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 Hitchcock thriller The 39 Steps to Steven Spielberg's recent semi-autobiographical gem The Fabelmans. 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 20th February

Drums Along the Mohawk - 2:50pm, Film4

Western adventure starring Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda. In pre-Revolutionary America, a newly married couple join other settlers on the frontier of the Mohawk Valley. After repeated attacks by native American tribes, they are forced to take shelter in a nearby fort. Read our full review

Speed - 9pm, Great Action

Action thriller starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock. A demented extortionist's plan to collect a huge ransom by planting a bomb in an LA skyscraper is thwarted by the reckless bravery of SWAT daredevil Jack Traven. Undeterred, the unhinged bomber sets Traven a sterner test - an even more deadly device on board a commuter-filled bus that will explode if the bus's speed drops below 50mph. Read our full review

The Damned United - 11pm, BBC Two

Football drama starring Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. After guiding Leeds United to the First Division title in 1974, Don Revie leaves Elland Road to become manager of England. In a surprise move, the Leeds board turns to outspoken coach Brian Clough as his replacement. But it proves to be a short-lived and bitter experience for all involved. Read our full review

The Inspection - 12:25am, BBC One

Military drama based on a true story, starring Jeremy Pope. After a period spent living on the streets, Ellis French enlists in the US Marines, and is sent to a gruelling boot camp for training. But French's life takes a dangerous turn when his instructors and fellow recruits discover he is gay. Read our full review

Saturday 21st February

Reach for the Sky - 4:30pm, Talking Pictures TV

Biographical drama about war hero Douglas Bader, starring Kenneth More. Following a flying accident in which he loses both his legs, doctors expect Bader to die, but he overcomes incredible odds to survive and take on the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. Read our full review

Mrs Doubtfire - 4:40pm, Film4

Comedy drama starring Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan. When voiceover artist Daniel Hillard walks out of his day job, his wife Miranda decides it's time to walk out on him, and is granted custody of their children. Daniel is desperate to be with his kids, so when Miranda advertises for a nanny-cum-housekeeper he applies for the job in disguise. Read our full review

Django Unchained - 9pm, Film4

Western directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L Jackson and Christoph Waltz. After being freed from slavery and trained in the ways of a bounty hunter by Dr King Schultz, Django sets out to free his wife from a vicious plantation owner. Read our full review

The Fabelmans - 9:15pm, Channel 4

Period coming-of-age drama starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Gabriel LaBelle. In 1950s Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman finds that using his dad's Super 8 camera helps him to work through his feelings, all while creating fun little stories. As he grows older and his parents' marriage gradually crumbles, Sammy realises that making movies can't solve everything - but they are his life's calling. Read our full review

Predator - 12:15pm, Channel 4

Science-fiction action thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. A rescue mission deep in the Central American jungle turns into a fight for survival as a crack commando unit, led by Major "Dutch" Schaeffer, comes up against an unseen enemy - a predator able to resist the most up-to-date weaponry and kill with relentless efficiency. Read our full review

Sunday 22nd February

Spider-Man - 2:50pm, BBC One

Superhero adventure, starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe and Kirsten Dunst. During a school trip to a New York laboratory, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically modified spider and develops extraordinary powers. Then a series of events convinces Peter that he should use his new physical abilities to wage war on crime - a decision that takes him away from his school sweetheart, Mary Jane Watson, and pits him against the evil Green Goblin. Read our full review

2001: A Space Odyssey - 6:20pm, ITV4

Keir Dullea stars in Stanley Kubrick's ground-breaking science-fiction epic, which depicts the evolution of man - from primitive apes to the 21st century - through the medium of space travel. Read our full review

The Tall Men - 8:45pm, Great Action

Western starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell and Robert Ryan. Following the American Civil War, brothers Ben and Clint Allison journey north to Montana in search of gold, but end up as cattle drivers in the pay of wealthy businessman Nathan Stark. On the way to Texas to pick up the herd, they save young Nella Turner from a Sioux ambush. It's a meeting that will have consequences for them all. Read our full review

