Sally-Anne Stewart’s TV Preview: 07.10.11

The new series starts this week (BBC2, Friday October 7, 8pm), with Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan presenting from the National Arboretum at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire, and the subject matter is pretty hard to dislike, given the fact that autumn is my favourite season.

In the first programme we’ve got wild boars and bats in the Wye Valley, and osprey chicks heading off for Africa. And probably lots of footage of creatures wandering out of shot.

> What do you think about fortnightly bin collections? Personally I don’t have a problem with them – our bin is rarely full after two weeks, but then again we’re not a family of four.

The Conservatives seem to think that returning to weekly collections will be a winner, and have managed to magic £250 million out of a hat to fund it.

Dispatches: Britain’s Rubbish (Channel 4, Monday October 10, 9pm) looks at rubbish habits across Britain, seeing whether consumers are bombarded with excessive packaging, and finding out whether one family can live without a bin for two weeks by making the effort to recycle everything instead.

What on earth do they do with their chicken bones?

> It’s the stuff of Daily Mail dreams – twins born with different skin colours. But what’s it like dealing with the reality, all the stares and the comments?

Twincredibles (BBC2, Monday October 10, 9pm) looks at the phenomenon of mixed race parents bearing children of different skin colours, following five sets of twins to find out what life is like for them, and uncovers tales of racial abuse and dramatic differences not just in colour but in character, too.

> I thought we’d all be bringing out the woolly jumpers by now, but with our autumnal heatwave everyone’s still in shorts and T-shirts.

Still, the cold weather’s bound to arrive eventually, so you might as well get sartorially savvy.

We’re now on the second series of Gok’s Clothes Roadshow: Get the Look for Less (Channel 4, Tuesday October 11, 8pm), and boy, do I need some fashion on a budget, as the purse is pretty empty at the moment.

Gok’s in Birmingham this week, and it’s supermarkets vs the high street in his autumn-wear catwalk show. He’s also picking out the best pencil skirts money can buy, and giving three am-dram queens a makeover.

> More fashion now, but Mary Portas has got a long way to go before she surpasses Gok in my estimations.

Mary Queen of Frocks (Channel 4, Tuesday October 11, 9pm) sees the retail expert opening up her own shop, and selling clothes that give adult women an alternative to the teen fashions that dominate the high street.

It’s a noble cause but personally I find Mary a bit difficult to warm to. But if she can offer an alternative to Ugg boots and leggings, I’ll be a fan.