Tonight’s TV tips

Tune into TV3 at 10pm tonight to watch The Pipe. The story of a rural community in Co Mayo in Ireland that has been battling the oil giant Shell over their plans to put a raw gas pipeline through the community.

Lots of documentaries on offer tonight...

DOCUMENTARY: Pound Shop Wars (TV3, 8pm – 9pm)

Pound Shop Wars follows two key players in Britain’s fastest-growing retail sector. 99p Stores, run by the dynamic Hussein Lalani, has 160 shops in the south of England. By expanding north he comes into direct competition with Yorkshire-based Poundworld, run by charismatic former market trader Chris Edwards.

With a hilarious commentary by Caroline Aherne, we meet some highly entertaining customers and employees.

One happy shopper in Salford is thrilled to pay just £1 for a handbag for her wedding, while Poundworld's customer service trainer Denise sees her company as 'the Harrods of pound shops'.

DRAMA: Grey's Anatomy (RTE Two, 9pm – 9.55pm)

Ben worries that a casual conversation with Derek could potentially cause issues for Bailey, Cristina turns to Shane as tension grows with Meredith, and the invitations for April’s upcoming wedding makes for an uncomfortable chat between Stephanie and Jackson.

Arizona is back in her old place with Callie. She lets Callie know that she was with someone while they were apart but doesn’t say who it was.

Meredith realizes Emma is a great cook so she ropes her into making Thanksgiving dinner at her place.

DOCUMENTARY: The Pipe (TV3, 10pm – 11.10pm)

The Pipe is an hour-long documentary that tells the story of a rural community in Co Mayo, who have been battling Shell over their plans to put a raw gas pipeline through the community and complete construction of a gas processing terminal.

The documentary features interviews with Colin Joyce of Shell Ireland; Willie Corduff, a local farmer & one of the Rossport Five; Pat O'Donnell, a local fisherman; Gerry Coyle, a County Councillor for the area (Fine Gael); Eoin O'Leidhin & Diane Amber, activists with the Shell-to-Sea group; Terence

Conway, a spokesperson for the Shell-to-Sea group; and Niall Harnett, who co-ordinates the solidarity camp in the area.

DOCUMENTARY: The Missing (Channel 4, 10pm – 11pm)

It’s a frightening statistic, but every two minutes, someone in Britain goes missing. Fortunately, the majority are found again within 48 hours, but 2,000 a year simply vanish, leaving a host of unanswered questions behind.

This moving documentary meets three families who have had to deal with the disappearance of a loved one – a brother, a husband, and a mother.

In all three cases, it was completely out-of-character for the missing person to have simply left without contacting anyone, and the police are as baffled as everyone else.

The programme looks at what happens after the initial panic and shock of the first few days fades, exploring the months and years of uncertainty that follow.

It finds that the friends and relatives often feel as if they are in limbo. They live in hope that their loved ones will one day be found, and some have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to bring the missing person home again.

FILM: The Parole Officer (ITV4, 10pm)

(2001) Hapless parole officer Simon Garden sees corrupt cop DI Burton murder his partner in a cocaine scam.

In his panic, Garden goes on the run and drops his wallet, which Burton uses to frame him.

When the events are caught on CCTV, Burton gets the incriminating video and locks it in a bank vault. To clear his name, Garden contacts three ex-crims to help him rob the bank.

A good blend of slapstick, action and romance makes for a cracking comedy.

Steve Coogan and co-writer Henry Normal do a good job with the script, and though it may not have set the box office on fire, it’s a cracking little British comedy that deserves a look.

Like all good comedies, it clocks in at a little over 90 minutes, which means the premise never feels strained.

Starring: Steve Coogan, Emma Williams, Ben Miller, Om Puri, Steven Waddington,

Stephen Dillane

RottenTomatoes.com Rating: 67%

FILM: Seven Samurai (Film4, 11.40pm)

(1954) Violent medieval adventure about a veteran swordsman who, having fallen on hard times, agrees to help a peasant village which has come under attack from bandit raiders.

He gathers a band of fellow warriors to protect the people and train them to fight back against the enemies.

This film is a little short of a masterpiece. Toshiro Mifune gives a terrific performance, while his other six key co-stars are every bit as captivating.

The cinematography is breathtaking, and director Akira Kurosawa demonstrates a keen eye for attention to detail in every scene. Admittedly it goes on a bit, running for nearly three-and-a-half hours, but it’s well worth investing your time in.

Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Isao Kimura, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke

Kato, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi

RottenTomatoes.com Rating: 100%