Geek shows and movies on UK TV in the coming week

We've come out the other side of a pretty spectacular couple of weeks for telly entertainment and are headed into a year paved with promise, even if some of our favourite shows withered by the roadside.

In the US, the new season of shows yet to make it to our shores starts up, with Chuck being the leader of the pack. We'll need to wait a bit for Chuck and others, but worry not, because some great, unique UK TV is ready to roll out on home ground.

Comedy quiz panel show, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, hosted by Jimmy Carr and featuring Sean Lock and Jason Manford, returns for a ninth series tonight, Friday 8th January at 10:00pm on Channel 4 to get your grin muscles in shape.

Then, on Sunday 10th January, BBC3 serves up a second series of Being Human at 9:30pm. The supernatural flatmates have more mortal (though likely immoral) adversaries this lease renewal, we hear. We have no doubt humans can be a bigger threat than vampires, werewolves and ghosts put together, when put to the test, and we'll be there from this new beginning to find out.

Also making a second series appearance is Survivors. The post-apocalytpic drama picks up from its tenuous, dangling cliffhanger on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Tuesday, 12th January.

US imports are still on the schedules, too, adding even more value to those contentious TV licenses.

The Fantasy Worlds Of Irwin Allen, a documentary on the sci-fi series creator of such classics as Land Of The Giants and Lost In Space, should be a real treat, with geeky behind-the-scenes and outtake footage and a look at Allen's disaster films as well, airing tonight, the 8th, at 7:30pm on BBC4.

Heroes returns here on Saturday, 9th January at 10:10 on BBC2 with Orientation and Jump, Push, Fall, the fourth season's first two episodes that launch the Volume 5: Redemption arc of the series.

A non-BBC entry(!), The Simpsons: Access All Areas celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the world-widely well-known cartoon, airing on Sky1 Monday 11th January at 7:00pm, with a look into how the show is made. This is the first of a series of specials, narrated by Ricky Gervais.

Lastly, the 21st Simpsons season opener, Homer The Whopper starts showing on Thursday, January 14th at 7:30pm on Sky1. Comic Book Guy features in this premiere ep co-written by a guest-starring Seth Rogen.

Now, on to the films showing through the weekend and a bit beyond. As always, if we missed anything interesting, have a shout in the comments, with our thanks.

Please also note: the ordinal numbers for dates will help you scan through this simple list with your browser's search function. Enter '9th' in your browser's Find box or window to highlight and/or tab through all movies shown on Saturday. Enjoy!

Alien: Resurrection
On: Film4
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 11:15pm (and 00:15am 10th Jan Film4+1, 10:50/11:50pm 14th Jan)

Along Came A Spider
On: more4
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 9:00pm (and 00:05am 9th Jan)

Beneath The Planet Of The Apes
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 01:20am (and 2:20am Film4+1)

Blades Of Glory
On: BBC 1
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 10:45pm

Burn After Reading
On: Sky Movies Indie
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 12:40pm (and 10:00pm)

Chain Reaction
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 10:50pm (and 11:50pm Film4+1)

Dumb And Dumber
On: G.O.L.D.
Date: Saturday 9th January
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm and Gold+1, 9:05/10:05pm 10th Jan)

Forrest Gump
On: Channel 4
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm 4+1)

Hannibal
On: Dave
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 011:10pm (and 0:10am 10th Jan Dave Ja Vu)

Hostage
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm 4+1)

Hot Shots!
On: Film4
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 7:25pm (and 8:25pm Film4+1)

Iron Man
On: Sky Movies Action/Thriller
Date: Sunday 10th J
Time: 11:05am (and 6:50pm)

Jack-Jack Attack
On: BBC 3
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 7:35pm

Kiss The Girls
On: Film4
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1, 9:00/10:00pm 13th Jan)

L.A. Story
On: ITV3
Date: Friday 8th January 2010 (starting in 1 day)
Time: 11:05pm

Mirrors
On: Sky Movies Premiere
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Premiere+1, then nightly at same times through 14th Jan)

Ocean's Twelve
On: ITV2
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 11:10pm (and 9:15pm 14th Jan)

Requiem For A Dream
On: BBC 2
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 00:40am

RocknRolla
On: Sky Movies Action/Thriller
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 1:00pm (and 7:05pm)

Role Models
On: Sky Movies Comedy
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 11:15am (and 9:40pm)

Shallow Grave
On: Film4
Date: Thursday 14th January
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 7:00pm (and 8:00pm Film4+1)

Spaceballs
On: Virgin 1
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Virgin+1)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
On: Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror
Date: Friday 8th)
Time: 09:30am

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
On: Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 11:40am

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
On: Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 3:35pm

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
On: Sky Screen 2
Date: Friday 8th January
Time: 05:10am (and 8:30am 9th Jan)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
On: Sky Screen 2
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 1:45pm

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
On: Sky Screen 2
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 10:40am (and 5:00am 10th Jan, 9:55am 11th Jan)

Star Trek: First Contact
On: Sky Screen 2
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 10:45am

Swordfish
On: Five USA
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 13th Jan)

Taken
On: Sky Movies Action/Thriller
Date: Sunday 10th January
Time: 9:00pm

The Chronicles Of Riddick
On: ITV2
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 11:30pm

The Dark Knight
On: Sky Movies Action/Thriller
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:45am 9th Jan, 9:00pm 11th Jan, 6:25pm 12th Jan)

The Day Of The Jackal
On: ITV1
Date: Saturday 9th January
Time: midnight

The Exorcist
On: Five USA
Date: Saturday 9th January
Time: 10:20pm

The Hudsucker Proxy
On: Dave
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 21:00pm (and 10:00pm Dave Ja Vu, 6:00/7:00pm 10th Jan)

The Incredibles
On: BBC 3
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 7:40pm

The Mask
On: G.O.L.D.
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 8:00pm (and 9:00pm Gold+1, 7:00/8:00pm 10th Jan Gold/+1)

The Mummy Returns
On: ITV2
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 9:00pm

The Simpsons Movie
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 7:15pm (and 10:00pm 4+1)

Thunderbirds Are GO
On: Film4
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 4:25pm (and 5:25pm Film4+1, 11:00am/noon May 9th Film4/+1)

Wallace And Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death
On: BBC 3
Date: Sunday 10th
Time: 7:05pm (and 8:30pm 11th Jan)

War Of The Worlds (2005)
On: BBC 3
Date: Friday 8th
Time: 8:20pm

X-Men
On: Sky Movies Modern Greats
Date: Friday 8th January
Time: 10:15am (and 8:00 pm)