FILM PICKS
MONDAY Hidden Figures (2016) (Film4, 9pm)
Katherine Johnson (Taraji P Henson) and fellow mathematicians Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) work in the segregated West Computing Group in Hampton, Virginia. They are part of Nasa’s concerted effort to put a man into space before the Soviets. Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), director of the Space Task Group, desperately needs a mathematician in his team to check computations. Supervisor Vivian Mitchell selects Katherine, who is the first AfricanAmerican to work with Al’s crack squad. Based on an inspirational true story, Hidden Figures is a crowd-pleasing drama, emboldened by sparkling performances from Henson, Monae and Spencer.
WEDNESDAY
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) (E4, 9pm)
Tearaway Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton), who is known to friends as Eggsy, lets off steam by joyriding with friends and ends up in a police cell. Dapper secret agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) secures Eggsy’s release because he believes the young man has untapped potential as a crime-fighter. Hart enrols his protege in a gruelling training programme for an elite secret service, where Eggsy shines brighter than the supposed creme de la creme. So, when technological wizard Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) threatens mankind, Eggsy puts his training to the test. Directed at full pelt by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service is an outrageous and hugely entertaining James Bond-esque caper.
THURSDAY Stargate (1994) (Film4, 6.40pm)
After successfully cracking the hieroglyphic code on an ancient artefact and opening up a portal to other worlds, an Egyptologist joins forces with a hard-bitten soldier to find out what’s on the other side. The alien planet they encounter bears a surprising resemblance to ancient Egypt and is ruled by a tyrant who has convinced the natives he’s a god, but the humans hope to spark a rebellion and escape home. Although it’s probably best not to think about the plot too much, this is an inventive and hugely enjoyable sci-fi adventure.
FRIDAY
Raising Arizona (1987) (Sony Movies, 7.05pm)
Nicolas Cage is a hoot as Hi McDonnough, the repeat offender who falls for cop Ed (Holly Hunter). She is desperate to have a baby and when she can’t conceive, they decide to steal one. They feel that the local tycoon whose wife just gave birth to sextuplets has more than enough children. It’s already a risky plan, and things aren’t helped when a bounty hunter starts chasing them and Hi’s ex-con friends turn up. The Coen Brothers have made plenty of classics and this comedy stands among their best.
Hi-De-Hi! (BritBox, from Thu)
By 1980, Jimmy Perry and David Croft were among Britain’s top comedy writers. Dad’s Army, which ended in 1977 after nine years on our screens, had made their names, while It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, which ran for seven, was drawing to a close. Both series had been inspired by their own experiences, in particular those of Perry, and their next project would be too.
Perry was a redcoat at Butlins after leaving the army, and channelled his memories into the show. Hugely popular throughout the 1980s, Hi-De-Hi! is now returning to our screens courtesy of BritBox. Prepare to be amused by a range of wonderful characters, including world weary comedian Ted Bovis (Paul Shane), his naive sidekick Spike (Jeffrey Holland), chief yellowcoat Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc) and cleaner/ wannabe superstar Peggy Ollerenshaw (Su Pollard).
neXt (Disney+/Star, from Fri)
TV producer Manny Coto certainly has a great pedigree – he lists Star Trek: Enterprise, 24 and Dexter on his CV. As a result, big things were expected of neXt, a sci-fi crime drama, when it was announced in 2019. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a flop in its native US and, as a result, only one season was made. But now we’re getting a chance to make up our own minds about the show, which follows the fortunes of a homeland cybersecurity team as its members attempt to bring down a rogue artificial intelligence that has the ability to constantly improve itself. John Slattery heads the cast as Paul LeBlanc; he has a terminal illness but is determined to use his extensive knowledge of the tech world to help stop society’s growing reliance on technology and AI.
Love in the Time of Corona (Disney+/Star, from Fri)
It was only a matter of time before somebody came up with a drama in which the coronavirus plays a major role. We can probably expect several of them, but first out of the blocks is this four-part series and, as you’ve probably already guessed from the title, it charts the lives of several people who, despite observing social distancing rules, are keen to find love, sex and a connection with another human during the pandemic.
It’s the brainchild of ex-US soap star Joanna Johnson (she spent eight years, on and off, playing twins in The Bold and the Beautiful), who now spends more time as an executive behind the camera than she does in front of it; she also directs every episode and penned the opening instalment. Real-life couples Gil Bellows and Rya Kihlstedt (as well as their daughter Ava Bellows), and Leslie Odom Jr and Nicolette Robinson are among the cast.
The One (from Fri)
Bestselling author John Marrs’ 2017 novel has been turned into an eagerly anticipated series of the same name.
We’re all familiar with the concept of internet dating, but Marrs takes the idea of finding the perfect match to a whole new level. The story happens five minutes in the future, in a world where a simple DNA test can find your soulmate. Hannah Ware and Dimitri Leonidas play Rebecca and James, best friends and co-founders of MatchDNA, a company pairing people with their ideal partner. However, the implications of their work turn out to be far wider than they ever imagined.