Pick of the Day: Satellite and Cable

JODIE FOSTER (right), a Yale graduate, always impresses most in roles where her natural intelligence is allowed to shine through. She plays a scientist in Contact (8pm Sky Premier), a taut sci-fi thriller from Robert Zemeckis, which is receiving its satellite premiere tonight. The director harnesses his mastery of special effects to this story of a woman obsessed with making contact with an alien race. When she does, she becomes convinced that she is being instructed how to travel to meet them. Matthew McConaughey and one Bill Clinton co-star.

Rugby Union: Richmond vs Newcastle (2pm Sky Sports 2) features two clubs who have recently undergone financial restructuring, but that hasn't stopped them progressing to the semi-final of the Tetley's Bitter Cup. Expect a crunching clash between two powerful sides.