Though it might be a bit more difficult to take Speed seriously once you've seen the episode of Father Ted where Dougal gets stuck in a milk float that will explode if it dips below five miles an hour, the fact remains that the 1994 film is a perfectly made action thriller. There's a lovely simplicity to the film's basic premise, and it felt like a breath of fresh air when first released. Jan de Bont and his producers got the casting pretty spot on too: Dennis Hopper brings operatic menace to the role of a demented serial bomber, and Speed also helped make Sandra Bullock (above right) a star.

She's Annie Porter, one of the passengers on an LA bus when the police find out that embittered former bomb-squad expert Howard Payne has wired it to blow up if its speed dips below 50 miles an hour. And by the time intrepid cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves, above left) has jumped on board, the bomb is armed. When the driver gets shot, the speed gauge dips dangerously low, Annie takes the wheel, and she and Jack attempt to outwit the bomber. It's totally daft, of course, but de Bont never lets the tension falter.

Open Water (2004): An American couple face a very unpleasant night when they surface after a dive along the shark-infested Barrier Reef to discover the boat that brought them out has left without them (Tonight, RTE2, 9pm).

Gone With the Wind (1939): Vivien Leigh delivers an unforgettable performance in this colourful Southern epic as wilful, crafty Scarlett O'Hara, a woman determined not to be destroyed by the Civil War or anything else. With Clark Gable (Sunday, TG4, 12 noon).

Vertigo (1958): James Stewart is a retired cop who is hired to follow an old friend's wife whom he quickly becomes obsessed by. With Kim Novak (Sunday, RTE1, 11.40pm).

The World's Fastest Indian (2005): Solid drama starring Anthony Hopkins and based on the true story of Burt Munro, a New Zealand speed bike racer who broke numerous land speed records in the Utah desert (Tuesday, BBC1, 10.35pm).

Rocky Balboa (2006): The old slugger comes out of retirement when the current world champion challenges him in this remarkably passable revival of Sylvester Stallone's most famous invention (Wednesday, TV3, 9pm).

Amarcord (1973): Mussolini, the Catholic Church and the Italian people themselves are among the targets of Federico Fellini in this bawdy satire based on his childhood in the coastal town of Rimini (Friday, TG4, 11.40pm).

Psychoville

Thursday, BBC2, 10pm

For fans of the League of Gentlemen, this new comedy from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton should be right up your street. The macabre comic duo are joined by a rich mix of comic and dramatic talent, including Dawn French, Dame Eileen Atkins, Nicholas Le Prevost, David Bamber, Janet McTeer, Christopher Biggins, Daisy Haggard and Adrian Scarborough.

A series of strange characters including Mr Lomax, a blind recluse with an unusual hobby, Robert, a telekinetic dwarf, Mr Jelly, an embittered, hook-handed clown (pictured), David, a man-child obsessed with serial killers; and Joy, a deranged but caring midwife, each receive cards with the message: "I know what you did".

The World's Greatest Stand-Up: Dara O Briain, Denis Leary and Tim Allen, among others, recorded live at the Montreal International Comedy Festival (Tonight, C4, 11.10pm).

A Little Bit Funny: Sil Fox has been plying his trade for more than 50 years (Sunday, RTE1, 7pm).

The Office: An American Workplace: The Dunder Mifflin employees endure an excruciating night at the annual office awards ceremony, 'The Dundies'. With Steve Carell (Tuesday, 3e, 11.30pm).

30 Rock: CC and Jack face a crisis when she announces she wants to go public about their affair. (Wednesday, 3e, 11.10pm).

That Mitchell and Webb Look: Queen Victoria, Santa's brother and two lazy writers are among the characters in Robert Webb and David Mitchell's latest series (Thursday, BBC2, 9.30pm).

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: Mitchell and Webb are Ross's guests, along with Matthew Fox (Friday, BBC1, 10.35pm).

Grey's Anatomy

Monday, RTE2, 9.40pm

It may not be quite in the same league as ER, which is finishing next week on RTE after a remarkable 15-year run, but Grey's Anatomy has established itself as the medical series best positioned to take its place. The show has regularly attracted prime-time American viewing figures of 35 million and more, and has been taken up for a sixth series starting this autumn. This fifth series, meanwhile, is only a week away from its finale, and Izzie (right) is having a hard time.

