The Man Who Would Be King

13:10 on Monday 5th September on Channel 4.

Sean Connery and Michael Caine star in this classic adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story. Set in the 1880s, the pair play ex-soldiers who decide to follow Alexander the Great's path and forge their own kingdom in the uncharted territory of Kafiristan, above India's Northwest Frontier, with the hope of getting rich beyond their wildest dreams. Co-starring Saeed Jaffrey and Christopher Plummer.

Director: John Huston

Starring: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey, Doghmi Larbi, Jack May

(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1975, PG, 4 Star)



Bhaji on the Beach

00:20 on Tuesday 6th September on Channel 4.

A delightful story, simply told, about a group of Asian women, both young and old, who decide to escape from the pressures of their various lives for a hilarious trip to the Mecca of sunshine: Blackpool.

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Starring: Kim Vithana, Jimmi Harkishin, Sarita Khajuria, Mo Sesay, Lalita Ahmed, Shaheen Khan

(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1993, 15, 3 Star)



Love on the Dole

11:40 on Wednesday 7th September on BBC 2 Midlands.

Based on a novel by Walter Greenwood, this social drama looks at a family struggling through the Depression in the north of England. A beautiful woman falls in love with an unemployed man but his pride prevents him from marrying her while he is still on the dole. When her lover is killed during a labour dispute, she is forced to marry an old bookie in the desperate hope that he will give her work to support her family.

Director: John Baxter

Starring: Deborah Kerr, Clifford Evans, George Carney, Mary Merrall, Geoffrey Hibbert, Joyce Howard

(Black and White, Subtitles, 1941, PG, 4 Star)



Reign of Fire

21:00 on Thursday 8th September on BBC 1 Midlands.

Sci-fi fantasy in which a small band of survivors struggles to stay alive in a future world dominated by flame-breathing dragons. Two men, one whose mother awoke the beasts and was killed by them, and another who claims to know how to exterminate them, have to join together to save human life.

Director: Rob Bowman

Starring: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler, Scott Moutter, David Kennedy

(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2002, 12, 3 Star)



Casino Royale

23:20 on Friday 9th September on ITV3.

Extravagant 007 spoof in which Sir James Bond is brought out of retirement to save the world from the machinations of the criminal organisation SMERSH. Reluctant to return to the dangers of his old lifestyle, he hands his licence to kill to his nephew. Featuring the usual quota of casinos, women and villains - but with more Bonds than bargained for.

Director: Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston

Starring: Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Joanna Pettet, Daliah Lavi

(1967, PG, 3 Star)



Castaway

00:15 on Sunday 11th September on BBC1.



Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe here star in Nicolas Roeg's interpretation of the real-life experiences of Lucy Irvine, who replied to a newspaper advert from Gerald Kingsland for a woman to join him for a year on a desert island. It's essentially an excuse for Reed and Donohoe to get their kit off, but both cope well with their roles as the castaway and the sex-mad middle-aged man who is her companion. However, in the end you can't help feeling that this is just a lot of nudity (though Reed's is luckily often hidden by well-positioned foliage) used to spice up a tale of two selfish people who probably deserved each other.

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg

(1986)



Greyfriars Bobby

15:10 on Sunday 11th September on five.

Heartwarming drama based on the true story of a Skye terrier named Bobby who captured the hearts of the people of Edinburgh at the start of the 20th century. After his elderly master dies, the faithful dog refuses to leave the graveside, but two potential masters are soon fighting over custody of the little dog.

Director: Don Chaffey

Starring: Donald Crisp, Laurence Naismith, Alexander Mackenzie, Kay Walsh, Andrew Cruickshank, Vincent Winter

(Stereo, Subtitles, 1961, U, 3 Star)



2001

16:20 on Sunday 11th September on ITV3.

Classic sci-fi in which an apparently intelligent monolith is discovered on the moon. A team of astronauts follows a radio signal emanating from the monolith to a rendezvous near Jupiter, but their attempts to understand it are hindered by a struggle for survival with their spacecraft's computer, HAL, which has an agenda of its own. A blend of Oscar-winning visual effects and philosophical musings.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack

(Including Entertainment News Update, 1968, U, 5 Star)