TV PICKS OF THE WEEK – 9-11-16 By Lisa Jewell

Our top three picks for your telly watching this week.

Documentary – Reality Bites – The Only Gay in the Village

Wednesday 9 November, 9.30pm, RTE2

One year on from the ground breaking Marriage Equality Referendum result, this documentary takes a look at what impact it has made to LGBT people living in rural Ireland. Has it made it easier for people to come out and is there more acceptance now?

The programme shines when individuals share their own stories – included amongst them are farmer Will Keane, who campaigned for a Yes vote in the referendum in his native Co Roscommon and Shauna Keane from Co Offaly, who recounts her mother’s reaction when she came out to her at the age of 14.

Film – Ghost

Friday 11 November, 11.05pm, Film 4

Some films from the 80s and 90s haven’t dated very well but Ghost is definitely an exception, possibly because it was less concerned with what was going on in the world at the time and instead focused on universal themes such as love, loss and the afterlife.

Patrick Swayze stars as Sam, a banker, and Demi Moore is his girlfriend Molly. The two live in a beautiful loft apartment, where Molly gets to make art and the two get up to mischief behind a pottery wheel. After Sam is brutally murdered, seemingly by a stranger, he comes back to protect Molly from imminent danger and seeks out psychic Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to help him.

It was a massive commercial hit on its release in 1990. Made for a modest budget of $22 million, it went on to recoup $505 million.

Documentary – The Secret Life of Four-Year-Olds

Tuesday 8 November, 8pm, Channel 4 – Available on-line here.

This beguiling documentary is back tonight – if you’ve previously watched the series, you’ll know that it’s a top notch production. And whether you have kids or not, it’s a fascinating insight into the early lives of children as they work out the world around them and their own identity.

Cameras follow the kids when they’re playing together without any structure and also when teachers step in with games and tasks. Child developmental experts are backstage observing the children and giving insight into what’s going on. Some very funny and sweet friendships between the kids are formed along the way.