FILM PICKS

SUNDAY

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (BBC1, 11.30pm)

Stuffy British barrister Archie (John Cleese) has his well-ordered world thrown into chaos when he meets Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis), a sultry American thief who wants to know where his client George (Tom Georgeson) has hidden a stash of diamonds. While being seduced by Wanda for inside information may have its upsides, Archie becomes entangled with her thuggish lover Otto (an Oscar-winning Kevin Kline), who is also busy terrorising George’s animalloving sidekick Ken (Michael Palin). This comedy is one of the funniest Britflicks ever committed to film, largely thanks to the cast. Cleese and Palin are terrific, but the American contingent nearly beat the Pythons at their own game. And if it feels like an updated take on the classic Ealing comedies, that may be down to director Charles Crichton, who helmed The Lavender Hill Mob.

TUESDAY

His Girl Friday (1940) (Film4, 12.55pm)

Legend has it that director Howard Hawks got the idea for this remake of The Front Page when he read the play through with his secretary and realised it worked even better with a woman in one of the roles. The result is one of the great screwball comedies, starring the master of the genre, Cary Grant, as a scheming newspaper editor who is shocked to discover that his ace reporter – and ex-wife – Hildy (Rosalind Russell) is planning to give up her career and remarry. So, he tries to tempt her into staying with one last big story. The sharp dialogue flies by so fast, you might have to record it to catch the jokes you missed.

WEDNESDAY

Krisha (2015) (Film4, 11.20pm)

Sixtysomething bohemian Krisha (Krisha Fairchild) arrives at the home of her younger sister Robyn (Robyn Fairchild) and her husband (Chris Doubek) for the Thanksgiving holiday in this comedy drama. Krisha volunteers her services in the kitchen while Robyn conveys their elderly mother back to the house. As saucepans simmer and the temperature rises in the kitchen, a clash with a relative sets Krisha on edge for the rest of the day. A bottle of wine helps to settle nerves, but also sets in motion a bruising barrage of home truths that brings the festivities to a memorable conclusion.

THURSDAY Philomena (2013) (BBC4, 9pm)

Jane Lee (Anna Maxwell Martin) discovers her mother Philomena (Judi Dench) fell pregnant as a teenager in 1950s Ireland and was forced to give up the baby to the sisters at Roscrea Abbey. Jane pitches the story to former Labour adviser-turned-BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), who initially scoffs at the suggestion. The tender and unexpectedly touching relationship that forms between these two characters from different generations and backgrounds provides Stephen Frears’s uplifting film with its emotional thrust.