotten – until strange creatures start appearing in Milford as well as a powerful sorceress from the distant past.

ON DEMAND

Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond (Sky/Now)

Four-part miniseries explores the life of Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novels. At the outset of World War II, he is a playboy chasing women and living off his family’s fortune – but finally finds direction in life when he is recruited into naval intelligence to fight Nazis. Domnic Cooper stars.

Harlan Coben’s Shelter (Amazon Prime)

Based on the bestselling series by author Harlan Coben, this follows Mickey Bolitar starting a new life in suburban New Jersey after the death of his father. When another new student disappears, Mickey finds himself tangled in a web of secrets set around a dark underground holding the answers to decades of missing persons.

The Chosen One (Netflix)

Jodie is a 12-year-old Californian boy who discovers he has Jesus-like powers: he can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and maybe even raise the dead. Torn between two powerful religious groups who demand he save the world, all Jodie wants to do is impress a girl he likes and find the courage to fight off bullies. Eventually he comes to terms with his destiny, and discovers the truth of his identity.

SPORTS CENTRE

US Open Tennis (Sky Sports, from Monday 28th, 3pm)

With more than 135 hours of on-court action to be broadcast over the two-week Grand Slam tournament, we’ll be at Flushing Meadows to see if Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz can achieve another Grand Slam after the thrilling final at Wimbledon in June.