Calendar Girls - 10pm, BBC Two

Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Chris and Annie are best friends and members of the local Women's Institute in Knapely, Yorkshire. When Annie's husband dies from leukaemia, Chris suggests they and their fellow WI colleagues raise money for the local hospital by posing nude for a calendar. The media interest that follows leads to the project becoming a worldwide sensation. Read our full review

Women Talking - 11:40pm, BBC Two

Drama starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley. The women of a small, isolated religious community discover that the menfolk have been drugging and sexually assaulting them. When the men travel into the city for a legal matter, the women have 48 hours to themselves, to debate and decide on their next steps. Will they stay quiet, fight back, or flee? Read our full review

Monday 23rd February

Call Jane - 10:55pm, Film4

In 1960s Chicago, a married woman must turn to an underground organisation of women to help end her life-threatening pregnancy. Director Phyllis Nagy's drama based on a true story, starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver. Read our full review

Dark Waters - 11:05pm, BBC Two

Drama based on a true story, starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway. Corporate defence lawyer Robert Bilott is approached with evidence that seems to connect the DuPont chemical corporation to a spate of farm animal infections, disabilities and deaths. As the case builds over the next several years, Bilott's job becomes ever tougher. But with the revelation that human lives are at stake, too, his resolve only grows. Read our full review

I’m Your Man - 1:15am, Film4

Sci-fi romance starring Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens. In order to get funding for her research, academic Alma takes part in an unusual study: she is paired with a robot, named Tom, who is designed to embody her "ideal man". Initially unsettled by her new partner, Alma reacts with hostility, but over time her feelings unexpectedly evolve. Read our full review

Tuesday 24th February

BlackBerry - 9pm, Film4

Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson and Glenn Howerton. In the mid-90s, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin pitch their BlackBerry pager device to potential investors. With the help of ambitious CEO Jim Balsillie, the result is a game-changer. But their rapid rise is followed by a fall as power, money and rivalry with Apple enter the picture. Read our full review

And Then There Were None - 9:05pm, Talking Pictures TV

Crime mystery based on one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, starring Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston. A far-off isle seems the perfect weekend location for ten assorted guests - until they discover their host mysteriously detained, and a murderer among them… Read our full review

Malcolm X - 11pm, BBC Two

Biographical drama starring Denzel Washington. Street hustler Malcolm Little converts to Islam while in prison, changes his name to Malcolm X and rises to fame as spokesman for the Nation of Islam. But his controversial political statements make him powerful enemies. Read our full review

Wednesday 25th February

An Inspector Calls - 9:10pm, Talking Pictures TV

Mystery based on the play by JB Priestley and starring Alastair Sim. A police officer uncovers dark secrets when he interviews an affluent family in connection with the death of a young girl. Read our full review

Boss Level - 11:45pm, Film4

Former Special Forces operative Roy Pulver wakes every day in his apartment with a beautiful woman in his bed and assassins trying to kill him. Stuck in a time loop, Roy must dodge bullets and blade attacks to unlock the mystery behind his repetitive and untimely demise. Action comedy, starring Frank Grillo. Read our full review

Point Break - 12am, BBC One

Action thriller starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Novice FBI agent Johnny Utah is tasked with tracking down a gang of four bank robbers, who carry out their raids wearing masks of former American presidents. In the belief that the gang are surfers, Utah goes under cover to learn surfing skills and encounters the mysterious Bodhi. Read our full review

Thursday 26th February

The 39 Steps - 10pm, BBC Four

Classic thriller starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. An innocent man accused of murder is pursued by both the police and an international spy ring. The beleaguered Richard Hannay finds himself fleeing across the desolate Scottish moors handcuffed to a beautiful woman. Read our full review

Mindhorn - 12am, BBC Two

Comedy starring Julian Barratt and Andrea Riseborough. When the deranged fan of a 1980s detective TV series goes on the rampage, the show's wrung-out star is enlisted to help take him down. But adopting the guise of Mindhorn, his old character, could create more problems for the actor than he's able to handle. Read our full review

Can You Ever Forgive Me? - 12:35am, Channel 4

Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant. In the early 1990s, writer Lee Israel is struggling to make ends meet as she contends with low sales and rejected pitches. When she sells on a personal letter from Katharine Hepburn, she realises she can put her wit and writing skills to a lucrative new use: forging and selling letters from famous historical figures. Read our full review

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

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.