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

If you're wondering where to find some of the best films on the terrestrial channels this week, we've got you sorted with our picks for the next seven days.

With so many amazing films airing, we've compiled a list of the best flicks for you to choose from below.

Friday 1st November

The Iron Petticoat - 2:55pm, Film4

A female Russian pilot defects to the West due to anger at sexual discrimination in the Soviet Air Force. A US Air Force officer tries to convince the committed communist of the benefits of life in the West and romance blossoms - but the KGB are soon stalking the couple. Comedy, starring Bob Hope, Katharine Hepburn, James Robertson Justice and Robert Helpmann. Read our full review

Testament of Youth - 11:05pm, BBC Two

Period biographical drama based on the memoirs of Vera Brittain, starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harington. Spring, 1914: free-spirited Vera Brittain is determined to study at Oxford and become a writer despite her parents' opposition. But when war is declared later that year, her hopes are dashed as her brother Edward and his friend Roland Leighton enlist. Vera decides to volunteer to become a nurse and before long, she is heading to the Front. Read our full review

The Godfather - 11:45pm, Film4

Francis Ford Coppola's epic crime drama, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James Caan. In New York following the Second World War, Don Corleone is determined that his family should keep control of the American crime world. His daughter Connie is to be married, an occasion that draws guests pledging gifts to the couple in the hope that they will be granted favours by the "Godfather". Read our full review

Saturday 2nd November

A Knight’s Tale - 11:50am, Channel 4

Romantic period adventure starring Heath Ledger. In 14th-century Europe, William, a young commoner, poses as Sir Ulric of Liechtenstein, a knight. But can he change his lowly destiny by winning jousting tournaments, or will the evil Count Adhemar discover the deception before William can win the fair Lady Jocelyn's hand? Read our full review

The African Queen - 2pm, BBC Two

Classic First World War romantic adventure starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. East Africa, 1914: when her home is destroyed by invading Germans, a prim missionary finds an unlikely saviour in the scruffy, gin-drinking captain of a small steam-driven riverboat, The African Queen. Together, the indomitable pair begin a treacherous journey downriver to conduct their own private battle against the enemy. Read our full review

School of Rock - 4:35pm, Film 4

Musical comedy starring Jack Black as Dewey Finn, an out-of-work heavy metal guitarist who cons his way into a job teaching at an expensive private school. Introducing the uptight students to the joys of rock music, Finn sets about grooming them for a battle-of-the-bands contest. Read our full review

The Godfather: Part II - 11:10pm, Film4

Epic crime drama starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. Michael Corleone is determined to legitimise the family business, but struggles to escape its violent past. With his leadership challenged by rival factions, Michael becomes increasingly obsessed with family loyalty, as he remembers his late father's first, challenging days in America. Read our full review

Memoria - 1:35am, Channel 4

Mystery drama starring Tilda Swinton. While travelling in Colombia, Scottish botanist Jessica begins to hear a strange noise in her head. When she investigates its origin, a series of curious events sends her spiralling into an increasingly trippy odyssey of self-exploration. Read our full review

Sunday 3rd November

The History of Mr Polly - 2pm, Talking Pictures TV

Period drama adapted from the novel by HG Wells, starring John Mills and Sally Ann Howes. Reflecting on a life of missed opportunities, draper Alfred Polly hits upon a drastic solution to his seemingly insurmountable problems. Read our full review

Men in Black - 2:50pm, Film4

Sci-fi comedy starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. When a New York police officer is recruited by a top-secret agency that monitors alien activity he finds himself in a race against time to save the Earth from destruction. Read our full review

Paddington 2 - 3:05pm, BBC One

Comedy starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington. When a rare pop-up book is stolen before Paddington can buy it as a birthday present for his aunt Lucy, the little bear is arrested as the prime suspect in the theft. While Paddington is attempting to make the most of his incarceration, the true thief is using clues hidden in the book to locate the immense fortune of its late author. Read our full review

The Shawshank Redemption - 10pm, BBC Two

Prison drama, based on a story by Stephen King, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Maine 1946: sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover, mild-mannered banker Andy Dufresne tries to adapt to the brutalities of prison life. Over the years, Dufresne's friendship with long-term inmate Red and the discovery that his financial expertise is suddenly in big demand make his ordeal easier to bear. Read our full review

Picnic at Hanging Rock - 10:05pm, Talking Pictures TV

Psychological mystery starring Rachel Roberts. On St Valentine's Day 1900, a party of girls from an exclusive boarding school goes to picnic at the awe-inspiring Hanging Rock where three girls and a teacher mysteriously disappear. Read our full review

Monday 4th November

The Smallest Show on Earth - 11am, Film4

A newly married couple inherit a dilapidated cinema and its incompetent staff and resolve to transform its fortunes. They soon find, however, that their hopes for the future are far more difficult to realise than anticipated. Basil Dearden's comedy, starring Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford, Bernard Miles and Leslie Phillips. Read our full review

