TELEVISION
The Tourist (BBC iPlayer, all episodes available now)
Jamie Dornan is back as Elliott, the dodgy Irish amnesiac, but this time it’s his Aussie love interest Helen (Danielle Macdonald) who’s the titular ‘tourist’ as the pair travel to Ireland in search of some answers about his shady past.
The Traitors (BBC One, January 3)
Walking/talking fringe Claudia Winkleman returns to host another series of the hit gameshow that was one of the BBC’s biggest success stories of last year, as a new cast of contestants set up home in a Scottish castle and set about deceiving one another for the chance to win big money.
True Detective: Night Country (Sky Atlantic/NOW, January 12)
HBO’s hit returns for a brand new series of murder, mystery and intrigue: this time around, Jodie Foster and Kali Reis are the cops with a tough case to crack – the disappearance of six men from a research station. Here’s hoping for a cross between Fargo and The Thing.
LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland (Prime Video, January 19)
Graham Norton hosts the new Irish version of Prime Video’s hit comedy format in which our top comedy talents – including Jason Byrne, Aisling Bea and Amy Huberman – face off in an attempt to make their opponent laugh without cracking so much as a smile themselves. Apparently, it’s a lot harder than it sounds.
CINEMA
Ferrari (out now)
The appropriately named Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari in this Michael Mann-directed biopic about the turbulent life and times of the founder of the world’s most famous sports car manufacturer, with a cast including Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey and Jack O’Connell.
Read more:
Priscilla (out now)
You’ve seen Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-dodging biopic Elvis: now, here comes Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, starring Cailee Spaeny as the former Mrs Presley and based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me: expect a warts and all account of her life with The King (Jacob Elordi).
Mean Girls (January 19)
The original Mean Girls is a modern classic and, as much as it pains me to write this, the new film adaptation of the hit stage musical spawned by the 2004 original looks like it might be a lot of fun – even though apparently Lindsay Lohan won’t even get a cameo.
The Book of Clarence (January 19)
Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), brother of the original doubting Thomas, sees Jesus working miracles and decides to get in on his ‘saviour’ act as a way of turning his misfortunes around in this possibly highly sacrilegious Biblical comedy from director Jaymes Samuel.
Louder Than You Think (January 18, The Black Box, Belfast, 8pm)
This new documentary delves into the life and times of Gary Young, the original and highly unpredictable drummer with 90s indie rock gods Pavement. Don’t miss its Irish premiere as part of the Out to Lunch Festival.
Tickets via cqaf.com.
BOOKS
The Secret – Lee and Andrew Child (Penguin)
Jack Reacher’s latest outing will no doubt have found its way into many a Christmas stocking last week: this time around, it’s 1992 and the hulking righter of wrongs is still a US Army MP who must investigate a spate of strange yet apparently unconnected (wanna bet?) deaths across the US as part of an inter-agency task force.
How They Broke Britain – James O’Brien (Penguin)
Radio talk show host and author of How to Be Right James O’Brien takes on the Tories, advisers and media moguls who have managed to royally screw up his country and the rest of the UK across 10 acerbic chapters.
THEATRE, SPOKEN WORD & PERFORMANCE
Professor Brian Cox – Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey (January 24, Waterfront Hall, Belfast/ January 25, Millennium Forum, Derry / January 26, Armagh City Hotel/ January 27, Diamond Hall, Coleraine)
Everyone’s favourite physicist returns with a brand new live show in which he “takes us on a dazzling cinematic journey – a story of how we came to be and what we can become.”
Tickets via ticketmaster.ie.
Arenacross (January 19-20, SSE Arena, Belfast)
Expect a weekend of dirtbike-based madness as the spectacular Arenacross British Championship blasts back to Belfast for another dose of high octane, big jump-based racing as reigning champion Tommy Searle attempts to hold off last year’s runner-up Conrad Mewse once again.
Tickets via ticketmaster.ie
Teechers – The MAC (from January 25)
Bruiser Theatre Company present a revival of John Godber’s funny, incisive and sobering tale of life at a modern secondary school, in which three teenage pupils sketching out their initially idealistic new drama teacher’s increasingly miserable life for their end of term play.
Directed by Lisa May, tickets via themaclive.com
Mark O’Connell: A Thread of Violence (January 28, The Green Room at The Black Box)
Award-winning Dublin author Mark O’Connell (To Be a Machine) will be in conversation with Joe Nawaz about his new book, a gripping account of one of Ireland’s highest profile murder cases.
Tickets via cqaf.com
LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY
Jake O’Kane: The Inappropriate Tour (see davidhullpromotions.co.uk for dates and tickets)
Comedian and Irish News columnist Jake O’Kane is back on the road for his annual stand-up tour, and this time he’s sharing a little more about himself than usual alongside the usual skewering of our high-profile political chancers.
Luisa Omielan: God Is A Woman – The Musical (January 6, The Black Box)
Described as her “female Book of Mormon”, comedian Luisa Omielian may not be able to sing or play music, but she did grow up loving the Sister Act movies.
She says: “This is a rough and ready idea, a pitch for a musical all about Mary Magdalene – and you can help me develop it.”
Pray for her. Tickets via cqaf.com
Fraulein (January 13, Ulster Sports Club, Belfast)
Pleasingly noisy London-based duo Fraulein have their roots in the north (Joni, guitar/vocals) and Holland (Karsten, drums).
They create a catchy/crunchy 90s alt-rock-flavoured ruckus which should appeal to both those who lived through and young uns who missed out first time around.
Tickets via cqaf.com.
Dead Men Walking (January 28, The Empire, Belfast)
This punk supergroup features Jake ‘Stiff Little Fingers’ Burns, Ruffy and Segs from The Ruts and Kirk ‘Theatre of Hate’ Brandon playing your favourite songs from all three of their bands in an acoustic yet raucous style. Unplugged fun.
Tickets via thebelfastempire.com
