One of the best sci-fi movies ever is airing on TV tonight

The film stars a pop star and is based on a novel by the writer of The Queen's Gambit.

The film was directed Nicolas Roeg (Don't Look Now, The Witches) and is based on a novel by Walter Tevis (The Queen's Gambit).

It follows an extraterrestrial named Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) who lands on Earth and disguises himself as a human.

His mission: finding a method of shipping water back to his home planet, which is experiencing a catastrophic drought.

Thomas is aided on his quest by a professor and fuel technician (Rip Torn) and also falls in love with a lonely hotel clerk (Candy Clark) in Oklahoma.

Eventually, however, the alien finds himself betrayed by humanity and succumbing to its vices.

The haunting tale of an extraterrestrial who comes to Earth looking for water but falls into alcoholism, The Man Who Fell to Earth earned mixed reviews upon release but has become a cult favourite in the decades since.

This is thanks to Bowie's ethereal central turn, Roeg's dreamy visuals and the movie's dark, sensitive exploration of the human condition.

In 2022, the sci-fi even got a TV show sequel starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris and Bill Nighy - with the latter playing an older version of Thomas.

The original Man Who Fell to Earth is airing on TV tonight via Sky Sci-Fi at 11pm. It is also currently streaming on NOW.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Deadpool 2 - Film4 - 9pm

Ryan Reynolds returns in this superhero sequel as the ‘merc with a mouth’.

The River Wild - Legend Xtra - 9pm

A young family (led by Meryl Streep and David Strathairn) are taken hostage by a pair of armed fugitives (Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly) while on a white-water rafting holiday in this taut ’90s thriller.

Parker - Legend - 9pm

Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez star in this watchable action heist flick.

Hawking: Can You Hear Me? - Sky Showcase - 9pm

A Sky Original documentary about the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

Coming 2 America - Sky Max - 9pm

Eddie Murphy returns in this 2021 comedy sequel to his '80s classic Coming to America.

Platoon - ITV4 - 10pm

Writer-director Oliver Stone's Best Picture Oscar-winning Vietnam War drama starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe.

Eye of the Tiger - Legend Xtra - 11.10pm

In this ’80s action flick, a Vietnam War veteran (Gary Busey) returns home from prison and sets out to clean up his hometown, which has come under the control of a violent motorcycle gang.

National Anthem - Film4 - 11.20pm

This acclaimed 2023 drama follows a 21-year-old construction worker (Charlie Plummer) in rural New Mexico who joins a ranch run by an LGBTQ+ group searching for their own version of the American dream.