Jawsmas TV Guide 2020

Dean, our Chief Writer, picks up his highlighter pens and dives in to this year's UK Christmas TV guide to look for those Jaws related film and TV appearances swimming around the schedules.

Saturday 19 December

Michael Caine Night

BBC2

6.30pm - 1230am

BBC2 has an evening of Michael Caine themed entertainment, sadly not including Jaws The Revenge. What you do get is an evening bookended by two of his most well known films, The Eagle Has Landed and Educating Rita. Between those, we get two documentaries, one called The Many Faces of Michael Caine, with Caine reminiscing about some of his most famous films. The other is My Generation, based on Caine's personal journey in 60s London.

Sunday 20 December

Catch Me If You Can

BBC2

5.50pm - 8pm

Steven Spielberg directs, with a fantastic jazz inspired score by John Williams, this true life crime caper about a lifetime con artist. Leonardo DiCaprio is doing the conning and Tom Hanks the catching, if he can.

Christmas Eve

Santa Claus: The Movie

ITV

11am - 1.05pm

Sure, you get Dudley Moore rebelling against Santa Claus and playing straight into the hands of greedy toymaker, John Lithgow, in full glorious villain mode. Helping him is none other than Jeffrey Kramer, Deputy Hendricks. The 1985 film, from the same producers of Superman, was directed by Jaws 2 helmer, Jeannot Szwarc.

Christmas Day

The Italian Job

Channel 4

3.30pm - 5.30pm

Crime caper classic that ages like a fine wine. Caine co-stars with Noel Coward, Benny Hill and some brilliant manoeuvres by some minis, not to mention the ultimate cliffhanger ending.

Monday 28 December

Dragonheart

Film4

1.05pm - 3.25pm

Jaws 3D star, Dennis Quaid, forms an unlikely partnership with a talking dragon, voiced by the late Sean Connery. Features a wonderful score by Randy Edelman.

Monday 28 December

The Dambusters

Channel 4

1.35pm - 4.05pm

Before he delivered the bomb, the Hiroshima bomb, Robert Shaw was starring in a film about another real life daring bombing mission during World War 2.

Monday 28 December

Force 10 From Navarone

ITV4

3.30pm - 5.55pm

Robert Shaw is still fighting Germany in World War 2, this time he is ably supported by Harrison Ford, Edward Fox and Carl Weathers in this boys own adventure from the director of Goldfinger that is a sequel to The Guns of Navarone. Perfect post Christmas, early afternoon viewing.

Monday 28 December

Minority Report

BBC1

10.30pm - 12.50am

Steven Spielberg directs and John Williams scores this futuristic thriller, based on a novel by Phillip K.Dick, where Tom Cruise is in charge of a pre-crime unit that prevents murders before they happen. Things get complicated when he is identified as a suspect in a future murder.

New Year's Eve

Without A Clue

Talking Pictures

10pm - 12.10am

See in the new year with with fun comedy romp starring Michael Caine as Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Doctor Watson, although it is really Watson who is the brains, with Holmes a hired actor who lives up to the film's title.

New Year's Day

Columbo: Murder By The Book

5USA

4.30pm - 6pm

What better way to ease in 2021 than alongside the dishevelled detective played by Peter Falk. This blistering episode was not only the first regular Columbo episode, but it is also the one directed by Steven Spielberg. All of his touches are there, and it's a great crime as well. One of the best.

Words by Dean Newman

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