The Program (2015)

BBC TWO, 11.00PM ★★★

Ben Foster, a blisteringly good actor when he’s at the top of his game, captures the evasive essence of Lance Armstrong – once the most decorated champion in Tour de France history – with uncanny verve in a Stephen Frears-helmed account of the cyclist’s doping exploits. Beyond this edgy turn and Jesse Plemons as an insecure team-mate, however, the film struggles to give the story real thrust.