What"s on the box this week?

'Queens Of British Pop" (BBC 1, Wednesday) - 'Queens Of British Pop" is a two-part series which celebrates 12 female singers and icons who have influenced British pop music from the 1960s to the present day. The series features new interviews with iconic stars including Sandie Shaw, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie Sioux, Annie Lennox and Leona Lewis. In the first programme, narrator Liza Tarbuck takes viewers back to the early '60s and on to the cusp of the '80s, exploring the lives and careers of Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux. They are all female artists who pioneered some of Britain"s defining musical movements, from the Swinging Sixties through to glam rock and punk. 'Fleadh Cheoil" (RTE 1, Friday) - Last summer, thousands of musicians and fans from all over the world converged on Tullamore for the second year in a row for the annual Fleadh Cheoil. From a few hundred traditional music followers attending the first Fleadh Cheoil in Mullingar in 1951 to what is now one of the biggest and longest-running free music festivals globally, last year"s 57th Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann once again attracted thousands of visitors with its celebration of traditional Irish music, song, dance and culture. Included in this series are many of the top names in traditional music as well as several talented new performers. Some to look out for are Benny McCarthy, Ciaran Somers, David Sheridan, Joe Burke, Conor McEvoy, Pick of the Litter, Nábac, The Mulcahy Family, Foster & Allen and the All-Ireland Céilí Band champions, the Innisfree Céilí Band. The six-part series is presented by Pat Butler and Breda Smyth and the opening programme features the groups Pick of the Litter and Nábac as well as the colourful and energetic opening parade and a world record attempt for the largest traditional Irish session ever. 'On Trial" (RTE 2, Friday) - A new series featuring young adults who get the opportunity to document their views on topical issues of modern life. Last year, budding young documentary filmmakers were invited to pitch ideas to the RTÉ Young People"s Department about subjects that they felt needed to be put on trial. The result is an 'authored" documentary series covering three very different yet relevant issues. Each programme focuses on the world these young adults live in. They get to vent their frustrations about the world they have inherited and challenge what is viewed as the social norm. Three dissatisfied teenagers focused on the subjects of gay pride, social networking and beauty - with three very different results. The three candidates were assisted in shaping their ideas, arguments, perspectives and opinions under the guidance of an experienced documentary production team. They had to research, conduct interviews and use techniques and devices to challenge the stereotypes that they were examining. The finished product will give the audience of their peers on RTE 2 television some compelling arguments as each presenter scrutinises the pros and cons of their chosen topic. 'Written Off" (RTE 1, Monday) - The series that follows the journey of eight people from very different backgrounds as they take the first steps in addressing the various personal challenges they face with literacy skills. All eight embark on a six-weekend course at Moyvalley Hotel on the Meath-Kildare border where they mix class work with personal development challenges. The weekend courses allow the participants to apply their new-found skills in a variety of different contexts and develop their sense of confidence. Amongst the participants is James (35), who lives in Kinnegad, and who left school at 14 and became a mechanic. When eventually the garage had to close, he found that, despite the fact that he knew everything about how to fix cars, he couldn"t get his full mechanic"s qualification because he couldn"t read or write. He now works as a lorry driver but is finding that life is more difficult because he can"t type many destinations into his satellite navigation system and this is causing him to turn down some of the more profitable long-haul jobs. James gets up at 4am every morning and doesn"t get home till 7 in the evening. He wants to get a better job so that he can see more of his son growing up. His dream is to get his mechanic"s qualification and to be able to keep a personal record of key highs and lows in his life. Movie Of The Week: 'The Brighton Strangler" (BBC 2, Friday) - John Loder plays a London stage actor who is hit on the head during a bombing in World War II and suddenly believes he"s actually the strangler from the play he"s starring in. A good premise from this decades-old drama, and even though the plot has multiple holes, it does still engage.