1TINKER TV FILMS OF THE WEEK

Gary Oldman as George Smiley

TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tonight, BBC2, 9.30pm

THIS labyrinthine drama, based on the late John le Carre’s novel, centres on the deputy to the head of British intelligence who is forced into retirement after an operation ends in disaster. He is later recruited by the government to return to duty and investigate the possibility of a Soviet mole in a high-ranking position in MI6. Gary Oldman gives one of the best performances of his career as ageing hero George Smiley. The cast list reads like a Who’s Who of the best male British talent working today, including Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Toby Jones.

2THE

DRESSMAKER Tomorrow, Channel 4, 11.40pm

AT the tender age of 10, Myrtle ‘Tilly’ Dunnage is implicated in the death of a schoolboy. She is banished from her sleepy hometown and finds her calling as a seamstress in Paris. When her single mother Molly ( Judy Davis) falls ill, Tilly (Kate Winslet, left) returns, laden with her trusty sewing machine and a desire to exact revenge on the people who labelled her a killer.

3FUNNY

THIS amiable romantic musical landed Barbra Streisand, pictured, her first Academy Award as Best Actress. She essays comedienne Fanny Brice, who escapes her life in the slums of the Lower East Side of New York, to become one of the star performers at Ziegfield Follies. The iconic songs include People and Don’t Rain on My Parade. Omar Sharif also stars.

JAMES BOND’S third mission features Shirley Eaton lying on a bed covered in gold paint. Her demise is a pivotal moment in this adventure. M entreats Bond (Sean Connery, left) to keep a close eye on Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) and his henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata). Bond learns about a plot to infiltrate the US gold reserves and render the stores worthless with an atomic bomb.

5MRS

IT’S been more than two years since Prince Albert died, but Queen Victoria ( Judi Dench) is still in the depths of depression. John Brown (Billy Connolly, pictured with Dench) is summoned from Balmoral with the Queen’s nag. The Scot develops a close relationship with HRH, leading to rumours of an affair. Thanks to strong performances, this period drama is compelling.

6GLADIATOR

Thursday, Channel 5, 10pm

MAXIMUS (Russell Crowe, left), is a general in the army of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), who is adored. Conniving heir to the throne Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) murders the Emperor and orders the immediate execution of Maximus, the sole threat to his rule. The hulking hero escapes with his life and is forced into slavery. Crowe shoulders leading man duties with relish.

7PSYCHO

Friday, Sony Movies Classic, 9pm

WHEN crooked young woman Marion Crane

( Janet Leigh, left) hits the road with a stash of stolen money, she makes the mistake of stopping off at the Bates Motel. After being bumped off in the most famous shower scene in history, a string of people go looking for her, with no idea what they are going to find... Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller is a masterpiece.