TV FILMS of the week
1 FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Tonight, BBC2, 6.35pm
The year is 1870 and Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) lives with her aunt on the adjacent property to handsome sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), whose advances she rebuffs. Soon after, Bathsheba inherits her uncle’s estate and defies expectation to turn around the ailing farm, hiring Gabriel as a shepherd. Meanwhile, emotionally repressed and wealthy farmer William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) makes his feelings for Bathsheba known, but her head is turned by dashing Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge). This is a visually striking adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel.
2 THE SHAPE OF WATER Tomorrow, Channel 4, 10.55pm
Swoon-inducing, Oscar-winning reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, with mute cleaner Elisa (Sally Hawkins, left) – who works at a top-secret US government site – falling for an imprisoned merman (Doug Jones). Elisa uses sign language to communicate with the creature and hatches a plan to liberate her web-footed paramour.
3 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE Monday, Film4, 6.55pm
Mismatched buddy comedy starring Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, left. Hart is an accountant who’s lured into an international spy mission by an ex-classmate (Johnson), once a bullied teen who now works for the CIA. Together they encounter shootouts, espionage and doublecrosses while trying to prevent worldwide chaos.
4 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Tuesday, Film4, 1.05pm
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without Frank Capra’s life-affirming fable. James Stewart, left, stars as suicidal family man George Bailey, who is poised to jump off a bridge when he is rescued by guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George how life would have turned out if he had never existed.
5 DEAD MAN’S SHOES Wednesday, Film4, 11.05pm
Director Shane Meadows’ drama sees tortured ex-soldier Richard (Paddy Considine, left) return to his Derbyshire hometown to find out what happened to his brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) after he fell in with a group of local drug dealers. As Richard begins taking his revenge against the gang, Anthony’s story starts to emerge.
6 THE COLOR PURPLE Thursday, BBC4, 9pm
Adaptation of Alice Walker’s acclaimed 1982 novel. Celie (Whoopi Goldberg, left) is a young African-American woman in early 20th-century Georgia, who is abused by her father (Leonard Jackson) and then married off to a man (Danny Glover) who also mistreats her. There’s strong support from Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey.
7 SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME Friday, BBC1, 7.30pm
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) wants to get back to being a normal teenager. A school trip to Europe could help – and it might give him a chance to ask out classmate MJ (Zendaya, pictured with Holland). But a series of mysterious attacks means the young hero must don his spidey suit once again.