Tuesday’s TV tips

Check out our spoiler-free guide to what’s good to watch on the box tonight.

Tuesday’s TV tips

SPORT: Live UEFA Champions League (TV3, 7.30pm)

The highest-profile club competition in European football continues with the second round of group-stage matches, including this fixture between Manchester City and AS Roma at the Etihad Stadium.

City are the reigning Premier League champions, and having won the title twice in the last three seasons appear set to be one of the stronger teams domestically for years to come, but they are yet to make their mark in Europe.

When making their bow in this competition two seasons ago they finished bottom of a group containing Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax, and while they did reach the knockout phase last season, they were eliminated by Barcelona at the first time of asking.

The current campaign got off to a disappointing start when losing 1-0 away to Bayern Munich, so a positive result against the Italians, who eased to a 5-1 win at home to CSKA Moscow last time out, will be seen as a necessity if they are to progress to the last 16.

DRAMA: The Driver (BBC1, 9pm)

The Beeb might just be leading the way in gripping dramas at the moment.

We’re spoilt for choice with Our Girl, Our Zoo and Peaky Blinders, and tonight there’s no doubt the second episode of The Driver will be holding our attention.

With a top-drawer cast include David Morrissey, and a script from the genius pen of Danny Brocklehurst, whether it was a ratings grabber or not was never in any doubt.

And Morrissey has nothing but respect for The Driver’s creator, saying: “The thing I love about Danny is that he lets you into the characters’ worlds. He doesn’t make any judgements about the characters, and then he throws a curve ball at them, and you watch them trying to deal with it but you’re batting for them.”

In tonight’s episode, Vince (Morrissey) begins to regret his involvement in the last job and so starts trying to make things right, culminating in a decision to visit his son.

Meanwhile, Ros (Claudie Blakley) is becoming suspicious about her husband’s behaviour.

DOCUMENTARY: Drunk (RTE Two, 9.30pm)

Drunk is a science-based television series which explores what happens to us when we drink.

In a country where getting drunk is considered by some a national pastime this series will put our commonly held perceptions and beliefs about alcohol under the microscope.

In a controlled environment volunteers will be invited to drink, and possibly get drunk, in front of the cameras. While under the influence of alcohol, these volunteers will take on a range of tasks and challenges which will help the programme explore, explain and illustrate the effect of drinking on the body and mind.

Drunk examines facts and evidence around alcohol, providing answers to a very wide range of questions, some seemingly silly and some deadly serious; how exactly does alcohol effect us – in the short and long term? What does it do to our motor skills? Why do we get hangovers? Do beer goggles really exist? How does alcohol affect your emotions, your judgement or your sex life?

This series may not stop you from sending embarrassing drunken texts but it will help you understand why you did it!

MUSIC: Later Live – with Jools Holland (BBC2, 11.50pm)

When so many other music shows have come and gone, why is Jools Holland’s effort still going strong after all these years?

One reason could be the presenter, who has a genuine and infectious enthusiasm for the artists who appear on his programme. Even if the former Squeeze keyboardist can’t always resist joining his guests for a jam session, it’s clear Jools cares more about the music than getting his own face on telly.

Another explanation for the series’ enduring popularity is the eclectic line-ups – and tonight’s doesn’t disappoint.

Jamie T performs tracks from his third LP Cary on the Grudge, while singer Ali Campbell is joined by former UB40 bandmates Astro and Mickey to showcase his new album Silhouette.

Plus, producers Kye Gibbon and Matt Robson-Scott, who make up Gorgon City, play their Top 5 hit Ready for Your Love, and Irish folk-rock musician Damien Rice also drops by with some of his new material.

DOCUMENTARY: My £999 Wedding (BBC1, 11.05pm)

It might be the biggest day of a person’s life, but is spending £18,000 on your wedding day really going to result in any more happy memories than if you were to spend much less?

That phenomenal amount of cash is what the average couple now spends in the run up to their big day with no expense spared on all the trimmings, but for thousands of struggling Brits, this just isn’t achievable.

This one-off documentary meets the couples who are taking advantage of enterprising hotels and certain venues’ wedding packages for £1,000 or less.

Mark and Emily have both been married before, but brought their wedding forward after Emily gave birth to their son at 27 weeks, leaving both mum and baby very poorly. However, with Mark having been unemployed for two years, money is tight.

Plus, the stories of Sonia and Jackie who want a cheaper alternative for their perfect day, and Lee and Fiona, who romanced as teenagers but are now marrying more than 20 years later after splitting up.

FILM: The Blues Brothers (ITV4, 10pm)

(1980) Lovable criminals Jake and Elwood Blues visit the Chicago orphanage where they were raised.

When they discover it will be closed down unless the nuns who run it pay the back taxes they owe, Jake launches a holy mission to revive the old Blues Brothers Band to raise money for its salvation.

Completely nutty from start to finish, this hilarious farce, based on the characters from American TV’s Saturday Night Live, sees John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in fine form as the deadpan anti-heroes.

There’s also a supporting cast to die for: Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, John Lee Hooker and none other than Steven Spielberg in a cameo at the finale.

One of John Landis’s last great comic extravaganzas and certainly much better than the sequel, Blues Brothers 2000.

Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Kathleen Freeman

FILM: Honeymoon in Vegas (BBC1, 12.05AM)

(1992) A private detective faces a desperate race against time to win back his fiancee after using her as a betting stake in a card game, which he lost to an expert player.

While many will have a hard time coming to terms with the fact this is already 20 years old, others will have fun as Nicolas Cage clicks into his usual manic mode.

However, Sarah Jessica Parker is perhaps the most interesting character in the whole film. She floats through her scenes, rarely giving the part gravity, which seems exactly the right tack.

Writer director Andrew Bergman handles the whole affair with panache, especially in the last 10 minutes as Cage joins a band of skydiving Elvis impersonators.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker, James Caan, Johnny Williams, Anne Bancroft, Peter Boyle

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