The Maggie

BBC2 6.20am - 7.45am ★★★

comedy ⊲ This whimsical Ealing comedy, a big hit in its day (as was its theme music), still proves as refreshing as a dram of fresh air. Paul Douglas is a delight as the pushy American businessman who falls foul of an old puffer boat and her crew of rascally Scottish seamen. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, who made six of the best Ealing films but performed disappointingly elsewhere.

Dir: Alexander Mackendrick 1953, U, 85min