Best films to watch on TV today, tonight and this week

There may be plenty of movies available on streaming platforms and being released weekly in cinemas, but nothing quite beats the feeling of finding a hidden gem while flicking through the TV.

With such a raft of options – old and new – to pick from this weekend, it can often feel like a bit of an insurmountable task to find one that really tickles your fancy. But that's where we come in to do the hard work for you, picking out some of the most stellar options available to tune into.

This weeks selection includes everything from classic Martin Scorsese flick Mean Streets to modern gems like Zola. There's something for everyone and if you're wondering where to find some of the best films on the terrestrial channels this week, we've got you sorted.

Read on for an expertly compiled list of the best flicks airing across the next seven days.

Friday 27th February

Patton - 11am, Film4

Oscar-winning biographical drama starring George C Scott as General George Smith Patton, one of the greatest and most controversial military leaders of the Second World War. Read our full review

Ride Lonesome - 2:20pm, Film4

Western starring Randolph Scott. When bounty hunter Ben Brigade seeks to bring a killer to justice, ostensibly to collect the reward, he meets up with two outlaws who have their own reason for wanting to turn in the wanted man. Read our full review

Scrapper - 11pm, BBC Two

Comedy drama starring Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson. Since the recent death of her mother, 12-year-old Georgie has fended for herself on her London council estate, selling off stolen bikes while telling elaborate lies to keep social services at bay. When her estranged father, Jason, suddenly drops into her life, Georgie is initially wary; but the pair form a tentative truce and soon, an unconventional criminal partnership. Read our full review

Relic - 12:20am, BBC Two

Supernatural horror mystery starring Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin and Bella Heathcote. When elderly Edna is reported missing, her daughter Kay and granddaughter Sam begin searching her large, rural house for clues. But then Edna emerges, confused and disoriented. Is her dementia getting worse, or is something more sinister going on? Read our full review

Saturday 28th February

The Simpson’s Movie - 12:25pm, Channel 4

Feature-length outing for America's most dysfunctional family, with the voices of Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner. When Homer adopts a pig, he doesn't count on the amount of excrement it produces. Deciding to dump a silo of the stuff in the local lake, he precipitates an environmental disaster that has dire consequences for the whole of Springfield. Read our full review

Monkey Business - 12:55pm, Film4

Screwball comedy starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. A scientist carrying out research into the ageing process makes an accidental discovery while working with chimps. Read our full review

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol - 10:15pm, Channel 4

Action spy thriller starring Tom Cruise. The elite Impossible Missions Force is officially disbanded after being blamed for a botched operation, forcing agent Ethan Hunt and his crack team to go off grid to prevent a terrorist from causing a nuclear disaster. Read our full review

Scent of a Woman - 12:05am, BBC One

Oscar-winning drama starring Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell. Student Charlie Simms doesn't realise what he's let himself in for when he takes on a Thanksgiving holiday job looking after blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade. When Frank wishes to indulge in some of his "favourite" things one more time, the reluctant Charlie, with the threat of expulsion hanging over him, is whisked off on an eventful trip to New York. Read our full review

Ex Machina - 12:45am, Channel 4

Sci-fi thriller starring Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson. A young software programmer is given the opportunity to spend time at the home of his company's reclusive chairman. But when he arrives he discovers that he will be required to be part of a strange experiment. Read our full review

Sunday 1st March

Raiders of the Lost Ark - 3:30pm, ITV1

Action adventure starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Indiana Jones's outrageous exploits take him around the world in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, a religious artefact of unspeakable power wanted by the Nazis. With the help of an old flame, Indy takes on his enemies in a terrifying and death-defying battle to the finish. Read our full review

Spider-Man 2 - 3:35pm, BBC One

Fantasy action sequel starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina. Two years after walking away from his sweetheart Mary Jane, Peter Parker is struggling to balance his dual identities as a college student and mysterious superhero Spider-Man. He finds his life further complicated by the appearance of multi-tentacled villain Doctor Octopus... Read our full review

Emma - 5:05pm, BBC Two

Period comedy drama based on the novel by Jane Austen, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn and Josh O'Connor. Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, is determined to be the local queen of matchmaking, much to the irritation of her widowed father and neighbour Mr Knightley. But it gradually dawns on the young busybody that she is equally in need of advice in her own romantic inclinations. Read our full review

Misery - 10pm, BBC Two

Psychological thriller based on the novel by Stephen King, starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. In a remote area of the Colorado Mountains, successful novelist Paul Sheldon is injured in a car accident and taken in by ex-nurse Annie Wilkes, a devoted fan of Sheldon and his fictional heroine Misery Chastain. But events take a sinister turn when the novelist allows Wilkes to read a proof of his latest book. Read our full review

Bad Boys - 10:15pm, ITV1

Action comedy thriller starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Two chalk-and-cheese Miami drugs squad detectives - one a wise-cracking, Porsche-driving ladies' man, the other married with a family - are assigned to track down a missing $100-million shipment of heroin. Read our full review

Monday 2nd March

Lavender Hill Mob - 4:40pm, Film4

Classic Ealing crime comedy starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway. Meek, respectable Henry Holland supervises gold bullion deliveries to the bank where he is a trusted employee. But behind his modest exterior lurks a criminal mind harbouring unbounded ambition. His dream of stealing one million pounds worth of gold bars starts to assume reality when he teams up with foundry owner Pendlebury and two professional crooks. Read our full review

