The 1996 blockbuster starring Tom Cruise airs for free on BBC One tonight at 8:30pm and is available on iPlayer
Lucas Hill-Paul Content Editor
12:17, 31 Dec 2025
An iconic and thrilling spy blockbuster will be broadcast for free on BBC One this afternoon (Wednesday, 31st December).
While many viewers will be eagerly awaiting the final episode of Stranger Things set to drop on Netflix on New Year’s Day, those planning a more subdued evening before the midnight celebrations might find this classic 90s action-packed film an ideal choice.
Prepare for heart-pounding excitement with Mission: Impossible, the inaugural film in the extraordinary spy series featuring Tom Cruise as the fearless secret agent Ethan Hunt, who relentlessly battles to prevent global catastrophe.
First hitting cinemas in 1996, this initial instalment in the progressively spectacular action franchise was helmed by Brian De Palma and is considered by some to surpass the six sequels that followed.
Those seeking a dose of adrenaline to usher in the new year are in luck, as it’s scheduled for an 8:30pm showing tonight and will also be available for streaming on BBC iPlayer for the subsequent five months, reports the Express.
It features one of the most iconic scenes in action movie history(Image: PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
One glowing review from an IMDb user, rating it a perfect 10/10, hailed it as “the best spy movie ever”.
They elaborated: “The movie derives its power from a fine mix of action, suspense, thrill, special effects, and an amazingly crafted *impossible* mission.
“All the characters fit in their roles well. It all starts as a regular spy mission movie, but the unbelievable turn of events leave the viewers as much amazed as the main characters.
“The slow recovery from this initial shock, the pursuit of truth, the mission, the revelation, the hope/love/belief, and the grand finale; all of it has been well knitted in a single fully flowing helluva movie.”
Ethan Hunt’s first mission was released back in 1996(Image: PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
Another critic hailed the original Mission: Impossible as “still the best in the franchise”.
“The movie can balance perfectly well between tense situations and action scenes, De Palma CAN direct a thriller movie, proved by the scene where Ethan Hunt goes to steal the NOC list, that scene is fantastic, and it lasts about 15 minutes without getting tiresome,” they added.
A different viewer proclaimed: “This is the best movie in the world. I love it and I recommend it fully to anyone who hasn’t seen it. This is a wonderfully good film.
“The plot is easy to understand and smartly written. Tom Cruise is brilliant as Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Mission Force and does a hell of a good job getting back on good terms with the IMF. I recommend this film to anyone.”
This thrilling spy blockbuster is available for free on BBC iPlayer(Image: PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
Meanwhile, a final enthusiast on Letterboxd gushed: “Love the later mission films obviously, but no director today can really compare to De Palma at his finest, who was perhaps the most accomplished cinematic craftsman to emerge out of the new Hollywood.
“Like, nothing today outside of maybe Spielberg looks and feels THIS good, it’s like visual candy, such a rich array of colors and atmosphere and rightfully iconic moments, united by neo-classical style and a playful spirit — every setpiece is 110% perfect, there are no wasted shots, all of it is beautiful and technically adept. It’s not possible for them to make something this precise anymore.”
Will Cruise’s initial IMF mission be your last film viewing of 2025?
Mission: Impossible broadcasts at 8:30pm on BBC One and can be watched on BBC iPlayer.
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