There’s a cracking line-up of telly treats this week as we say goodbye to September and hello to October.

There are brand new series beginning this coming week, such as FlashForward – which I personally can’t wait to see – and the return of some old favourites such as Benidorm, which is guaranteed to bring some much welcome sunshine into our ever drawing-in Friday nights.

So here’s what we’ve hand picked to recommend you watch in the next seven days…

Monday

FlashForward, 9:00pm, Five

This is a brand new series from the same folks who brought us Lost.

Episode one is entitled ‘No More Good Days’ and we’re introduced to FBI agent Mark Benford who must investigate why a mysterious event, a little over two minutes in length, caused most of the population to blackout and experience their lives six months in the future.

And the full extent of the aftermath slowly becomes horribly clear…

Being Erica, 10:00pm, E4

Another new series starting tonight is this comedy drama about a woman whose therapist can send her back in time.

Erica is thirty-two years old and nowhere near her proper ‘life path’, so she gets to work on understanding where she went wrong in her past with the help of Dr. Tom.

In each episode, Erica relives a part of her past that she regrets and has the chance to do it again the right way.

Tuesday

Electric Dreams: 1970s, 9:00pm, BBC4

Yet another new series – in three parts – sees a family and their home stripped of all their modern technology to live a life of decades past.

The family must live through the digital wilderness of the 1970s, with a technical support team to source and supply them with the vintage technology of the time.

They endure a spell without central heating and get to grips with the teasmaid, see the effects of 70s industrial unrest on their home when they experience a power cut, and then their newly-arrived colour television breaks down.

Arthur’s Day 2009, 10:00pm, ITV2

Cat Deeley and Ronan Keating present and host highlights from the “party of all parties” in Dublin, where celebrations of 250 years of Guinness are in full swing.

The extravaganza includes performances from Tom Jones, Sugababes, Kelly Rowland and Razorlight, as well as an exclusive performance by the Black Eyed Peas via satellite from Malaysia.

Colin Murray, Ed Byrne and Michelle De Swarte also contribute to a real night to remember.

Wednesday

Ruth Watson’s Hotel Rescue, 8:00pm, Channel 4

Guess what? Here’s yet another new series! In this one, renowned Hotelier and food writer/critic Ruth Watson attempts to help couples who’re starting out in hotel ownership.

The first recipients of Ruth’s expertise tonight are Diana Graham and Steve Fernie from Suffolk, who want to transform their Grade II listed home into a posh bed and breakfast, and it involves major life changes for Diana and Steve, who both had successful careers in the music industry.

They plan to turn their six bedrooms into five en-suite rooms, but apart from the huge undertaking of clearing out all their clutter, finalising the layout, and fixing the laundry and housekeeping chores, Ruth quickly discovers that the biggest challenge of all will be facing up to the fact that there’s no way Diana can do everything on her own.

The Secret Life of Twins, 9:00pm, BBC1

This fascinating two part film kicks off tonight with the tales of identical twins who’ve lived their lives apart, and twins with drastically different lifestyles who’ve developed identical heart conditions at almost the same moment in their lives.

The heart-breaking story of Mia and Alexandra, identical twins adopted separately as babies but reunited by two pairs of devoted parents from the US and Norway, come under the spotlight in the opening programme.
Though the girls have been raised in different cultures with contrasting approaches to child-rearing and education, their similarities present both sets of parents with a startling question: will their differing parenting styles ever have as much impact as their children’s genes?

The experience of British twins Paul and Iain, meanwhile, highlights a rare instance where genetic influences seem to have overridden lifestyle factors.

With identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken as viewers’ guides, this documentary travels the globe to meet compelling twins and scientists with trail-blazing ideas who may hold the key to understanding what makes us all who we are.

Captive for 18 Years: The Jaycee Lee Story, 9:00pm, Channel 4

This hastily made but surely fascinating documentary is of course about a discovery that stunned the world; a girl who was kidnapped as an 11-year-old and subsequently found aged 29.

In June 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard was waiting at the bus stop on her way to school in South Lake Tahoe when a grey Ford saloon pulled up alongside her. A man and woman jumped out, bundled her into the car and drove off…

Eighteen years passed, then, on 24th August 2009, thanks to the intuitive “motherly instinct” of two female police officers, an investigation began that would lead to an astounding discovery: Jaycee Lee Dugard was alive and for the last 18 years had been held captive by a notorious sex offender.

