The autism programme was based in New Jersey and followed a number of children who attended the Development Learning Center in Warren. This large school seemed to have lots of resources although it was unclear where the funding came from (they probably mentioned it but I’ve forgotten now). It was a great programme because Theroux interacted with a number of children on the autistic spectrum from the verbal to the non-verbal, the violent and the non-violent. But the focus was as much on the parents, particularly the mothers (most of the fathers seemed absent/less involved), as it was on the children themselves.

I was impressed with the honesty of the participants. One mother was particularly candid – she had twins with autism (a boy and a girl) – and she told Theroux that she didn’t understand why she had had to have children with autism. She was a good caring person, she said, she didn’t need the life lessons that other parents perhaps needed. ‘God’ came up a lot in Theroux’s discussions with all the parents on the show. Another had had to put her son in a home after he used to hit her, tear her hair out and burnt their house down, but she still loved her son and looked after him on weekends. And the star of the show was Nicky, a guy who was graduating from the Center in Warren to another school. He had once been unable to communicate verbally but now, not only was he highly verbal, but he had written out his own dictionaries, including those of Japanese and Hindi to English and his own fantasy novel. And, turned the tables slightly on Theroux, when he read out Theroux’s wikipedia entry to him.

This was the kind of documentary that people need to see – to be aware of the world and society and people that live around them. I’m pleased to see that it was the most watched programme that Thursday night at 9pm so hopefully it has broadened some people’s minds.

The dementia episode was perhaps more distressing than the autism one, because it is a disease that anyone is more likely to experience. Here, Theroux was based in Phoenix, Arizona, because of its large retirement community. Participants included a 69 year old former dentist who no longer remembered that his wife was his wife, and so was having relationships with other residents, reminding me of the film Away from Her. Theroux also visited an 89 year old woman who was looked after by her 88 year old husband, who always has to wear a name badge so she can remember him. And, Theroux, also talked to a 49 year old woman with a 9 year old daughter, who couldn’t work out how to use her mobile phone anymore or draw a clock and was told that she probably wouldn’t remember her daughter in two years time. It was a real insight into Alzheimers as it’s not merely about forgetting things, but also a difficulty to perform everyday tasks. Although they want and know what they want to communicate/do at some level, there’s something in their brain stopping them from processing the information properly to act these actions out.

In both programmes, Theroux was a very sympathetic observer. He was involved in looking after some of the children, playing with them, helping out when they had tantrums or using his iphone to distract them. He ate with and looked after some of the adults as well, showing them affection and giving them company. He has explained that he enjoyed filming these documentaries where he wasn’t focusing on the weird anymore, and they definitely suited him and his style. As with any good programme, you don’t want them to end and you want to see more, but this is not reality tv either and Theroux was informative without being intrusive. Bravo.

 I’ll admit it, I’m currently addicted to the BBC2 documentary The Tube and the quote by a cab driver that I heard on last week’s show of: ‘the tube’s like Marmite, you either love it or hate it’ got me thinking – it’s pretty simple for me, I don’t like Marmite and I don’t really like the tube.

It’s somewhat of a necessity when travelling around London and while I appreciate my life would be a lot harder without it, if the option to use my legs and breathe in fresh air is there I’ll take that (whatever the weather!) over getting on the tube.

But having braved a fair few tube journeys, I’ve learnt there are a few basic things every commuter can do to make the journey more pleasant and bearable for everyone so here I share my wisdom…..

1. Keep your bodily fluids to yourself – In some circumstances, it’s nice to share but in others (such as this!) you can kindly keep your cold. If you have the unfortunate urge to sneeze or cough at all costs try to stifle it (sorry but it’s a burden the considerate commuter has to bear) but if you really cannot avoid coughing/sneezing or spluttering please your mouth – it never ceases to amaze me the amount of grown-ups who haven’t learnt this simple life skill.

2. Do not shout into your mobile phone – Frankly, I haven’t quite worked out how you’ve managed to get signal in the first place as my phone is constantly dead while travelling in the tunnels but I don’t care about your latest business dealing nor does the rest of the carriage. Plus in some professions it’s just dangerous to be chatting loudly into your phone – you never know who’s listening, there could be trained journalists (like me) who love to earwig and you’ve just gives us very easy access to juicy gossip…if you do have to take a call, talk in a normal tone.

3. Get your own reading material – Some form of reading material works well in two ways whilst on your tube travels – it helps you unwind after a stressful stint in the office (with frequent sad news stories you end up realising that actually your own life isn’t all that bad after all) and it helps pass the journey time – by the time you’ve flicked through a paper you’ll find you’re nearly home- bonus! But by being organised enough to pick up a paper you may find yourself an innocent target of over the shoulder readers. For those people I have a simple message: stop invading my personal space to the point that I can feel/smell your stale coffee breath as you crane in closer to peer at the page and do not tut when I turn over the page I’ve finished reading which you clearly haven’t. Easy way to avoid this problem – get your own newspaper!

