10 Movies You Can't Stop Watching When They Come On TV

7. Love Actually

Taking a step away from unstoppable classics for something a little more contentious. As easy as it is to dismiss the entire filmography of Richard Curtis as saccharine (or, if you're being really cynical, emotionally manipulative), it's hard to escape the charms of him at his best. And while it may not be his best, Love Actually has a high level of charm, as well as the narrative structure to make it very easy to pop in and out of. There's ten different stories with varied prominence, providing enough variety so that even if what's on screen isn't that interesting, you know something funnier is on the way. Is Colin Firth flirting with his housekeeper again?! Don't worry, Kris Marshall will be along soon to show the powers of British accent. Playing into the clichés of a genre that he's pretty much popularised, Curtis' film has a familiarity, even to first time viewers, that makes it an easy one to pick up. In fact, with such a guilty pleasure nature, the film was almost made for unplanned TV viewing. Point of no return: Once Colin Firth's romance is off, there's no irritating subplot to make you want to turn off.