For many, it is a favourite season, but autumn is more than just a pretty spectacle. In this special edition of Countryfile, Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head up the team as they chronicle the slow-but-sure change as summer gives way to glorious autumn.

At this time of year, woodlands echo to the roar of rutting deer - but what is behind these calls of the wild? Matt and Julia reveal all. Meanwhile, John Craven joins the pensioners picking for pocket money in the apple orchards of Herefordshire.

Down on the farm, Adam Henson has an eye on the weather; he needs a dry spell if he's to get next springs crops planted.

Jules Hudson is also hoping for clear skies on the mountains of Snowdon; it's the one time of the year when the wild pony round-up happens. It's a dangerous operation, and success is not guaranteed.

The coast is where perhaps some of the most dramatic effects of autumn can be seen, and Katie Knapman is at the UK's biggest estuary to see first hand one of the greatest sights in the bird world.

And as the clocks go back and the nights draw in, which of us doesn't thrill to the chill of Halloween? Julia looks at the legend and law of this spookiest of nights, while Matt finds that having a bit of a fright can be great fun when he supervises a special Countryfile world record attempt. Show less