Rocketman - 11:10pm, Film4

Biographical musical drama starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell. From the safety of an addiction rehab group, a flamboyantly dressed man recalls the highs and lows of his childhood and transformation from talented young pianist Reggie Dwight into global superstar Elton John. Read our full review

King of Thieves - 11:45pm, BBC One

Crime drama based on a true story, starring Michael Caine and Jim Broadbent. Following the death of his wife, a former career criminal comes out of retirement for one last job: robbing a jewellery vault in London's Hatton Garden. Read our full review

Tuesday 3rd March

Magnificent Obsession - 11am, Film4

Classic melodrama from director Douglas Sirk, starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. A wealthy playboy indirectly brings about the death of a woman's husband and is later involved in an accident that blinds her. The tragedy inspires him with an obsession and a powerful love. Read our full review

It Should Happen to You - 3:10pm, Film4

Charming comedy starring Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford and Jack Lemmon in his feature debut. Struggling model Gladys Glover arrives in New York determined to make her fortune. When she sees an empty billboard she uses all her savings to buy the site and promote her name. Soon the whole city is talking about her, but an ambitious executive also has his eye on this prime location. Read our full review

Mean Streets - 1:15am, Film4

Martin Scorsese's drama starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. In New York's Little Italy, four young hustler friends while away their time by indulging in petty crime and drinking in Tony's bar. But Johnny Boy's unpredictable behaviour and his refusal to pay back his debts threatens his friendship with Charlie, causing increasing tension among the group. Read our full review

Wednesday 4th March

Starship Troopers - 9pm, Legend

Sci-fi adventure starring Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards. In the distant future, Earth is involved in an intergalactic war with the Bugs, a vicious race of giant arachnids. As the conflict escalates, four high-school friends enlist with the military and embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of enemy territory on the far side of the galaxy. Read our full review

Live and Let Die - 10pm, ITV4

Spy adventure that marks Roger Moore's debut as James Bond. Investigating the deaths of three British agents, Bond finds himself up against the mysterious "Mr Big", a New York drug baron with plans for world domination. The trail leads to New Orleans and the Caribbean, where Bond discovers a sinister voodoo cult and the beautiful tarot-card reader Solitaire. Read our full review

A Hidden Life - 11:40pm, Film4

Wartime drama based on a true story, starring August Diehl and Valerie Pachner. Rural Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter struggles with his moral principles when he is drafted into the army during the Second World War. Refusing to pledge allegiance to Hitler, Franz faces grave persecution from his community and the Third Reich - but this only strengthens his resolve. Read our full review

Thursday 5th March

Reality - 9pm, Film4

Drama based on true events, starring Sydney Sweeney. In 2017, contracted American military translator Reality Winner is visited in her home by FBI agents. Over the following 80 minutes, the conversation grows increasingly grave as Reality is questioned about her professional history, her politics - and her possible whistle-blowing activities. Read our full review

Creed III - 9:30pm, ITV4

Boxing drama starring Michael B Jordan and Jonathan Majors. Retired from life in the ring and based in LA, Adonis Creed is focusing on his family and the gym he owns. But his past comes back to haunt him when his childhood friend Damian Anderson, a former boxing prodigy, emerges from a stretch in prison. Damian plans to resume his once promising career - and he wants Adonis to help him train for his return. Read our full review

Zola - 12:35am, Film4

Black comedy drama based on a true story, starring Taylour Paige and Riley Keough. Zola, a Detroit waitress who works part-time as a stripper, befriends fellow dancer Stefani, who invites her along to a supposedly lucrative job in Florida. However, after arriving in Tampa, things take a turn for the chaotic when Zola discovers that she and Stefani are being pimped out for sex. Read our full review

Friday 6th March

Johnny Guitar - 11:35am, 5 Action

Cult western starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. Old conflicts and passions erupt when glamorous saloon owner Vienna employs the mysterious Johnny Guitar to help in her on-going battles with the local settlers. Read our full review

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - 9pm, Great TV

Action adventure starring Kevin Costner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman. After escaping from prison in the Holy Land, Robin of Locksley and his friend Azeem return to England, where they discover Robin's father murdered and King Richard exiled. When they meet a band of thieves in the woods, they join forces to try to oust the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham. Read our full review

The End We Start From - 11pm, BBC Two

Disaster drama starring Jodie Comer. In London, a woman gives birth just as the city is overwhelmed by flooding. She successfully flees with her husband and baby to make a home in the country with her welcoming in-laws. However, supplies are dwindling and civilisation could break down at any moment, forcing the young mother to push on while protecting her child. Read our full review

De Ja Vu - 11:40pm, Film4

Science-fiction action thriller starring Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer. Agent Doug Carlin is called in to investigate after an explosion rips through a packed New Orleans ferry. His initial assessment of the crime scene suggests that this isn't a clear-cut case, so he agrees to join an FBI task force that has access to a top-secret device that may shed light on the mystery. Read our full review

If you have Netflix, we have rounded up the best movies on Netflix and the best series on Netflix to watch now – and Disney Plus viewers can check out our best movies on Disney Plus guide. Got Prime Video? We also have the best movies on Amazon Prime.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.