THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS

for Lex Barker, who made the first of three Tarzan films a year after this was released.

Drive (2011) (Sony Movies, 9pm)

Driver (Ryan Gosling) performs death-defying stunts in big-budget films but when he’s not on a set, he works as a mechanic for his good friend Shannon (Bryan Cranston) – and also performs illegal jobs, which invariably involve high-speed getaways from crime scenes. When one heist goes wrong, Driver is marked for death at the hands of hoodlums Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). There are romantic complications when Driver falls for pretty neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), whose husband has just been released from prison. Director Nicolas Winding Refn hits the accelerator in the opening scenes and barely touches the brakes as the plot skids with sickening inevitability towards its bloody resolution.

THURSDAY

Educating Rita (1983) (BBC4, 9pm)

Bored Liverpool hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters) enrols in an Open University English course. Her tutor is Frank (Michael Caine), a hard-drinking poet who is initially sceptical, but comes to see his new pupil’s frank opinions and natural intelligence as a breath of fresh air. She’s slightly in awe of him, but as she finds her feet and starts mixing with other pupils, the dynamics of their relationship change. Although Willie Russell’s play, which was written as a two-hander, has been opened out for the screen, the film ultimately depends on the relationship between Frank and Rita. Fortunately, Walters and Caine, who were both deservedly nominated for Oscars, are perfect

case and allegations of hiding crucial evidence. Has she done enough, though, as we come to the final episode? Closing the case would certainly help – remember the businessman shot dead at a family barbecue, thrown for the boss of a well-respected firm of family solicitors? Well, plenty has happened since then and, Broadchurch-like, secrets have been flooding out of the locals in this seaside community.

Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance (BBC1, 9pm)

No not a glimpse of the fiery TV chef’s latest statements but rather a new prime-time game show with big cash prizes. It’s Ramsay’s first

Smart, funny and very touching comedy drama Educating Rita is on Thursday on BBC4 at 9pm