THIS week saw the return of style gurus Trinny and Susannah descending goddess-like from their ivory tower at the BBC to deliver their weekly sermon on the virtues of fashion to the great unwashed.

Trinny and Susannah's merciless brand of style makeover seem to have struck a chord with the British public and the book of their series What Not to Wear topped last year's Christmas bestsellers list.

They were also recently the subject of a Viz comic strip entitled Schoolgirl Torments With Fatty And Skinny Susannah And Trinny, in which the pair pick on a classmate in a hand-me-down uniform.

In a blatant display of humourlessness, they are said to have complained to Viz and threatened to sue for defamation of character.

I can only assume that the truth hurts because the whole premise of their act' is tantamount to standing in a ring with their Prada-clad media chums pointing and laughing at a dinnerlady from the West Midlands wearing an ill-fitting tabard from Wolverhampton Market.

In What Not to Wear the gruesome twosome choose two garmentally- challenged busy mums for a complete style makeover and a £2,000 clothes shopping trip.

The first contender was Michalina, a brash but likeable receptionist from Manchester and I can honestly say that I could have given her a few style pointers, and my wardrobe consists entirely of two faded Ben Sherman shirts and a pair of Levis 501s.

Attired in various clashing combinations of shocking pinks and lime greens, Michalina resembled a beach ball with a hairpiece and the gruesome twosome wasted no time in informing her of the fact.

Indeed, so appalling was Michalina's wardrobe that her boss would not allow her to man the reception desk for fear of alarming the customers.

Our other winner' was dowdy mother of triplets Sarah from York who desperately wanted to fit in with the glamorous wives at her husband's office parties, and blushed self-consciously at every cutting piece of advice' that was ruthlessly delivered.

To get a feel for their subjects Trinny and Susannah lived their lives for a day and this was without doubt the funniest part of the programme.

Watching them foundering in real-world situations was like watching spoiled society girls forced to fend for themselves because the nanny or maid has rung in sick.

At one point Susannah had to make a brew' for fellow office workers and from the way she stared blankly at the kettle it was obvious she had no idea that coffee came from anywhere other than Starbucks.

So to the shops and it is here that Trinny and Susannah are truly at home, and they celebrate the return to their natural habitat by reducing Sarah to tears by ripping off her knickers in a boutique changing room.

To be fair to them, by the end of the programme both women are completely transformed.

In her new clothes, and after a haircut, Michalina looked 10 years younger and her personality seemed just as vibrant as the colours she loved to wear.

The most remarkable transformation was in Sarah and her stunning new-found elegance even had Trinny and Susannah lost for words.

I suppose the moral of the story is that if you had £2,000 in designer clothes vouchers and a team of BBC stylists at your disposal then you too could be like Trinny and Susannah.

However ,I'll be writing to the BBC with my own idea for a programme which follows a group of It' girls from London on a shopping spree round Bury Market with £50 in their Louis Vuitton purses while being harangued by Tina and Sue from the clothes department at BHS.

Hang on, I think Channel 5 has already made that one.