The latest instalment of Supersize vs. Superskinny promised to be spectacular this evening, with an extreme diet swap taking place between a carbohydrate-phobic 7.5 stone underweight fitness fanatic and a 36 stone takeaway addict who has never seen the inside of a gym. The rather lovely Dr. Christian Jessen was on hand to ensure that the experiment remained safe for the pair as they attempted to drastically change their eating habits to match those of the other person.

My initial reaction was that this would not work. It’s only a week of changing their eating habits, but I’m sure that if I were a volunteer on the programme, this shock tactic would only confirm my worst fears about eating less (or more) food and reinforce my bad habits. It’s surprising then, that Amy-Jo and Andy, our amiable subjects, adapt so quickly to their new eating regimes. They have frank discussions with each other over their swapped meals and snacks during the week, and it becomes clear that they both feel ashamed of their own self-destructive habits when they are inflicting them on somebody else.

Although the pair live very different lifestyles, they seem to form a bond when placed into this situation, and both appear to realise that they need to offer support to one another in reaching their goal – a healthy weight. Despite a very uncomfortable moment when both of them strip down to their underwear and compare bodies, the message of the experiment remains supportive and informative throughout, and manages to avoid patronising the audience.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Ms Gillian McKeith, who is on a crusade to Ban Big Bums from Britain. Although the section of the show tries to bring us some light relief, Gillian just can’t shake off her holier-than-thou attitude, calling members of the public “porkers” and recoiling in horror at the sight of their rear ends! I’m not sure when Gillian McKeith stopped being a crusader for healthy eating, and started being rude and abusive to people, but I sincerely wish she had been taken off the air at the same time.

Happily, Anna Richardson’s segment, in which she tries out the Baby Food Diet (yes, I’m afraid so) is absolutely hilarious. Apparently this diet has attracted devotees such as Jennifer Aniston and Marcia Cross, but I just cannot imagine Marcia (Bree from Desperate Housewives) forcing down the toxic-looking green goo that Anna tries! The diet also has some unfortunate side-effects such as constipation, and you are left wondering why anyone would go to these lengths to lose weight until Michelle Scott-Lee (Liberty X) explains that she is considered a “big girl” in the celebrity world. Considering that she weighs in at a UK size 10 (a US size 8), this brings home the serious message about the damage that our Size Zero culture is doing to healthy women.

Overall, this was a great programme, which was both informative and entertaining. I look forward to the rest of the series.