What to Watch in October 2025

Your guide to all the best new films and TV shows coming in October...

FILM

Good Boy (October 10)

There’s an old saying in the acting profession, often attributed to W. C. Fields, that goes: “Never work with children or animals.” Luckily for animal-lovers everywhere, first-time director Ben Leonberg ignored that advice when he cast his dog, Indy, in the lead role of this uniquely riveting horror movie, in which we witness the action unfold from the dog’s point of view.

The premise is simple enough; Indy and his owner move a new home in a remote, rural setting, but shortly afterwards his owner begins acting strangely and the dog senses a malevolent, supernatural presence in the house – one which appears to affecting his owner’s behaviour. What’s a good boy to do but try and save his best friend? 

Good Boy also features performances from Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman and Shane Jensen, but there’s only one star of the show here and there’s already a campaign to have Indy become the first non-human recipient of an Oscar. If you’re a dog lover, this will make for uncomfortable, stressful viewing – but isn’t that how good horror movies are supposed to make you feel? 

Roofman (October 17)

Channing Tatum leads the cast of this entertaining crime caper, which is based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, an armed robber nicknamed ‘Roofman’ thanks to his modus operandi of robbing stores – usually branches of McDonald’s – by drilling holes in their roofs, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

However, it’s the next part of Manchester’s story that forms the basis of this new film from director Derek Cianfrance. Four years after his conviction, Manchester escapes from prison by hiding underneath a delivery truck and spends much of the next year living and hiding out in the backrooms of a Charlotte branch of Toys ‘R’ Us, during which time he assumes an alias and ingratiates himself with the local community, even joining a church group and dating a local woman.

Also starring Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn and LaKeith Stanfield, Roofman makes its debut on UK cinema screens on October 17.

The Mastermind (October 24)

If you’ve seen any of Kelly Reichardt’s films before, you’ll know that you’re in for a treat with The Mastermind. And if you haven’t? Well, you’re in for a treat anyway. Josh O’Connor stars is what is, ostensibly, a heist movie, but as with so many of Reichardt’s films, the action unfolds at a laconic pace, so if you’re looking a high-octane, bank-robbing hijinks in the vein of something like Money Heist, you may want to adjust your expectations.

O’Connor plays J.B., an unemployed carpenter turned aspiring art thief, who hatches a plan to improve his fortunes by stealing four valuable paintings from a local art gallery. However, things don’t exactly go to plan – and we’re using the word ‘plan’ very loosely here. It turns out that J.B. isn’t exactly a criminal genius, and that stealing the paintings was the easy part. Getting rid of them, however, proves to much more difficult, while hanging onto them is equally fraught with danger. As J.B.’s poorly-conceived scheme rapidly unravels, he’s forced to go on the run as both the police and an assortment of local criminals hunt him down to get their hands on the stolen goods.

Also starring Alana Haim, Hope David, John Magaro, Bill Camp and Gaby Hoffman, this strangely absorbing tale may be a slow-moving car crash for its hapless protagonist, but thanks to Reichardt’s surgical eye for detail – not to mention Rob Mazurek’s propulsive, jazzy score – it’s also utterly mesmerising for the audience.

Blue Moon (October 24)

Even if you’re not a fan of musicals, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the pair behind a string of stage hits including The King and I, South Pacfic and The Sound of Music, to name a few. Before that, though, there was Rodgers and Hart – a duo comprising composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz ‘Larry’ Hart - who worked on 28 stage musicals together and co-wrote enduring hits such as ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Blue Moon’. 

It's the end of that creative partnership, and the forging of Rodgers’ new one with Oscar Hammerstein, that forms the basis of this biographical drama from director Richard

Linklater.

Set almost entirely on March 31^st, 1943 – the opening night of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first musical, Oklahoma! – the film follows Larry as he attends the show’s first half, realises it’s going to be a huge hit, and slinks off in the interval to a bar across the street to drown his sorrows, pouring his heart out to the bartender as he reflects on the circumstances that brought his partnership with Rodgers to an end.

Ethan Hawke is impressive as Larry Hart in this fascinating and moving biopic, leading a cast that also includes Andrew Scott, Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale. It’s not often that tragedy and comedy come so finely balanced, but Blue Moon walks that tightrope effortlessly.

Relay (October 31)

Our final film this month is this pacey action-thriller from director David Mackenzie, which stars Riz Ahmed as a secretive ‘fixer’ named Ash with an unusual niche; acting as a broker between whistleblowers and the corrupt organisations they are fleeing from. His latest client is a woman who is referred to him by her attorney, who possesses incriminating documents proving that her employers have been covering up information about the side-effects relating to the consumption of their product; genetically-modified wheat.

Ash attempts to broker the handover of the documents after their henchmen come looking for her. However, not all is at it seems and Ash soon finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for. 