4. Don’t take up two seats when you only need one – I don’t mind standing but some people do and after a long day it’s only fair as many people as possible are able to rest their weary feet. Your shopping bags or handbag do not need a seat so don’t be selfish and give them one and please try not to look quite so disgusted if a fellow commuter politely asks you to remove said shopping or handbag so they can sit down.

5. If you happen to need two seats, don’t squeeze into one – This unfortunate experience happened to me only last night. If it’s apparent (and in this case it was) that you cannot fit in the space of one seat, please do not squash yourself in and proceed to spill half your weight onto/over me so I am squashed up against a glass panel. #Unpleasant

6. Please do not push me on/off the train – Some people don’t even bother waiting until everyone is fully off a train before trying to pile on. I just stand back whenever this happens as it’s quite amusing to watch as people battle their way through doing an awkward side-stepping dance which actually ends up making the whole process of getting on or off a train much longer than if people just patiently waited for everyone to get off before they tried to clamber on. But I have a personal plead- please do not push me as I get on or off said train – I know you’re behind me and I know you don’t want to get squashed in the doors (it hurts – we’ve all been there!) but pushing is something adults really should have got over at primary school. And a word of warning- if your pushing ever causes me to face-plant, I will be taking you down with me… Karma and all that!

7. Wear deodorant – It’s inevitable that even if you’re quite tall like me at some point you’re going to have to travel pressed up against someone’s armpit so this is probably the most important tip of all. It’s never the most pleasant experience having your nose pushed into someone else’s armpit but if you can detect a hint of sweet smelling aftershave or deodorant it definitely helps make the nose pressed against pit scenario more bearable. B.O is not really ever okay but B.O and tubes just don’t mix! It’s like one of the age old clichés ‘treat others like you’d like to be treated’ – nobody wants to be forced to inhale someone’s else’s sweat/smelly pits so before you get anywhere near a tube train always spritz and spray to keep your pits fresh.

There are a million other little rules you’ll learn as a frequent tube traveller but whether you love the tube or hate it if it gets you from A to B the best thing you can do is suck it up and enjoy the journey!

Featureworld parents join in the debate...

Read about the 23 week twins

Read other recently sold stories: Archives

Has your baby beaten all the odds? Let me know about it here: Sell my story

A This World documentary on BBC2 tonight (9.00 pm BST) produced a terrifying range of facts and events, but none more so than this statistic: more US soldiers have committed suicide in Afghanistan than those killed by the enemy.

The filmed account followed the exploits and psychiatric implosion of one platoon on tour in Afghanistan, and at the end of the process the viewer was left with the impression that all armies are indeed killing machines – but in this case, with a particular focus on their own soldiers.

Many of the platoon members were killed in action. Just as many got into trouble with the law on their return to the US. One private with obvious delusional problems and a drug addiction was simply discharged dishonourably on the day he confessed his condition to the army. He later teamed up with equally deranged vet colleagues, and together they killed two people without motive.

Another Mexican-American called Barco had problems as well. These too were ignored. At a party shortly after his demob, the bloke fired six shots into the ceiling. He got in his car, circled back – and fired four more shots. One narrowly missed a young man, but in the end nobody was hurt.

He was sentenced to fifty-two years in a State penitentiary.

All of these subjects were interviewed. None of them were dumb, and none of them looked to me like career criminals. What kind of institution is it that turfs out expendable human wrecks like these, and leaves the punishment of their derangement to civil courts without any support, or any sense of responsibility?

After a public outcry, the military held an ‘inquiry’ – the way whitewash artists do. We were shown a self-important man in fatigues assuring us that after “a deeply thorough investigation” it had been concluded that the army was not at fault.

Bollocks. The US military needs to ask itself:

* How these soldiers got access to the mind-altering drugs to help them get through the days of torment in action.
* Why their repeated requests for help were met with irresponsible prescriptions of ‘legal’ hallucinatory drugs.
* Why there was no outreach support for men severely mentally injured by months of horrific front-line action.

There are those who will harrumph and say they faced nothing more horrific than the horrors of World War II. There is a grain of truth in this; but these men didn’t elect to be born into a set of social mores within which there was zero expectation of that kind of horror. And lest we forget, our understanding of mental trauma has moved on a tad since 1945.

This was a gripping programme that held my bladder far beyond its normal limitations. If you have an Iplayer, watch it. It reminded me briefly of why I pay my TV license.