The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY
From Russia with Love (1963) (STV, 9pm)
Super-smooth spy James Bond falls foul of the mysterious and sinister organisation Spectre, as he sets out on his latest mission. This time, he’s out to steal a top-secret decoding machine, but his efforts are thwarted by a series of would-be assassins. This much-imitated but never bettered second big-screen outing for 007 has gone on to become a classic, thanks to a superb plot, Sean Connery’s seductive performance and the delicious, almost invisible villain Blofeld – and that’s before we even get to Lotte Lenya and her spike-toed shoes.
X+Y (2014) (BBC1, 12.05am)
Nathan (Asa Butterfield) is an autistic savant teenager, who struggles to connect emotionally with people around him, including his caring mother Julie (Sally Hawkins), and seeks comfort in complex mathematics. Unconventional teacher Mr Humphreys (Rafe Spall) suggests that Nathan should apply for the International Mathematics Olympiad hosted at Trinity College, Cambridge. To make the cut, Nathan travels with other candidates to Taiwan for a training camp, where he experiences powerful feelings for a Chinese competitor.
SUNDAY
The Ipcress File (1965) (BBC2, 3.45pm)
Spy Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) hates his job, but at the same time seems unable to escape it. He’s assigned to track down a missing doctor who possesses a file which, if it fell into the wrong hands, could spell disaster. While Palmer immerses himself in his man-hunt, his boss uses him as leverage to secure the information. Described as ‘the thinking man’s Goldfinger’, this is a
As a tennis player, Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 in singles, and is regarded by many in the sport as one of the greatest women’s players of all time. In 1973 she famously defeated Bobby Riggs in a match dubbed the Battle of Sexes, which played a significant role in developing greater respect and recognition for women athletes. In this programme, she talks to Sue Barker about her sexuality and life as an activist and advocate for gender equality, LGBT rights and social justice.
Imagine: This House Is Full of Music (BBC1, 6pm)
In 2016, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason was named BBC Young Musician, and two years