Around The World In 80 Days (1956) U

Monday, 11.10am, BBC2 Preceded by an episode of Talking Pictures on David Niven (above), this show stopper – based on Jules Verne’s 1873 novel – stars Niven in what he would describe as his favourite role. He plays Phileas Fogg, the Victorian gent who bets a fortune that he can trot the globe in fewer than 80 days, using all manner of newfangled modes of transport, and with only his butler, Passepartout, for company. It’s epic in every way, from the glorious Technicolor to the dazzling effects, and from the fabulous locations in 13 countries to the steady stream of more than 40 cameos (Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, John Mills and Buster Keaton, to name a few). The film won the Best Picture Oscar, beating The Ten Commandments and The King And I, securing its status as unbeatable all-round entertainment.