Film choice

Carry On Cleo (1964) CHANNEL 4, 12.20PM ★★★

“Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me!” So says Kenneth Williams’s waspish Caesar in this, one of the best in the long-running series of cheap and cheerful comedies.

Set in ancient Rome, it’s hardly Shakespeare but at least the gags come thick and fast. Watch out for an early appearance from Coronation Street’s Amanda Barrie as a doe-eyed Cleopatra, up to her ears in ass’s milk and political intrigue.

First Blood (1982) CHANNEL, 2.20PM ★★★★

Based on David Morrell’s novel, this is the first and best of the Rambo action-movie franchise – it’s more sensitive than the sequels. Sylvester Stallone has become synonymous with Rambo, a maladjusted ex-green Beret who, after having some Vietnam flashbacks, goes on a one-man war against a crooked small-town sheriff (Brian Dennehy). It’s pacy and raw with a moving climax. Part II is on Tuesday.

The Woman in Black (2012) CHANNEL 4, 12.10AM ★★★★

Thanks to its almost hyperedwardian setting and some canny plot alterations, this feels less like a remake of Susan Hill’s ghost story than a new reading of an old tale, trembling with freshly terrifying resonances. Daniel Radcliffe gives a grown-up performance, while director James Watkins uses shadows and empty spaces to create a percolating sense of dread.