TV reviews with Clare Rigden: 100 Foot Wave, Love It or List It, Muhammad Ali, The Man Who Fell From The Sky

So much great TV — so little time! But don’t stress, STM’s Screen Queen Clare Rigden’s got your back. Here’s what she’s watching this week: 100 Foot Wave Thursday, 4.30pm, Fox Docos When I was about 14, I almost drowned at Yallingup beach. I’d been trying to impress some boys and thought I’d swim out past the breakers. I got stuck as a huge set rolled in — dumper after dumper smashed me against the sand as I tried to swim in. It left me disoriented, winded, without my bikini top (hellooo boys!), and with a case of PTSD that endures to this day. It’s worth pointing out the offending waves were a piddling four foot — at best. Which is maybe why this doco series, by award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith (he’s the guy behind Tiger King), chilled me to the bone. It’s all about a guy called Garrett McNamara, a big-wave surfer who’s made it his life’s mission to find and surf a 100ft wave. 100ft — that’s monstrously, life-endingly big. He thinks he’s found the elusive behemoth off the coast of a small coastal village in Nazare, Portugal. This series charts McNamara’s quest to ride the world’s biggest waves and to put the tiny seaside town on the map. Amazingly, with the help of the town’s locals, he does just that, eventually morphing this blip-on-the-map into the world’s pre-eminent big-wave surfing destination. This is seriously fascinating, but it raises a lot of questions. Like why you’d actually want to willingly put your life on the line every time you go for a surf? Also, how is his wife, who also acts as his manager, onboard with her husband’s death quest? They’ve got two small kids! But hats off to them — they’re certainly living life to the max. Now, if anyone needs me, I’ll be bobbing about on a lilo at South Beach... Love It Or List It Wednesday, 5.30pm, Lifestyle Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker are the Felix and Oscar of Aussie TV. Their ‘Odd Couple’ schtick works a treat in this charming lifestyle series. Maybe that’s why it’s become so beloved of Foxtel audiences — the show is apparently now its most popular series, surpassing even Gogglebox. This episode marks the end of the latest series, and in a show first, the designer and real estate guru are headed for Perth, helping Karrinyup couple Nora and Blair decide whether to list their mid-century home, or renovate it into something more liveable. It’s fascinating to see what Neale does. But will Andrew win the day? Come for the banter, stay for the renos… Muhammad Ali Today, 8.40pm, SBS Ali fans won’t want to miss this four-part doco, which pieces together a well-rounded picture of the three-time heavyweight-boxing champ. Fascinating. The Man Who Fell From The Sky Tuesday, 8.30pm, SBS VICELAND More than 109 people have fallen to their deaths after stowing away in the wheel carriage of aeroplanes. Filmmaker Rich Bentley pieces together a tragic story of two men who attempted the trip. Return to Lair of the Great White Friday, 4.30pm, Discovery WA shark expert Marc Payne pops up in this great Shark Week doco. He’s helping Dr Craig O’Connell find a Great White shark nursery. Frightening and fascinating.

TV reviews with Clare Rigden: 100 Foot Wave, Love It or List It, Muhammad Ali, The Man Who Fell From The Sky

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