10 Things You Didn't Know About Tsunamis

BBC Two, 8pm

Dr Iain Stewart is another presenter who needs to go to the David Dimbleby School of Relaxation. But if you can cope with the delivery, he is a fund of information about tsunamis. He describes how they are created by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and occasionally even meteorites; he goes on to explain how they can be taller than a skyscraper and travel as fast as a jet plane, and how scientists during the Second World War considered harnessing their power as a weapon of war. Certainly they are destructive enough. The tsunami that killed an estimated 220,000 people on Boxing Day in 2004 continued to travel around the world for 40 hours before losing its lethal energy.

Ashes to Ashes

BBC One, 9pm

Phil Davis, the actor who has single- handedly transformed scowling into an art form, plays the villain in tonight's episode. In the normal course of events, any character he plays would be more than a match for DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), whom he greets like a long-lost friend with a cheery: “Well, nob me sideways!” Unfortunately, this old lag is past his prime and so the much-anticipated bout between Tyrannosaurus and Gorgosaurus never gets off the ground. Instead, Gene Hunt vents his rage on DCI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) for driving his car. The episode also includes the first nasty racist epithet, which shows courage of sorts.

Cutting Edge: Pramface Babies

Channel 4, 9pm

Tonight's Cutting Edge is what's known in the trade as an observational documentary. It involves taking the cameras into an enclosed environment, filming for hours on end, editing the results and praying you end up with something worth watching. This one follows the birth of a handful of the 8,000 babies born in Liverpool's Women's Hospital every year - many to mothers who seem absurdly young themselves. In the process, it eavesdrops on some glorious snatches of dialogue. One mother- to-be says of her baby's absent father: “He was very well-mannered considering that he'd been in prison.” Another girl marvels at how much she had in common with her partner - apparently they both shared a deep love of Jack Daniel's and Guns N' Roses. Which seems as good a basis for a relationship as any. Ah, life's rich tapestry.

The Sopranos

Channel 4, 11.35pm

As the series draws to its conclusion, the tight-knit world of The Sopranos is unravelling and Tony is on the ropes. The continuing row between Christopher Moltisanti and Paulie Walnuts has appalling repercussions, and A.J. - who once seemed to have found a way to solve problems without resorting to violence - has split up with his fiancée and become suicidal. “It's in his blood,” Tony howls at his therapist. “This miserable f***ing existence. My rotting, f***ing putrid genes have infected my kid's soul. That's my gift to my son.” You can buy a box set of The Sopranos, all six series, online for £79.99. It is the bargain of the century.

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