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

There are plenty of options – old and new – to pick from this week, from classic Westerns like The Searchers to modern musicals like La La Land, so there really is something for everyone.

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.

Saturday 28th December

A Hard Day’s Night - 11:25am, BBC Two

Musical comedy starring the Beatles in their movie debut. John, Paul, George and Ringo set off for London, where they are due to take part in a live TV show. But the antics of Paul's mischievous grandfather throw the performance into jeopardy. Includes the classic songs A Hard Day's Night, Tell Me Why, I Should Have Known Better, She Loves You, This Boy, Can't Buy Me Love, I Wanna Be Your Man and All My Loving. Read our full review

The Incredibles - 1:40pm, BBC One

Animated comedy adventure from Pixar, featuring the voices of Craig T Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L Jackson. A family of superheroes struggles to fit into normal suburban life after its amazing powers are outlawed. But the temptation to fight crime proves too strong for Mr Incredible. Read our full review

The Godfather - 9:45pm, Channel 4

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

Pretty Woman - 10:20pm, BBC One

Romantic comedy starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. A chance encounter on the streets of Hollywood leads wealthy corporate raider Edward Lewis into hiring beautiful prostitute Vivian Ward to be his companion for a week. As Edward introduces Vivian to the privileged world of the rich and powerful, romance begins to blossom. Read our full review

Live Free or Die Hard - 11:05pm, ITV1

Action thriller starring Bruce Willis. When a rogue former government agent threatens to bring the United States computer infrastructure to its knees, it falls to cop John McClane and a young hacker to prevent potential disaster. But can the mix of old-school, tough-guy policing and modern computer expertise foil a group that will stop at nothing? Read our full review

Sunday 29th December

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 1:05pm, ITV1

Musical fantasy starring Dick Van Dyke. An inventor restores a clapped-out racing car with the help of his eccentric father and two children. They christen it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and, much to their surprise, the vehicle turns out to have magical powers Read our full review

Witness for the Prosecution - 12:55pm, BBC Two

Billy Wilder's screen adaptation of Agatha Christie's courtroom drama, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton. Against the advice of his doctors, ailing barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts starts to take an interest in the case of murder suspect Leonard Vole, who is pursued by the police after the death of a rich widow. Read our full review

The Sound of Music - 3:45pm, BBC One

Classic family musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. When trainee nun Maria begins to have doubts about her vocation, she leaves her convent in Salzburg to become governess to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp, a widower and retired naval officer. The spirited Maria instils a love of music in the children, but the family's happiness is threatened by the Nazi occupation of Austria. Read our full review

The Fugitive - 4:35pm, Channel 5

Thriller starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Despite protesting his innocence, Richard Kimble is sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. En route to prison, he is caught up in a disastrous escape attempt, and finds himself on the run. In order to clear his name, he must find the mysterious one-armed man with whom he struggled on the night of the murder, but the law is hot on his trail. Read our full review

Gosford Park - 10pm, BBC Two

Ensemble murder mystery from the writer of Downton Abbey and featuring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren. In 1930s rural England, a battery of well-to-do guests and their servants attend a weekend's shooting and socialising. But their reverie is shattered by a murder, after which everyone is a suspect. Read our full review

Monday 30th December

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - 2:50pm, BBC Two

A stressed businessman just wants to make it home to spend Thanksgiving with his family. However, when his flight is forced to land miles from its destination, he finds himself sharing a disaster-strewn journey across America with an amiable but slobbish salesman. Comedy road movie, starring Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Kevin Bacon and Michael McKean. Read our full review

Rocketman - 9pm, Channel 4

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

When Harry Met Sally - 11pm, BBC One

Romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. "Men and women can't be friends. The sex part always gets in the way." This is Harry's philosophy on life. Sally doesn't agree with him about this or anything else. But as the mismatched couple repeatedly encounter one another over the next few years, each has occasion to change their views. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship? Read our full review

New Year’s Eve

The Railway Children - 1:05pm, BBC One

Classic period drama based on the novel by E Nesbit, starring Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett and Gary Warren. When a government official is arrested on suspicion of treason, his wife and three children are forced to leave their London home and move to a small cottage in Yorkshire. While their mother fights for her husband's release, the children have marvellous adventures. Read our full review

The Big Country - 1:20pm, BBC Two

Epic, Oscar-winning western starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker and Charlton Heston. Having travelled west to claim the hand of Patricia Terrill, daughter of a powerful landowner, James McKay finds himself at the centre of a vicious feud between the Terrills and the Hannassey family. McKay is determined to stay out of the fight, but as events escalate, neutrality becomes more and more difficult to sustain Read our full review

