Couch Potato rounds off a week of Mike Leigh with Another Year, another movie and 'another cheesy pineapple one?'

Another Year, Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltma

Mike Leigh's new movie Another Year came out at cinemas yesterday. And, breaking all the rules of Couch Potatodom, I'm abandoning the sofa later to go and see it.

Well I had to really - I've been plunging myself into the world of Mike Leigh all week. I'm addicted.

So it's actually just as well that this weekend's TV viewing also includes a couple more of this director's masterpieces: Career Girls and Abigail's Party. Hurrah.

Leigh's comedy-drama Career Girls stars Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman. Low key but brilliant, it's about two successful, self-assured professional women in their thirties who meet for a weekend to reminisce about their earlier, insecure college days.

When Katrin Cartlidge died suddenly in 2002 - five years after this movie - I was very shocked and saddened. For me, this was the movie that truly showed her to be a great actress. She'd already starred in Mike Leigh's Naked but it was her performance in this movie that truly showed off her talents, and it earned her numerous awards.

Here's a clip from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXxmXTOH98&fs=1

Rounding off my Mike Leigh week perfectly on Sunday is the splendid Abigail's Party . I just love this play, and Alison Steadman http://youtube.com/v/_-hXUehyRlE Career Girls is showing tonight (6th November) on Film 4 at 12.35am

Abigail's Party is showing on Sunday 7th November at 10.30pm on BBC4