Little Women (1994)

BBC TWO, 2.20PM; NOT SCOTLAND ★★★

 A well-pitched adaptation of Louisa M Alcott’s endearing tale of four sisters growing up in 19th-century Massachusetts, with a harder edge than you might think. It’s bursting with talent; a glowing Winona Ryder plays bookish sibling Jo; the brilliant Susan Sarandon is the girls’ mother, bringing sophistication to a syrupy role. Look out, too, for a precocious Kirsten Dunst as young Amy and a baby-faced Christian Bale.