Also starring Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald and Victor Garber, Relay arrives in UK cinemas at the end of the month and if you’re looking for fast-paced thrills, this’ll fit the bill nicely.

TV

Riot Women (BBC One / iPlayer, October 12)

If you’ve enjoyed shows like Happy Valley and Gentlemen Jack then you might want to mark your diaries for this one as Sally Wainwright, their creator, returns with a brand-new drama series this month. Riot Women stars Joanna Scanlan, Lorraine Ashbourne, Tamsin Greig, Rosalie Craig and Amelia Bullmore as five women looking for a way to escape the pressures of mid-life, juggling demanding jobs and equally demanding families.

When a local talent contest is announced, the five women decide to pool their talents and form a punk rock band, but soon find they have a certain musical chemistry. Could they go all the way to stardom? Well, possibly, if they can keep their wayward lead singer out of trouble. But it’s not just the music that binds the women together, as a dark and deeply-buried threatens to resurface - and bring chaos with it.

Riot Women is due to land on BBC One and iPlayer on October 12, and if the trailer below is anything to go by, it’ll be another show to add to Sally Wainwright’s long list of hits.

Lazarus (Prime Video, October 22)

Harlan Coben’s novels have been adapted for TV many times in recent years, providing a string of hits for Netflix that includes shows like Fool Me Once and The Stranger, both of which have been adapted for the screen by seasoned screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst. Now the pair are bringing some of that magic to Prime Video with this suspense-fuelled new series starring Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy.

Claflin stars as Dr. Lazarus, a forensic psychologist who returns to his family home following the mysterious death of his father (also named Dr. Lazarus). After a strange encounter with a prisoner, ‘Laz’, as he is known to friends, begins to see – and converse with – his dad’s ghost. While trying to unravel the mystery of his father’s death, he becomes entangled in investigating a series of cold case murders while experiencing increasingly strange and disturbing visions.

All 6 episodes are due to land on October 22 and if you’ve seen any of Coben’s previous work, you’ll know that there are all kinds of twists and turns in store here, but the added paranormal element to Lazarus makes this new series all the more intriguing.

The Offer (ITVX, October 12)

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece The Godfather is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made, but according to the film’s producer Albert S. Ruddy, the story behind the making of the film is a drama in itself – not least because of opposition from real-life mobsters who were, according to Ruddy’s version of events, none too happy about the idea of being depicted on film.

The Offer is based on Ruddy’s memories of the film’s journey to the big screen, from negotiating the rights to adapt Mario Puzo’s bestselling novel, to heading off a campaign to boycott the film led by none other than New York mafia boss Joseph Colombo. Miles Teller plays Ruddy, with Severance star Dan Fogler taking on the role of Coppola, leading an impressive cast that also includes Colin Hanks, Juno Temple, Giovanni Ribisi, Mathew Goode and Michael Gandolfini and Lou Ferrigno. 

Originally commissioned by Paramount for its own nascent streaming service in 2022, The Offer finally gets the wider audience it deserves this month as ITV has bagged the UK rights to this highly watchable series, with the whole run available on ITVX from October 12.

The Iris Affair (Sky Atlantic, October 16)

Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander lead this new thriller series from Luther creator Neil Cross, which comes to Sky this month and sees Algar playing the role of Iris Nixon, a brilliant codebreaker whose talents catch the attention of a wealthy new client with a unique task for her to undertake. He has acquired a machine that he claims has the power to change reality itself – all he needs her to do is help him figure out how to turn it on. 

Even for someone as talented as Iris, that won’t be easy, but weighing just as heavily on her mind is the question of whether anyone should have the ability to wield that kind of power. 

Starring alongside Algar and Hollander are Harry Lloyd, Sacha Darwan, Peter Sullivan and Angela Bruce, while the actions directed by Breaking Bad’s Terry McDonagh and The Witcher’s Sarah O’ Gorman. The Iris Affair will be available on Sky Atlantic, with the first episode set to air on October 16

Down Cemetery Road (Apple TV+, October 29)

Based on the book of the same name by Mick Herron, the author behind the Slough House series of novels that form the basis of Slow Horses, this new series has been adapted for television by Morwenna Banks (who was also one of the original Slow Horses writing team) and is based on the first in a new series of Herron’s books featuring his latest creation, private investigator Zoë Boehm.

Emma Thompson takes on the role of Boehm, who is hired by Sarah Tucker (Wilson) to investigate when a girl goes missing from a quiet suburban neighbourhood on the same night as an explosion. Straightforward enough, you might think, but what Boehm uncovers points to a conspiracy that involves everyone from gangs of mercenaries to the government itself.

Due to arrive on October 29 on Apple TV+, Down Cemetery Road is something quite different to Slow Horses, but it’s no less enthralling a tale and if you’ve enjoyed Herron’s previous work, you’ll probably find plenty to like about this too.