The Girl In The Spider’s Web

Easter Monday, 9pm + Saturday 6 April, 11pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Based on the novel by David Lagercrantz that’s a follow-up to the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, this is ostensibly a thriller about the race to contain a computer program that can access the world’s nuclear codes. But in reality it’s the further adventures of Lisbeth Salander, now played by Claire Foy (All Of Us Strangers), the troubled, tattooed hacker who remains Larsson’s most memorable creation. Once again she’s thrown into Stockholm’s grimy criminal underworld, exposing wrongdoers while facing up to her past and punishing the guilty, aided by besotted journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason).

A Rhino’s Life

Friday 5 April, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

This intimate portrait of one of the world’s largest mammals marks the first time a rhino’s birth has ever been filmed in the world. It follows a nine-year-old female given the name Malaika, as she passes on wisdom to her two-year-old son Elias about feeding, bathing, safety and all their other aspects of their life on a Ugandan nature reserve. But things are about to change for the inseparable pair because Malaika is pregnant again. The crystal-clear ultra HD images make this majestic story even more compelling.

The Quick And The Dead

Saturday 6 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Director Sam Raimi started off in low-budget horror with Evil Dead and moved on to blockbuster fare like Spider-Man but in between, he made this offbeat western about a female gunfighter known as The Lady. Played by Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), she arrives in the Old West town of Redemption – officially to enter a duelling competition, but secretly on a quest for revenge. Paying homage to classic westerns while establishing its own unconventional tone, this is a hugely enjoyable film featuring a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in one of his first American film roles, as well as screen legend Gene Hackman.

Backyard Bears Of Transylvania

Sunday 7 April, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Nicolae Ceausescu established a bear breeding programme in Romania to satisfy his obsession with hunting – but while the hated dictator may be long gone, the results of his scheme still roam the country and with their numbers increasing, conflict with humans is unavoidable. This film gives an eye-opening, up-close look at what happens when one ursine family travels down from the mountain and moves into an urbanised area.

A Few Good Men

Sunday 7 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

You want the truth?! This legal-military drama about the ramifications of a young Marine’s death on a naval base may be 30 years old but it’s just as tense and entertaining as ever, and looks fantastic with an ultra-HD refresh. Tom Cruise’s smug Navy lawyer goes toe-to-toe with gnarled colonel Jack Nicholson in a court martial as the facts slowly overcome secrets, orders and tradition to fight their way to the surface. Rob Reiner, who was on a hot streak after Misery, directs with skill and Aaron Sorkin’s script is packed with memorable zingers.

Giants

Mondays from 8 April, 8.05pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

In this five-part series, wildlife expert Dan O’Neill investigates the biggest animals alive today, but starts out by using CGI to bring to life the largest creatures ever to walk the planet and drawing a line from them to our modern giants. From elephants and lions to sharks, anacondas and crocodiles, O’Neill looks at how long-gone eras created the conditions for their evolution, in a journey that takes him from the rainforests of Brazil to the African grasslands and the rivers of Australia’s Northern Territory.

Fantastic Friends

Thursdays from 11 April, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

If you want to travel to some of the most picturesque places in the world you’d be well advised to do so in the company of James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter movies. The pair prove to be genial companions as they whizz from St Lucia to Krakow to Dubai and beyond to check out the most awe-inspiring localities they can find. Along for the ride are Potter co-stars such as Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch, as well as other actors including Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams and The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment, and the twins find common ground as they chat to them about finding fame at a young age.

Sharks Of The Icy North

Friday 12 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

The predators of the tropical seas are a familiar subject but most of us know little about cold-water sharks. In this fascinating film Christina Karliczek, a director and camera operator who has trained for dives under ice and into extreme depths, heads to chilly waters to document sharks with venomous spines, meet the basking shark (the second biggest fish in the world) and even find sharks that glow, all captured in mind-bogglingly crisp ultra HD images. And under the sea ice of the north Atlantic, she encounters the Greenland shark, one of the world’s most poorly studied species but one estimated to live up to 500 years.

In The Line Of Fire

Saturday 13 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

John Malkovich (Bird Box) is at his sinister, supercilious best in this taut political thriller as a disillusioned former CIA operative now set on killing the President. He makes contact with Secret Service man Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood), taunting him about his past failures and drawing the pair into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with deadly consequences. It’s a beautifully paced, no-nonsense thriller that’ll keep you gripped till the end, with a cast featuring Rene Russo, Gary Cole and Frasier’s John Mahoney.

All The Money In The World

Sunday 14 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

The barely believable story of the 1973 kidnap of John Paul Getty III, grandson of the billionaire oil tycoon, unfolds in this tense and unsettling thriller from legendary director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Napoleon). When young JP is snatched in Rome, his mother Gail (Michelle Williams, Meet The Fabelmans) begs the family patriarch (Christopher Plummer, Knives Out) to pay the ransom – but he refuses, fearful of being seen as a soft touch, and the saga soon turns into a media circus. Can the super-rich really put a price on their own family’s safety? The movie was shot at gorgeous locations in Italy, England and Jordan, and Plummer was Oscar-nominated for his performance.

A League Of Their Own

Saturday 20 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Geena Davis and Lori Petty star as sisters taking part in a wartime women’s baseball league: Dottie (Davis) the compliant team player, Kit (Petty) the scrappy rebel. The Peaches strive to overcome the challenges before them, including initial lack of interest, disunity and their cranky coach Jimmy (Tom Hanks), but manage to pull together as a team – always unsettled by the knowledge that it will end when good news comes from the front lines. The classic 1992 comedy drama stands up well, with nicely judged comic turns from Hanks, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell, and the colourful games look great in ultra HD.

Look Who’s Talking

Sunday 21 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Babies. What are they thinking? This hit comedy attempted to answer that age-old question with narration from Mikey (Bruce Willis), a baby conceived in an ill-advised affair between accountant Mollie (Kirstie Alley) and a married client. Will the baby’s daddy leave his wife and help her raise the nipper – or is kind-hearted cabbie James (John Travolta) a better bet for all their futures? Mikey’s witty voiceover leaves us in little doubt. An incredible blast from the past.

Troop Beverly Hills

Saturday 27 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

When socialite Phyllis (Cheers’ Shelley Long) splits from her husband, she worries the divorce will affect her daughter Hannah (Jenny Lewis, child actor turned celebrated indie singer/songwriter) and decides the best course of action is to take over Hannah’s unruly scout troop. Cue fish-out-of-water mishaps and high jinks, but the determined Phyllis never wavers in her commitment to the girls and learns to be an effective leader. It’s the perfect showcase for Long’s comedic skills, mixing some sneaky feminist points in among the laughs.

Kramer Vs Kramer

Sunday 28 April, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

This grown-up, serious film about a painful divorce was a high point for 1970s Hollywood and brought Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep Oscars as the couple going through a difficult split while trying to care for their son. Its socially groundbreaking premise – that some women weren’t happy as stay-at-home wives and mothers and that for men, raising a family could be just as fulfilling as a high-paid career – still feels faintly revolutionary today, but the film’s true strengths lie in its characters’ realistic relationships and the script’s emotional heft.

How to access the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel

You’ll find all the details explaining what you need here. Then simply go to CH 175 or CH 999 to access Virgin TV Ultra HD. Don’t have a 4K TV? Never fear, because you can also watch the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel through your HD TV. Lucky you!