THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS

by armed paramilitaries who want him dead, Gary is trapped in an alien environment far from the safety of his barracks, unable to distinguish between allies and foes.

WEDNESDAY

Office Christmas Party (2016) (Film4, 9pm)

Hard-nosed CEO-in-waiting Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston) is unimpressed with the Chicago branch of IT company Zenotek run by her party-loving brother, Clay (TJ Miller). Determined to prove her steely resolve to the board, Carol makes the cold-hearted decision to initiate cost-cutting redundancies. Clay and chief technical officer Josh (Jason Bateman) plead with Carol to show compassion and she agrees to cancel the lay-offs if they close a deal. Office Christmas Party is a tinsel-strewn vision of Sodom and Gomorrah that will be hair of the dog for lovers of The Hangover.

Fish Tank (2009) (BBC4, 11pm)

Andrea Arnold’s follow-up to the award-winning Red Road surpasses that extraordinary movie, distinguished by tour-de-force performances (especially from newcomer Katie Jarvis) and Robbie Ryan’s beautiful cinematography. The emotionally wrought human drama centres on 15-year-old Mia (Jarvis), who lives on a rundown London housing estate with her mother Joanne and mouthy little sister Tyler. Tensions within the household intensify with the arrival of Joanne’s new boyfriend, Connor, to whom young Mia finds herself irresistibly attracted.

THURSDAY

Brief Encounter (1945) (BBC4, 8.30pm)

Housewife Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) gets a nasty piece of grit in her eye at a railway station and

Chinese crested powderpuff Fabio. Alisa’s been too anxious about his safety to let him off his lead. But after weeks of careful training, she finally has the confidence to allow him to run free across the beach. Finally, in north London, first-time owners the Kothari family are struggling to find a pup, and dog behaviourist Louise is worried they may buy one from a puppy farm.

Paul O’Grady’s Great British Escape (STV, 8pm)

Kent’s coastline stretches over 350 miles, and hides many surprising secrets, as Paul finds out in the latest episode of his staycation series. He begins in Dover Harbour where he boards a

Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood star in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Friday on Channel 5 at 9pm

consequently meets a handsome doctor, Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard). Her sight restored and her heart racing, Laura kindles a smouldering attraction to the dashing medic and considers cheating on her husband Fred (Cyril Raymond). The strangers agree to meet again and spin a thin web of lies to friends in order to conceal their true feelings. An unfortunate interlude with a police officer forces Laura to confront the agonising truth – there is no future with Alec – and she prepares to bid him a

speed boat to blast along the iconic white cliffs. The journey takes him past wartime tunnels and over long-lost shipwrecks before an emotional encounter with a colony of harbour seals living on a disused MOD navy base. Back on land, Paul heads further up the coast to the picture-perfect seaside town of Broadstairs; once the favourite holiday spot of Charles Dickens.

And no trip along the coastline would be complete without sampling Kent’s most famous seafood export – native oysters. Braving monsoon conditions, a soaking Paul arrives in Whitstable to meet the West family who have been sorting, selling and shucking oysters for five generations.