Christmas 2012: best films on TV, Wednesday 2 January

Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's children's classic, this Alfonso Cuarón adaptation follows a wealthy English girl who leaves behind her exotic life in India when she's sent to an austere New York boarding school. But when her father goes missing in action, her privileged lifestyle is reduced to squalor and she must rely on her vivid imagination for escapism.

Doctor Dolittle - 1:10pm, Channel 4

Rex Harrison takes the title role in this musical fantasy adventure about a British doctor who can speak to animals after learning nearly 500 dialects from his parrot, Polynesia. Following his decision to abandon his surgery for humans, he sets off on an adventure to the South Seas in search of the elusive great pink sea snail and Giant Lunar Moth.

Avatar - 8:00pm, E4

James Cameron's epic 3D sci-fi fantasy stars Sam Worthington as paraplegic marine Jake Sully who takes over his dead brother's mission on the planet Pandora by fusing his mind with a genetically engineered native body to infiltrate the local population and gather intelligence on their rich mineral reserves.

Ghost - 9:00pm, Film4

Supernatural romantic drama starring Patrick Swayze as murdered banker Sam Wheat whose efforts to warn girlfriend Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) she's also in mortal danger are aided by psychic Whoopi Goldberg whose spooked turn provides a comic touch to a rather morbid plot.

GoodFellas - 10:10pm, ITV4

Martin Scorsese's masterful 1950s New York crime drama stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci. Irish-Italian school boy Henry Hill's dreams of joining the Mob are finally realised when he earns the respect of the local Mafia boss and is teamed with two hitmen. But as the years pass, he finds his allegiance challenged as he descends deeper into organised crime.

Rosemary's Baby - 1:05am, Channel 4

Roman Polanski's silver screen adaptation of Ira Levin's macabre bestseller stars Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse who move into a Manhattan apartment and become friendly with their neighbours, the Castevets. But when Rosemary falls pregnant, the attention of their new friends takes on a sinister overtone...