Geek shows and movies on UK TV in the coming week

There are only a few new shows starting up in the coming week, but the next seven days brings some precious gems of telly programming…

Your humble, scouring servant of the telly schedules is not a huge fan of medical dramas. But last year’s first series of Nurse Jackie has undone an admirably long run of avoidance of hospital-set shows and ruined a perfect record. Edie Falco (Oz, The Sopranos) owns the role of pill-fuelled ER nurse, Jackie Peyton, a character who’s almost as equally admirable as she is deplorable. Jackie’s addiction leads her to make amoral choices, while her nearly ferocious dedication to her job makes her almost heroic at times in her defence and care of patients and family. It’s a brilliant performance, first shown on Showtime (which also distributes another grey character in Dexter) and the second season of the dark drama with rays of hope airs here on Saturday, January 22nd on BBC 2 at 10:40pm, with Comfort Food, the first of twelve episodes in the series.

Then, keep your spot on the couch clear for Sunday night, which sees the return of the eagerly awaited supernatural series, Being Human. In the third series opener, Lia, the bitiest of shared housing companions, the vampire and werewolf flatmates, Mitchell, George and Nina, are making a move. Let’s hope they get unpacked and settled in sharpish, because Annie’s in need of rescuing from her current digs, Purgatory, before she gets sent on to Hell. The excellent series returns Sunday, January 23rd on BBC 3 at 9:00pm for an eight-episode stay, and we hope to have our first review soon after. For now, you can check out Annie’s final pleading words and the trailer for Sunday’s premiere here.

Have you been searching all your life for a bar or pub where everybody knows your name? Does the girl or guy you fancy from afar disappoint you week on week by refusing to move in slow motion to Dreamweaver? If you can’t walk across the street to reach your job, don’t hear applause and laughter at every clever utterance among friends and strangers, and still haven’t enjoyed your own personal soundtrack to your everyday deeds and chores, Charlie Brooker’s new show is for you. How TV Ruined Your Life premieres on Tuesday, January 25th on BBC 2 at 10:00pm and each week, for six weeks, will look at how the chasm of TV versus reality has us either hankering for the small screen version of life, or, as shown in the premiering episode, Fear, has left us frightened by TV’s particular spin on the world’s goings on, using archive footage, interviews and sketches.

Now, on to the films showing through the weekend and a bit beyond. In a wonderful display of happenstance, there’s a run of Arnie films to help you tick off (or rewatch and retick) titles from our recent list, among many other great films. 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 ’22nd’ in your browser’s Find box or window to highlight and/or tab through all movies shown on Saturday. Enjoy!

BabelOn: more4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 00:50am 22nd Jan)

BeetlejuiceOn: FIVERDate: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Fiver+1)

Brassed OffOn: Film4Date: Tuesday 25th JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Children Of The CornOn: horror channelDate: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 9:00pm

Clear And Present DangerOn: Film4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Crimson RiversOn: Channel 4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 02:05am (and 3:05am 4+1)

Dog SoldiersOn: Film4Date: Monday 24th JanuaryTime: 11:10pm (and 00:10am 25th Jan Film4+1)

End Of DaysOn: Film4Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 11:05pm (and 00:05am 23rd Jan Film4+1, 10:45/11:45pm 27th Jan)

EraserOn: TCMDate: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 1:20am 24th Jan)

EraserheadOn: horror channelDate: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 02:45am

Falling Down Channel: ITV4Date: Thursday 27th January 2011Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm ITV4+1)

Garden StateOn: Film4Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 01:30am (and 2:30am Film4+1, 3:15/4:15am 26th Jan)

GoodfellasOn: ITV4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 11:00pm (and midnight ITV4+1, 10/11:00pm 25th Jan)

Gorky ParkOn: TCMDate: Tuesday 25th JanuaryTime: 01:25am

Green ZoneOn: Sky Movies PremiereDate: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 10:00am (and 11:00am Premiere+1 & 8/9:00pm, then daily at similar times through 27th Jan)

Invasion Of The Body SnatchersOn: Film4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 3:05pm (and 4:05pm Film4+1)

Layer CakeOn: FiveDate: Monday 24th JanuaryTime: 9:00pm

Lethal Weapon 2On: Sky1Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 25th Jan & 9:00pm 27th Jan Sky2)

Logan’s RunOn: FiveDate: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 1:20pm

Magnum ForceOn: ITV4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 11:00pm (and midnight ITV4+1, 10/11:00pm 24th Jan)

National Treasure: Book Of SecretsOn: BBC 3Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 7:05pm (and 8:00pm 26th Jan)

Night At The MuseumOn: Channel 4Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 6:55pm

PandorumOn: SyFyDate: Monday 24th JanuaryTime: 01:20am (and 2:20am Syfy+1, 10/11:00pm 24th Jan)

Point BreakOn: BBC 1Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 11:30pm

Pulp FictionOn: BBC 2Date: Sunday 23rd January 2Time: 11:25pm

PredatorOn: Film4Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1, 11:15pm/00:15am 26th/27th Jan)

Project XOn: E4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 3:55pm (and 4:55pm E4+1)

Radio DaysOn: TCMDate: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 1:15pm (and 5:00am 22nd Jan)

RoboCopOn: SyFyDate: Wednesday 26th JanuaryTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Syfy+1)

SilkwoodOn: BBC 1Date: Wednesday 26th JanuaryTime: 11:35pm

Solomon KaneOn: Sky Movies PremiereDate: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Premiere+1, then daily at similar times through 27th Jan)

Star Trek: First ContactOn: Film4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 1:00pm (and 2:00pm Film4+1)

Star Trek: InsurrectionOn: Film4Date: Monday 24th JanuaryTime: 6:45pm (and 7:45pm Film4+1)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The SithOn: ITV1Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 3:30pm

StardustOn: Channel 4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 5:10pm (and 6:10pm 4+1)

The 40 Year Old VirginOn: ITV1Date: Saturday 22nd January 2Time: 10:30pm

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince CaspianOn: BBC 3Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 8:00pm

The CommitmentsOn: Film4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 11:25pm (and 00:25am 24th Jan Film4+1)

The EyeOn: Film4Date: Tuesday 25th JanuaryTime: 01:15am (and 2:15am Film4+1)

The Fifth ElementOn: FiveDate: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 5:35pm

The FountainOn: Film4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 11:40pm (and 00:40am 22nd Jan Film4+1)

The Iron Maiden: Flight 666On: BBC 4Date: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 10:00pm (and 00:30am 24th Jan)

The Neverending StoryOn: ITV2Date: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 12:10pm (and 1:10pm ITV2+1)

The Princess BrideOn: FIVERDate: Wednesday 26th JanuaryTime: 8:00pm (and 9:00pm Fiver+1)

The Seventh SealOn: Film4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 01:35am (and 2:35am 23rd Jan)

The TransporterOn: FiveDate: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm

True LiesOn: TCMDate: Friday 21st JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 26th Jan)

True RomanceOn: FiveDate: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 10:50pm

V For VendettaOn: WatchDate: Saturday 22nd JanuaryTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Watch+1, 9/10:00pm 23rd Jan)

What Lies BeneathOn: Film4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Fim4+1)

Withnail And IOn: Channel 4Date: Sunday 23rd JanuaryTime: 00:10am (and 1:10am 4+1)

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