There’s the Rugby World Cup Final, a night on the Beeb dedicated to Scottish singer Lulu, Strictly Come Dancing’s Halloween special, and a documentary about Stephen King on Screen . . .
Pick of the Day
Rugby World Cup Final, 6.30pm, Virgin Media One/7.00pm, RTÉ2
Streaming on RTÉ Player
So here it is: New Zealand v South Africa (KO 8.00pm) in the Rugby World Cup final, which comes live from Stade de France in Paris (below).
New Zealand lost their opening match of the tournament to the hosts, but have been in impressive form ever since, winning their next three pool matches with ease.
In the knockout stage they defeated a much-fancied Ireland team in the quarter-finals and comfortably defeating Argentina in the last four.
The Springboks, meanwhile, are the holders and showed considerable resilience to make the final one again – finishing second in their pool behind Ireland before edging past France and England by just one point.
On RTÉ2 Jacqui Hurley presents, with commentary by Hugh Cahill and Donal Lenihan.
Lulu Night on BBC Two
Here’s a night of programming dedicated to the resilient and lightning-in-a-bottle Scottish singer Lulu (interviewed her twice – she was amazing), which opens with the standard look back on a career, Lulu at the BBC (8.25pm).
It’s a collection of the singer’s most popular hits, covers and classics from a huge range of shows, including her own series and TV specials from the BBC’s schedules in the 1960s and ’70s.
There are duets with Neil Diamond, Bill Withers, Shirley Bassey and Al Green, and songs including To Sir with Love, The Man with the Golden Gun and the Bowie-penned The Man Who Sold the World.
That’s followed at 9.35pm by It’s Lulu, a documentary profiling the life and career of the singer, who first shot to fame at the age of 15 with her chart-topping cover of the Isley Brothers’ Shout.
Featuring contributions by Lulu, as well as Emma Bunton, Maurice Gibb, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
After a break at 10.15pm for Later . . . with Jools Holland, the night concludes at 11pm with a concert, Lulu at the Blazers Club.
Don’t Miss
Strictly Come Dancing, 6.45pm, BBC One
Such a pity Amanda Abbington (above) felt compelled to pull out of this season’s show – she was a joy to watch.
Still, as the old saying goes, the show must go on.
This week, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman host the Halloween special, with the remaining couples performing lots of tricks and treats to wow the judges and win UK viewers’ votes.
New or Returning Shows
Stephen King on Screen, 9.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW
Stephen King, an icon of horror and best-selling author with a career that has spanned several decades, has found many of his books and short stories turned into feature films.
This documentary features the directors and creatives who brought many of his unforgettable stories to the big screen from Carrie to IT, Misery, Stand By Me, Cujo, Children of the Corn and more.
Hollywood legends Frank Darabont, Mike Flanagan, Mick Garris, Josh Boone, Tom Holland, Vincent Natali and more discuss their role in bringing his unparalleled stories to life.
Survivor, 8.25pm, BBC One
Joel Dommett hosts a revival of the reality show, in which 18 people are marooned in the Dominican Republic and divided into two tribes to compete in mental and physical challenges.
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The two tribes are pitted against each other in their first reward challenge, a brutally exhausting clash to retrieve basic supplies.
Divisions begin to form and personalities are put to the test as the losing tribe struggles to deal with the harsh environment.
Britain’s Human Zoos, 9.25pm, Channel 4
Documentary in which author Nadifa Mohamed explores the Victorian practice of presenting African and Asian people as exhibits.
They featured in touring shows that exaggerated their perceived barbarous and exotic aspects.
These human zoos continued to exist in Britain up to the turn of the 20th century, and the people who appeared in them had often been transported from their homeland under dubious circumstances.
The good old days, eh?
New to Stream
Missing, Sky Cinema & NOW
Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Nia Long star in directors Will Merrick and Nicholas D Johnson’s thriller.
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When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape.
Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late.
But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers… and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.
Saturday Cinema
Halloween, 9.45pm, TG4
Director David Gordon Green’s slasher horror sequel based on John Carpenter’s much imitated 1978 namesake movie, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Andi Matichak.
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Four decades ago, Michael Myers terrorised the town of Haddonfield, Illinois and went on a killing spree, 15 years after murdering his sister.
After a prison bus crashes, the killer is back in the wild, but survivor Laurie Strode is ready for his return.
Gravity, 7.00pm, BBC Two
Here’s one for the big telly brigade. Though you’d need your own personal IMAX to get the full buzz of this ‘lost in space’ spectacular.
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Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as two astronauts who are left stranded in orbit above the Earth when the debris from an exploding satellite destroys their shuttle.
Left drifting in space with no way to contact mission control, they begin a perilous journey to reach the safety of a space station before their oxygen supply runs out.
Family Flick
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, 6.35pm, RTÉ One
Here’s another spooky something for the Halloween weekend that’s in it.
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Comedy sequel, starring Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Wendy McLendon-Covey.
Two youngsters unwittingly unleash all manner of monsters from a locked manuscript they find in an abandoned house.
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