She has a difficult decision to make in terms of whether or not she's going to opt for a risky surgery, and spends some time with a fellow cancer-sufferer before she makes up her mind. Mark, meanwhile, has decided to take his relationship with Lexie to the next level.

Casualty 1909: Cherie Lunghi stars in this period drama set in a busy London hospital at the turn of the last century (Sunday, BBC1, 9pm).

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: Tutuola (Ice T) gets involved in the search for a co-ed rapist that involves his son and a cop from another precinct (Sunday, 3e, 10.30pm).

Mad Men: Don is impressed by the California lifestyle when he takes a trip to Los Angeles. John Hamm, Elizabeth Moss and January Jones star (Monday, RTE1, 11.35pm).

The Beast: Barker and Ellis bully a prostitute into assisting in an undercover operation aimed at bringing down a sex ring. Travis Fimmel and Patrick Swayze star (Tuesday, RTE2, 9pm)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The whole team are called in when four family members are murdered in a quiet suburban home. With William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger (Wednesday, 3e, 8pm).

The Mentalist: When a leading scientific researcher is killed by poisoning, Patrick is shocked to discover that the prime suspect is his former psychiatrist (Thursday, RTE1, 10.10pm).

Outbreak

Tuesday, RTE1, 8.30pm

As the world flaps around about the swine flu epidemic, this documentary series looks back to a time when deadly epidemics were a daily part of Irish life.

Each outbreak of polio left devastation in its wake. Known as 'The Child Crippler', the virus could kill or paralyse its victims. It mostly hit at the young, and many were condemned to a childhood of painful surgery, institutional life, and separation from family. This programme features three Irish survivors, Donegal-based music journalist Donal O'Boyle, Rose Russell O'Donovan from Cork (pictured), and Willie O'Reilly (once the mascot of a 1950s polio fund-raising campaign). The Salk vaccine was announced in 1955, but a public vaccination programme was not introduced in Ireland until 1958.

Rose Russell O'Donovan contracted polio in Douglas, Cork in 1956. She is now a mother of three grown-up children.

Manet: The Man Who Invented Modern Art: Waldemar Januszczak on the life of the man often cited as the father of the Impressionists (Tonight, BBC2, 9.40pm).

This Is Me: The fortitude of Michael Stewart, who returned to body building after losing both his legs in an accident (Monday, RTE1, 7.30pm).

Dispatches: The aftermath of a disastrous US air strike in the Farah province of Afghanistan (Monday, C4, 8pm).

Tears, Tiaras and Transsexuals: A look behind the scenes of the 'World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Pageant' (Wednesday, C4, 11.10pm).

What in the World?: How drought in Mali has affected the ancient way of life (Thursday, RTE1, 11.05pm).

The War: The losses suffered during the Battle for the Vosges (Friday, RTE2, 8pm).

Confederations Cup

Sunday, RTE1, 2.45pm

A comparatively meaningless international round-robin may not be the stuff of football fantasy, but in a year without either World Cup or Euros, parched fans will take everything that's going. And, in fairness, the Confederations Cup is being taken a little more seriously these days. The participants include the reigning World Cup and Euro winners, as well as the winners of other international tournaments around the world.

Darragh Maloney (pictured) and RTE will be showing all the games live over the next 14 days or so, but I for one am not complaining. And while the opening game (South Africa v Iraq in Johannesburg) does not exactly have thriller written all over it, there are sure to be some interesting match-ups later on. Apart from Brazil, there are current European champions Spain, and reigning World Cup holders Italy.

Rugby: The Lions face Western Province at Newlands (Today, Sky Sports 2, 1.30pm).

Rugby: The All Blacks v France at Carisbrook, Dunedin in the first of their Test matches (Today, Sky Sports 2, 4.30pm).

GAA: Live coverage of Kildare's meeting with Wexford at the LSFC, with a 7pm throw-in (Today, RTE2, 6.40pm).

GAA: Wicklow's clash with Meath in the Leinster Football Championship, and Limerick v Waterford in the Munster Hurling Championship (Sunday, RTE2, 1.30pm).

Tennis: With the warm-up to Wimbledon gathering pace, Sue Barker presents the men's final of this year's Queen's Tournament (Sunday, BBC1, 2pm).

Soccer: Con Murphy and the Monday Night Soccer team present highlights from the third round of the FAI Cup (Monday, RTE2, 11.45pm).

- Paul Whitington