The Blue Lamp - 3:05pm, Film4

Classic crime drama starring Jack Warner, Jimmy Hanley and Dirk Bogarde. When veteran London policeman George Dixon is shot trying to arrest a couple of crooks, new recruit Andy Mitchell takes up the case with a vengeance. Read our full review

Spitfire - 9pm, Sky Documentaries

The story of the British single-seat fighter plane the Supermarine Spitfire, designed by RJ Mitchell and famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. Archive footage, new film of the aircraft in flight and interviews with the last surviving veterans who flew the plane in combat combine to tell its story. Read our full review

Tuesday 5th November

It Came From Beneath the Sea - 1:05pm, Film4

Sci-fi adventure starring Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue. In the Pacific Ocean, a nuclear submarine encounters a giant octopus which trails the vessel back to San Francisco and brings terror to the community. Read our full review

Saving Private Ryan - 9pm, Film4

Second World War drama directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore and Edward Burns, and featuring Matt Damon. As the horror of the Normandy landings takes its toll, three brothers lie dead. Captain Miller is sent on a special mission in occupied France to bring home the fourth brother, Private Ryan - no matter what the cost. Read our full review

Pitch Black - 9pm, ITV4

Science-fiction thriller starring Radha Mitchell and Vin Diesel. When a transport ship crashes on a seemingly deserted planet, things seem bad enough for the few survivors. But with this desolate world about to be plunged into darkness by an eclipse, their nightmare is only just beginning. Read our full review

Wednesday 6th November

The Man from Laramie - 12:55pm, Film4

Western starring James Stewart. Will Lockhart journeys to New Mexico to find those responsible for supplying the guns that killed his brother. He becomes involved in the bitter rivalry between a rancher and his ex-lover, who are in dispute over who runs the territory. Read our full review

Groundhog Day - 9pm, Film4

Comedy fantasy starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Cynical TV weatherman Phil Connors is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day festival at a small town in Pennsylvania. Stranded by a snowstorm, which he failed to predict, Phil wakes up the following morning to discover that it's still the day before, and it slowly dawns on the world-weary forecaster that he'll never have to worry about tomorrow. Read our full review

Memento - 11:05pm, Film4

Thriller starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss. Leonard Shelby is determined to avenge the rape and murder of his wife, but is hampered by short-term memory loss following a blow to the head. Forced to record everything with copious notes, Polaroid photographs and even tattoos, Leonard's obsession leads him into a world where no one can be trusted. Read our full review

Thursday 7th November

The Quiet Man - 1:30pm, Film4

Romantic comedy starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Sean Thornton returns to his native Galway to settle down in peace after growing up in America. The quiet life still eludes him, however, as he finds himself reluctantly sparring with his neighbours, his sweetheart and his conscience Read our full review

Road to Perdition - 10:45pm, ITV1

Period crime drama starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. The Midwest in the 1930s: when the profession of ruthless hitman Michael Sullivan is discovered, a killer is sent to eradicate him and his family. But Sullivan and his 12-year-old son escape and embark upon a life-changing journey of revenge. Read our full review

Ali & Ava - 11:05pm, BBC Two

Drama starring Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook. Amiable, music-loving landlord Ali lives in Bradford where his marriage is coming to a painful end. By chance, he meets widowed teaching assistant Ava and the two get close. But their own insecurities and family opposition threaten to stand in the way of their burgeoning relationship. Read our full review

Friday 8th November

Far From the Madding Crowd - 1:05pm, Film4

Period romantic drama adapted from the novel by Thomas Hardy, starring Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan Bates. Rural England in the late 19th century: Bathsheba Everdene is a captivating and headstrong young woman who inherits her uncle's farm and has a profound effect on the three men in her life - the dashing Sergeant Troy, the rich and ageing William Boldwood and the ever-faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak. Read our full review

Gilda - 6:50pm, Talking Pictures TV

Classic film noir starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. Having been rescued from a brawl, gambler Johnny Farrell is hired by Ballin Mundson to work in his casino. Farrell quickly rises to a position of responsibility, but everything changes when his boss returns from a trip with a new wife - the alluring Gilda. Read our full review

The Falling - 11:05pm, BBC Two

Mystery thriller starring Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh and Greta Scacchi. At a strict English girls' school in 1969, troubled teenager Lydia develops a close friendship with the charismatic Abbie. But when the school's status quo is broken by a shocking incident, the pupils fall victim to a fainting epidemic that soon begins to affect the teaching staff, too. Read our full review

Airplane! - 12:05am, Channel 4

Disaster-movie spoof starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty and Leslie Nielsen. An eccentric collection of passengers and crew sets off from Los Angeles on a flight bound for Chicago. However, disaster looms when the pilots are struck down with food poisoning and former fighter pilot Ted Striker, trying to win back the love of stewardess Elaine, must face his fear of flying to land the plane. 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.