TV FILMS OF THE WEEK

1

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Tonight, ITV, 7.30pm

SET directly before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope (aka the first one), this Star Wars spin-off sees the Rebel Alliance dispatching Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a reprogrammed enforcer droid, K-2SO (voiced by a scene-stealing Alan Tudyk), to rescue Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) from an Imperial labour camp. It’s hoped that she can lead them to her estranged father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), one of the architects of the Death Star. Together, Jyn and Cassian must steal the designs for the “planet killer” from a heavily fortified complex on Scarif. Rogue One is a dark, gripping adventure that dovetails neatly into the Star Wars universe.

2

ELF Tomorrow, ITV, 6.10pm

WHEN Santa (Edward Asner) discovers he’s accidentally picked up a baby during a Christmas Eve visit to an orphanage, he decides to take the infant in and raise him as an elf. But as Buddy (Will Ferrell, pictured) grows ever taller and fails to develop his toy-making skills, it becomes necessary to tell him the truth, and he sets off to New York City to find his real father (James Caan).

3

BRIEF ENCOUNTER Monday, BBC2, 3pm

DAVID LEAN’S seminal 1945 weepie. Housewife Laura (Celia Johnson, pictured) gets a piece of grit in her eye and consequently meets handsome doctor Alec (Trevor Howard). Her sight restored and her heart racing, Laura considers cheating on her husband. The strangers agree to meet but an interlude with a police officer forces Laura to confront the truth – there is no future with Alec.

4

FINDING NEVERLAND Tuesday, Sony Movies, 6.55pm

WHEN his new play fails to woo audiences on its opening night, writer JM Barrie (Johnny Depp, pictured) is struck by self-doubt. However, a chance encounter with a widow (Kate Winslet) and her four sons leads to a life-changing friendship. When one boy, Peter, rediscovers his sense of childhood wonder, it inspires Barrie to immortalise the family in an adventure about a boy who never grew up...

5

HAMPSTEAD Wednesday, Film4, 9pm

TWEE tale of star-crossed lovers across the social divide, which is loosely inspired by a true story. A year on from Emily (Diane Keaton, pictured) losing her husband, she spots Donald (Brendan Gleeson) in his woodland retreat on Hampstead Heath. She becomes fascinated by the foul-tempered misfit and worms her way into his simple existence. Keaton and Gleeson make an endearing odd couple.

6

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Thursday, BBC2, 3pm

ADAPTATION of the Oscar Wilde play. Jack and Algernon (Colin Firth and Rupert Everett, pictured) are best friends in amorous pursuit of young ladies – Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen (Frances O’Connor) and Jack’s lustrous young ward Cecily Cardew (Reese Witherspoon) respectively. Both men use the same fake name, leading to a comedy of errors, ensnaring them in their own web of lies and deceit.

7

ROCKY Friday, ITV4, 9pm

OSCAR-WINNING underdog story. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, pictured) is a struggling boxer from Philadelphia. His luck changes when reigning champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) decides to give an unknown a shot at the title. With the support of coach Mickey (Burgess Meredith) and shy pet store employee Adrian (Talia Shire), Rocky sets out to prove he can go the distance.