Empire of the Sun
FILM 9PM, BBC4
These days, Christian Bale is known for roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as the recently released Thor: Love and Thunder and the Dark Knight trilogy, but he was a newcomer in this 1987 drama. Steven Spielberg directs the adaptation of a JG Ballard novel, with Bale as a youngster separated from his parents in a Japanese internment camp during World War Two. You can also see a ‘Spielberg at 60’ special edition of The Culture Show from 2006 (8pm) as well as a 1994 interview with Jeremy Isaacs, Face to Face (11.25pm). ★★★★ JP