Winterwatch 2017 (BBC2, 8pm)

CHRIS Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games return to RSPB Arne in Dorset as they present from their base on Poole Harbour, which is officially the most biodiverse region in the UK, with more species of animals and plants within ten miles of Wareham than anywhere else in the country.

Gillian Burke examines military pillboxes in Studland to explore the lives of hibernating butterflies in winter, while Hughes-Games tries to understand the harbour's appeal for waders, particularly avocets, and has an incredible revelation.

There is an incredible variety of different habitats – lowland heath and woodland, rivers and estuaries, marshes and coastal scenery – and much of the area is managed and protected by a network of conservation organisations.

During this week, Winterwatch will visit many of the sites in the Isle of Purbeck (of which Arne is a part), an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as Brownsea Island, which is looked after by the National Trust and the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Remote cameras will capture the best of the furry and feathered residents on the reserve.

There will be visual feast with cameras recording footage of an array of different coloured bird feeders. Plus, the team will conduct a fun experiment to see if garden birds are attracted to a particular colour of feeder.

A Winterwatch hidden camera at a woodland watering hole is monitoring activity around the clock to see if this is meeting place for the likes of Sika deer, badgers, foxes, and many more residents.

Viewers of Autumnwatch 2016 will remember fondly Robo-spoonbill, the robotic spoonbill fitted with a hidden camera. He's back by popular demand, when even more wading birds are expected on the Arne mudflats. And Robo will also be joined by a friend – decoy duck cam.

While the spoonbill films the waders from the shoreline, the Winterwatch duck cam will float out on the water, bringing a new perspective to this busy area.

But it's not all about Dorset, as usual Winterwatch will feature a number of films recorded from across the UK.

So sit back, turn up the fire, while Chris, Michaela and Martin and co stand out in the cold (well Dorset's equivalent) for what promises to be another delightful look at the extraordinary natural world that exists in our own backyard.

Horizon: Hair Care Secrets (BBC2, 9pm)

A stroll down the supermarket or pharmacy shampoo aisle is always an eye opener. What are shampoos doing these days? Will they revitalise or energise our hair? Add lustre or remove build-up? Nourish or rejuvenate? What's the newest 'miracle' ingredient and can hair loss or damage be reversed and repaired? In this one-off film, scientists and doctors investigate the properties of human hair and examine the methods and results of research done for business that are developing hair care products. They reveal whether or not it is worth splashing out on the expensive shampoos that we see in advertisements, uncover the special ingredients found in leading conditioners, and lay bare the secrets of the shiny, glossy hair seen in the ads.

The Halcyon (ITV, 9pm)

JOE is offered the opportunity of a lifetime, but finds himself unexpectedly torn as the moral responsibility of staying in England to tell the story of the war weighs heavily on his shoulders. Betsey's mother comes for a surprise stay, leaving Sonny unsettled and wary of the reaction she incites from Betsey, while Lucian and Lady Hamilton continue their flirtation and Emma anxiously awaits news of Freddie when she hears that a plane from Squadron 392 has gone down.

My Mum's Hotter Than Me! (C5, 10pm)

LAST year Channel 5 aired a one-off programme exploring some of Britain's most bizarre parent-child relationships and those who will do anything to look hotter than their kids. Now we meet Maruga who has taught her twins everything they know and claims they are the Kardashians of the UK. Plus, we meet Amanda who loves to compare herself to her 18-year-old granddaughter.

Viv Hardwick