TV FILMS OF THE WEEK

1

MADE IN DAGENHAM Tonight, BBC4, 10.30pm

THE female employees making upholstery for a 1960s British car firm campaign for the right to equal pay, only for the company to declare their work is ‘unskilled’. The women embark on a national protest, taking their grievance all the way to the Government and demanding a change in the law. This is a surprisingly moving and well put-together look at an important part of British history, shot through with enough humour and pathos to ensure something for everybody. Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson and Rosamund Pike star.

2

MIKE BASSETT: ENGLAND MANAGER Tomorrow, ITV, 10.20pm

WHEN England’s national football coach dies of a heart attack, the FA turn to inept football boss Mike Bassett (Ricky Tomlinson, pictured). The Norwich City gaffer jumps at the chance but as England struggle to qualify for the World Cup, it appears he has bitten off more than he can chew. This satire is arguably one of the best football films ever made.

3

ABOUT A BOY Monday, 5Star, 9pm

THIRTYSOMETHING slacker Will (Hugh Grant) invents a child in order to meet single mums. His scheme goes awry when he meets 12-yearold Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), whose mother Fiona (Toni Collette) – all pictured – is battling depression. Grant stretches himself in the role of man/child finally growing up and Hoult is terrific in an early screen role.

4

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Tuesday, Paramount Network, 10pm

TEXAN hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across the site of drug deal gone wrong and helps himself to a briefcase full of cash. Realising the owners will want it back, he goes on the run, but doesn’t count on being trailed by a sadistic hit man (Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, pictured) who will stop at nothing to get the job done.

5

A BEAUTIFUL MIND Wednesday, Film4, 6.10pm

RON HOWARD’S biopic of genius John Forbes Nash Jr stars Russell Crowe, pictured, as the academic who changed the face of modern mathematics. At the height of his fame, Nash was struck down with paranoid schizophrenia. With the support of his wife (an Oscar-winning Jennifer Connelly), Nash battled against the illness, and went on to win the Nobel Prize.

6

A WALK IN THE WOODS Thursday, Film4, 9pm

TRAVEL writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) hopes to shake himself out of a rut by trekking the Appalachian Trail, much to the dismay of his wife (Emma Thompson). Unexpectedly, old travelling companion Katz (Nick Nolte, pictured with Redford) agrees to accompany Bill. The quest begins in the gentle sunshine of April as Katz confesses his struggles with sobriety.

7

SPOTLIGHT Friday, BBC2, 11.20pm

THE story enfolds in late-90s Massachusetts as the Boston Globe’s investigations team, Spotlight, looks into barely-reported child abuse committed by a local priest. As the journalists, played by Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton (pictured together) and Rachel McAdams, start digging, they learn the case may be merely the tip of the iceberg.