Geek shows and movies on UK TV in the coming week
The Event and The Clone Wars arrive on UK telly, Matt Smith turns up in The Sarah Jane Adventures, and there are some great films to look forward to as well...
We’ll start the week with the least exciting bit and, hopefully, work up to more tantalising tidbits on telly as we go through the next seven days.
Despite the hype, the arrival of The Event tonight, Friday, October 22nd at 9:00pm on Channel 4 may be a non-you-know-what. The US show’s been accused of trading on the styles and tricks of popular predecessors in trying to fill the island-sized hole left by Lost. From reports and our own reviews, it’s only so much blown sand and wind, but the curious may want to see how much of that is true and if it’s the wreckage some deem it to be that’s now washed up on our shores.
Saturday, October 23rd at 10:00am sees the return of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Sky Movies Premiere, with the first of 22 episodes, entitled Clone Cadets. As a premiering series on the channel, it airs multiple times and you can follow reviews starting here.
Later that evening, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow does a last performance, Saturday, October 23rd at 10:00pm on BBC1. This time the stage is one in Leeds with Sean Collins, Andi Osho and Ardal O’Hanlon the stand-ups on the boards.
The highlight of the week may be found in the popular Doctor Who spin-off (aimed at children, but amazingly appealing to adults), The Sarah Jane Adventures. If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s the time, as the fifth and sixth episodes of the show’s fourth series, entitled Death Of The Doctor, includes, not only a Time Lord we all know and love, but another companion as well. The show airs first on CBBC on Monday, October 25th at 5:15pm, then on BBC1 Wednesday, October 27th at 4:30pm. We have a spoiler-free review here for you.
Monday returns to more animated adventures, this time in Futurama, first showing on October 25th at 5:30pm on Sky1. Crimes Of The Hot is the first of 16 episodes on the show’s fifth series. Repeat performances follow on Sky1 and 2.
Then Monday night, October 25th at 9:00pm on ITV1, Whitechapel concludes its three-part second series. We’d said at the start that Sherlock had set the bar higher, especially in that particular London arena, but there’s a giggle and nudge to be found in the show, especially with the casting against type this time around of Peter Serafinowicz in this story of Kray twin progeny. Have a look and see which is more adult: this or Sarah Jane’s Adventures.
To conclude a top-heavy week, the third and final instalment of A History Of Horror With Mark Gatiss airs at 9:00pm on Monday, October 25th on BBC4. After the Hammer horrors of the 50s (reviewed here), the focus shifts to The American Scream and the advent of the slasher and zombiefied films of the 60s and subsequent horrors of the decades that followed. The episode repeats a couple times later in the week before restarting the series from the beginning, in time for Halloween. We’ll have a reminder for you next Friday.
Now, on to the films showing through the weekend and a bit beyond, including the latest Harry Potter, Hammer and Romero horror, Sin City commercial-free on BBC, and movies for fans of the Coen brothers and war stories. That’s not to mention the Guillermo del Toro triple bill.
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 ’23rd’ in your browser’s Find box or window to highlight and/or tab through all movies shown on Saturday. Enjoy!
