WATCH IT
IT IS 2005 and hedge-fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale) spots the US housing bubble is going to burst with devastating consequences and bets against the housing market in The Big Short (tonight, BBC2, 9pm).
Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), a bond salesman at Deutsche Bank, gets wind of the move and follows suit, drawing in cynic Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and his team. Elsewhere inexperienced investors Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) orchestrate their own high-risk bets as financial authorities ignore warning signs. A blisteringly funny and provocative portrait of irresponsibility, fraud and gaudy excess. Carell and Bale shine brightest in the ensemble cast.