Now aged 29, Jaycee Lee has given birth to two daughters, fathered by the sex offender, Phillip Garrido. For 18 years, Jaycee Lee and her daughters had been kept in a maze of tents and sheds in the back garden of Garrido’s home in Antioch, California.

Featuring interviews with some of those closest to the young Jaycee, including family members, classmates and her headmistress, this documentary also features the neighbours and business associates of her captor Phillip Garrido, and the investigators involved in her case.

The programme includes an interview with Carl Probyn, Jaycee Lee’s stepfather, who witnessed the kidnap and was the prime suspect in the case for 18 years.

Kids for Sale: Stacey Dooley Investigates, 9:00pm, BBC3

In this two part documentary, Stacey Dooley explores the often shocking issue of child labour in Nepal.

Thousands of young children are forced to leave their families to work in factories or as domestic slaves, and Stacey’s mission is to try and find out how, and why, this happens and whether she can make a difference to these children.

In Kathmandu, Stacey befriends a boy who’s regularly beaten by his factory manager and helps him escape to the safety of a children’s hostel.

Friday

Benidorm, 9:00pm, ITV1

Yippee! The Benidorm crowd are back in Spain and back on our screens!

Following the hostage situation that we saw in the special Benidorm episode, the holidaymakers return to The Solana to enjoy a free week’s holiday by way of compensation for their troubles the previous year.

Martin’s new girlfriend is eager to leave the confines of the resort and have a good time, while Mel enlists Mick’s help to open his new mobility shop – but disaster awaits… of course it does!

Derren Brown: How to Beat a Casino, 9:00pm, Channel 4

Will Derren’s ambitious final event – in which he stakes a member of the public’s money on a casino roulette wheel – see him win £175,000 for one viewer?

After successfully predicting the lottery, Derren plays lady luck again, taking an unsuspecting viewer on a heart-stopping journey as they watch him gamble £5,000 of their savings on the single spin of a roulette wheel.

The lucky viewer won’t even know it’s their cash until Derren calls them…

Saturday

You, Me and Dupree, 9:30pm, ITV1

For newlyweds Carl and Molly Peterson, life can’t get any sweeter as they begin to settle down into married life.

With a nice house and established careers, nothing seems to get in their way. However, Carl’s about find out just how much friendship means when Dupree, his best friend, has lost his home and been fired from his job because he attended their wedding.

However, when Dupree overstays his welcome, things go hilariously wrong…

Starring Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, here’s the film’s trailer…

David Blaine: Drowned Alive, 9:00pm, E4

David Blaine is of course known for his headline-making feats of physical, emotional and mental endurance – not to mention a touch of illusion – and tonight, we see him put his life on the line again in a death-defying attempt to hold his breath underwater longer than any other human being.

The current record stands at eight minutes 58 seconds, and he undertook the challenge in an eight-feet acrylic sphere in front of New York’s Lincoln Centre.

Follow his preparations, as he trains with the US Navy Seals to take on this, his arguably most dangerous challenge.

Sunday

Emma, 9:00pm, BBC1

You just can’t beat a good period drama on a Sunday evening, and BBC have come up with another splendid adaptation of the much loved story of Emma…

Rich, independent and kind-spirited, Emma Woodhouse has no need to marry but nothing delights her more than matchmaking those around her. Once she’s married off her close companions, she alights upon the pretty Harriet Smith to fashion into her new playmate and ally.

She persuades Harriet that she’s too good for her suitor, farmer Robert Martin, and encourages her to set her sights higher. But close family friend Mr Knightley warns Emma that her meddling will cause great pain – to both Robert and Harriet. Emma refuses to listen and Mr Knightley is furious with her stubbornness.

Romola Garai stars as Emma, Michael Gambon as Mr Woodhouse, Jonny Lee Miller as Mr Knightley and Louise Dylan as Harriet.

The ABBA Years, 10:00pm, Fiver

This documentary explores the remarkable and unique success of ABBA. It’ll feature interviews with the band members, footage of their tours and stage shows, and music from 26 of the band’s hit records.

Filmed in both Sweden and London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Mamma Mia stage production, this film is the full story of the chart-topping band, their flamboyant outfits, successful spin-offs, marriages and break-ups, and all told in ABBA’s own words.

That’s it for this week’s Primetime Picks. Have a great week and we’ll see you next weekend!