8MMOn: Five USADate: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Five USA+1)
A Mighty WindOn: ITV1 Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 02:55amA Serious ManOn: Sky Movies Premiere Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 10:40pm (and 11:40pm Premiere+1,, then daily at similar times through 28th Oct)Ace Ventura: Pet DetectiveOn: FiveDate: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 7:20pmAirplane!On: Sky Movies Modern GreatsDate: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 11:55am (and 10:00pm)
An American Werewolf In LondonOn: SyFy Date: Monday 25th OctoberTime: midnight (and 1:00am 26th Oct Syfy+1)Benny And JoonOn: TCMDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 3:00pm (and 7:10am 24th Oct)
CasinoOn: ITV4 Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm ITV4+1, 10:45/11:45pm 24th Oct)
City Of GodOn: Sky Movies Indie Date: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 10:00pm
CronosOn: Film4Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 11:00pm (and midnight Film4+1)
Dawn Of The DeadOn: BBC 4Date: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 10:00pm
Deep ImpactOn: BBC 3Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 8:40pm (and 9:00pm 27th Oct)
East Is EastOn: Film4Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)
EquusOn: TCMDate: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 01:45amFargo On: TCMDate: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 9:00pm
FirestarterOn: TCMDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 11:35pm
Flight Of The Phoenix (1966)On: Film4 Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 11:00am (and noon Film4+1)
GladiatorOn: Sky1Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 24th Oct Sky2, 11:00pm 27th Oct Sky1)
GoldfingerOn: ITV1Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 3:25pm
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood PrinceOn: Sky Movies Premiere Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 3:10pm (and 4:10pm Premiere+1 & 8/9:00pm, then daily at similar times through 28th Oct)
Hot Shots!On: Film4Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 7:20pm (and 8:20pm Film4+1)
KickboxerOn: Five USA Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 10:40pm (and 11:40pm Five USA+1)LadyhawkeOn: E4Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 2:30pm (and 3:30pm E4+1)LifeboatOn: more4Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 11:20am
Live And Let DieOn: ITV4Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 6:30pm (and 7:30pm ITV4+1, 5:30/6:30pm 24th Oct)
Mr. & Mrs. SmithOn: Film4Date: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)
My Name Is BruceOn: SyFyDate: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 11:30pm (and 00:30am 25th Oct Syfy+1)Mystery MenOn: ITV4Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 7:45pm (and 8:45pm ITV4+1)No Country For Old MenOn: Channel 4 Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 10:15pm (and 11:15pm 4+1)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s NestOn: Film4Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 00:50am (and 1:50am Film4+1)Pan’s LabyrinthOn: Film4Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 11:00pm (and midnight Film4+1)
PhenomenaOn: horror channel Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 10:55pmPlanes, Trains And AutomobilesOn: Sky Movies ComedyDate: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 08:55amSaving Private RyanOn: more4Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 1:15am 23rd Oct)
Scream 2On: Comedy Central Date: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: midnight (and 1:00am 23rd Oct CC+1 & 10:50/11:50pm)
Sin CityOn: BBC 2 EastDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 11:15pm
Sleepy HollowOn: Film4 Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)
Terminal VelocityOn: Film4 Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 01:05am (and 2:05am Film4+1)
The AbyssOn: Film4Date: Wednesday 27th OctoberTime: 10:45pm (and 11:45pm Film4+1)
The Bridge On The River KwaiOn: more4Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 1:35pm (and 11:20pm)
The Devil’s BackboneOn: Film4Date: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 11:00pm (and midnight Film4+1)The GameOn: SyFyDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Syfy+1, 9/10:00pm 24th Oct)The InsiderOn: Film4Date: Tuesday 26th OctoberTime: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)The Man With The Golden GunOn: ITV4Date: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 7:30pm (and 8:30pm IYV4+1, 6:30/7:30pm 26th Oct)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) On: TCMDate: Monday 25th OctoberTime: 3:00pm (and 6:50am 26th Oct)
The MummyOn: ITV2 Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 5:35pm (and 6:35pm ITV2+1)
The Sum Of All FearsOn: WatchDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Watch+1, 9/10:00pm 24th Oct)Thunderbirds Are GOOn: Channel 4 Date: Tuesday 26th OctoberTime: 04:30am (and 5:30am 4+1)
Tin CupOn: TCMDate: Friday 22nd OctoberTime: 9:00pm
To Kill A MockingbirdOn: ITV3Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 09:30am (and 10:30am ITV3+1)
Where Eagles DareOn: FiveDate: Saturday 23rd OctoberTime: 5:10pmWitchfinder GeneralOn: BBC 4Date: Sunday 24th OctoberTime: 10:00pm
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