Based on real events, this intense blockbuster will have you clinging to the edge of your seat

Everest, Tuesday 18 September, 9pm, Film4/HD (CH 428/429)

In the six decades since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest – the highest point on Earth above sea level – the 8,848 metre-high mountain has become a popular destination for tourists and professional climbers alike. But the dangers of the mountain are ever present, as the disaster of May 1996 revealed.

Directed by Icelandic film-maker Baltasar Kormákur (Contraband), Everest is a chilling and immersive reconstruction of the series of disasters that led to the tragic deaths of eight climbers.

With Jake Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke (Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes) heading up the cast as rival expedition leaders, supported by Keira Knightley, Robin Wright and Josh “Thanos” Brolin, it’s a truly star-packed affair. And the casting is just one reason to check out this epic.

The film is packed with awe-inspiring visuals and boasts a truly astonishing recreation of one of the world’s harshest environments. The film was shot in the Ötztal Alps in Italy and at Everest Base Camp, and a reconstruction of the mountain’s peak was created at Pinewood Studios in London, where the team dropped the studio temperature to -3°C and brought in real snow!

With such close attention to detail and convincingly shivery performances, it’s the closest you’ll get to facing the elements at their most extreme from the comfort of your sofa.

Everest, Tuesday 18 September, 9pm, Film4/HD (CH 428/429)