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 6:40pm, Channel 4

Action adventure starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and Denholm Elliott. When archaeologist Henry Jones disappears, his son Indiana joins in the search for him. In a desperate race against time, Indy encounters some old enemies and once again finds himself in pursuit of an ancient religious artefact. Read our full review

No Time to Die - 8:45pm, ITV1

Spy adventure starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek and Léa Seydoux. After narrowly surviving an attempt on his life, James Bond believes his lover, Madeleine Swann, has betrayed him. Five years later, he is drawn out of retirement and back into her life when a new global threat - a deadly biological weapon - emerges. But with Bond's nemesis, Blofeld, behind bars, who is the mysterious figure intent on using this terrifying new technology? Read our full review

The Godfather Part II - 11:05pm, Channel 4

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

New Year’s Day

Top Hat - 8:45am, BBC Two

Classic musical comedy starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Jerry Travers spots Dale Tremont and is immediately head-over-heels in love, but their romance is complicated by the fact that Dale thinks he's married to her best friend, Madge. Read our full review

Finding Dory - 10:30am, BBC One

Pixar's animated sequel to Finding Nemo, featuring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. Dory, a friendly blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, embarks on an epic quest to find her long-absent parents. Friends Nemo and Marlin join Dory on a perilous mission that ultimately teaches everyone the true meaning of family. Read our full review

Lawrence of Arabia - 12:20pm, Channel 4

Epic adventure starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Jack Hawkins. During the First World War, the enigmatic Lieutenant Lawrence yearns to escape his desk job in military intelligence and experience some action. His chance arrives when he is appointed British liaison officer to the Arab Revolt against the Turks. Read our full review

The Searchers - 1:15pm, BBC Two

Classic western starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood. John Ford's masterpiece tells the story of Ethan Edwards and his five-year search for the last surviving member of his murdered family – a young girl captured by Comanches. Read our full review

Mary Poppins - 3:15pm, BBC One

Classic musical fantasy starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. London banker George Banks's search for a no-nonsense nanny to take care of his two naughty and unhappy children comes unstuck when the practically perfect Mary Poppins and her magic umbrella glide into their lives. Featuring the classic songs Chim Chim Cheree, A Spoonful of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Read our full review

The Untouchables - 10pm, BBC Two

Oscar-winning crime drama starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro. Determined young federal agent Eliot Ness leads a tough team of investigators in a dangerous mission to end Al Capone's violent reign of terror in Prohibition-era Chicago. Read our full review

La La Land - 11:45pm, BBC Two

Romantic musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. In Los Angeles, the showbiz capital of the world, pianist Sebastian and actress Mia endure an endless cycle of bar-room gigs and auditions in the hope they can turn their ambitions into a professional career. The pair meet and fall in love, but the path to making all their dreams come true is no simple affair. Read our full review

Thursday 2nd January

About Time - 2:40pm, Channel 5

Romantic sci-fi comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy. When Tim turns 21, his father reveals that the men in their family have a supernatural power: they can travel through time. Tim decides to use his gift and improve his life - by finding a girlfriend. Read our full review

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - 10pm, BBC Two

Period adventure drama based on the novels by Patrick O'Brian, starring Russell Crowe. In 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars, British frigate HMS Surprise is out-gunned by a French warship and badly damaged. Despite severe injuries to his crew and his opponent's greater fire power, uncompromising captain Jack Aubrey patches up the Surprise and sets off to seek revenge. Read our full review

The Full Monty - 10:40pm, BBC One

Comedy drama starring Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson and Mark Addy. Unemployed Sheffield steelworkers Gaz and Dave come up with a bold plan to restore their fortunes and capitalise on their assets - taking their clothes off for money. But just how far should they go to please the audience? Read our full review

Friday 3rd January

Planet of the Apes - 2:30pm, BBC Two

Science-fiction adventure starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. Four American astronauts hurtle into the far reaches of space and time and crash-land in the wilderness of an unidentified planet. It is a place where evolution has taken a strange turn - apes are the dominant species and man is the beast. Read our full review

Bullitt - 9pm, ITV4

Crime thriller starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. A San Francisco police lieutenant is forced to use unorthodox methods when an assignment to protect a government witness goes awry. Read our full review

Mission: Impossible – Fallout - 9pm, Film4

Action spy thriller starring Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and Henry Cavill. Ethan Hunt is sent to Berlin to buy three stolen plutonium cores before a terrorist group can get a hold of them. But after a hostage crisis leads to the failure of the mission, Hunt is targeted by a CIA assassin who could derail the IMF for good. Read our full review

1917 - 10:30pm, BBC Two

First World War drama starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman. Two young British corporals are tasked with delivering an urgent warning about an enemy ambush to a battalion further along the Western Front. The quickest way to do this is to go over the top, through the abandoned German trenches and across the French countryside - but they soon run into peril and face an increasingly fraught race against time... 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.