Geek shows and movies on UK TV in the coming week

After a couple weeks' break, we play catch-up this week with new programme starts, say goodbye with series finales, and hello once more to a very welcome return visit. All coming up in the next seven days on UK telly.

Last week, the excellent Peep Show, starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, aired the first episode of its seventh series. Mark is now a dad, although a reluctant one initially, and there's evidence of plenty left in the tank for the show, even at this great running distance, as you can see in our review of the premiere here. The series continues on Channel 4 tonight, Friday, December 3rd at 10:00pm and if you want to catch up, you can watch episode 1 here.

Half of the flatmate pair then follows in a new show, Robert's Web, at 10:40pm on Channel 4, which looks at some of the zaniest corners of the Internet. If you're worried it's another lame YouTube round-up, never fear, as it gets into the tackiest of web strings, with numbnuts forum posts and other such idiocy revealed without having to shove a mouse about. (Just hope you never spot one of your own less than poetic posts being pointed at.) The first episode is available to watch online, appropriately, here.

Merlin comes to the end of its third series on Saturday, December 4th on BBC1 at 7:40pm, with the second of the two-part finale, The Coming Of Arthur. The first half was heading in a very satisfying direction for our reviewer and many of the fans, and hopes are high it can finish that same way, with a flourish, and not peter out in a puff of smelly smoke.

A firm favourite returned to BBC3, in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss', Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The first exquisite episode, A Study In Pink, can be seen online here. And The Blind Banker airs Sunday, December 5th at 7:30pm on BB3, and it, too, is worth a rewatch before next week's conclusion. (Well, we say conclusion. Actually, brace yourself for a cliffhanger of mountainously epic proportions. We have never wanted to will a series into returning sooner harder.) If any episode passed you by, you can catch up in the comment sections on our still glowing reviews here.

Monday, December 6th, The Trip concludes with The Angel At Hetton on BBC2 at 10:00pm. It's been a grand tour, with Steven Coogan and Rob Brydon entertaining in every moment, mostly with genuine laughs, and at other times, quite touching scenes in a surprise new favourite. Catch up with our most recent review here, if you like, and if you've missed even a second of the show, it's still available to watch here.

Now, on to the films showing through the weekend and a bit beyond. As always, if we missed anything interesting, have a shout in the comments, with our thanks.

Please also note: the ordinal numbers for dates will help you scan through this simple list with your browser's search function. Enter '4th' in your browser's Find box or window to highlight and/or tab through all movies shown on Saturday. Enjoy!

2001: A Space Odyssey
On: TCM
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 9:00pm

A History Of Violence
On: more4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:00pm (and 1:00am 4th Dec)

Airplane!
On: Sky Movies Comedy
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:00pm

Apollo 13
On: ITV2
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 5:15pm (and 6:15pm ITV2+1)

Assassins
On: Five USA
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Five USA+1)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
On: TCM
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:00am 4th Dec)

Bad Day At Black Rock
On: more4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:35am

Black Narcissus
On: more4
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 11:15am

Blade
On: Five
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 10:00pm

Blow Out
On: TCM
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:55pm

Braveheart
On: Film4
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Colors
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:05am 5th Dec)

Con Air
On: BBC 3
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:40am

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:45pm

Day Watch
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:35am (and 1:35am Film4+1)

Enemy At The Gates
On: Channel 4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 01:55am

Fargo
On: TCM
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 11:35pm

First Blood
On: ITV4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: midnight (and 1:00am 4th Dec ITV4+1, 11/midnight 6th Dec)

Flash Gordon
On: ITV4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 5:45pm (and 6:45pm ITV4+1)

Frozen River
On: BBC 2
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:25pm

Ice Age
On: Five
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 5:15pm

Identity
On: Bravo
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 10:00pm

In Bruges
On: Film4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Jackie Chan's Police Story
On: SyFy
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Syfy+1)

K-19: The Widowmaker
On: more4
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 10:45am

Kes
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 5:10pm (and 9:05am 5th Dec)

Lethal Weapon 4
On: Five USA
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Five USA+1)

Life Is Beautiful
On: Sky Movies Indie
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 4:05pm (and 1:10pm 8th Dec, 1:45am 9th Dec)

Little Otik
On: Film4
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 00:45am (and 1:45am Film4+1)

Magicians
On: ITV1
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:45pm

Nil By Mouth
On: Film4
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 00:40am (and 1:40am Film4+1)

Oldboy
On: Channel 4
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 01:20am

Pandorum
On: SyFy
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:20am (and 1:20am Syfy+1)

Porco Rosso
On: Channel 4
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 03:30am

Pushing Tin
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 01:15am (and 2:05am 4+1)

RoboCop
On: TCM
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 11:10pm

Se7en
On: Five USA
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 11:00pm

Sleeper
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 7:20pm (and 11:15am 5th Dec)

Slumdog Millionaire
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:25pm

Spider
On: BBC 2
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 11:50pm

Spider-Man
On: FIVER
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Fiver+1)

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
On: Film4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 1:00pm (and 2:00pm Film+1)

Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:50pm (and 11:50pm Film4+1)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
On: Sky1
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 5th Dec Sky2, 10:00pm 8th Dec Sky1, 9:00pm 9th Dec Sky2)

The Basketball Diaries
On: TCM
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:10am 7th Dec)

The Chaser
On: BBC 4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:30pm

The Devil's Backbone
On: Film4
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

The Interpreter
On: ITV1
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:35pm

The Jacket
On: ITV2
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 11:00pm (and midnight ITV2+1)

The Life Of David Gale
On: ITV1
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 03:00am

The Odessa File
On: Five USA
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 6:25pm (and 7:25pm Five USA+1, 2:20/3:20pm 5th Dec)

The Silence Of The Lambs
On: Universal
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 10:00pm )amd 11:00pm Universal+1)

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