BEST OF THE REST
EASY WAYS TO LIVE WELL BBC1, 8pm
WE all want to be healthier, but Brits are fatter, less fit and more stressed out than ever. There’s temptation everywhere, and what with all the myths and conflicting advice, who the hell knows what to do about it anyway?
Steph McGovern gets it. In this refreshing health debunking show, she is the unhealthy counterpart to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “poster boy for living well”, as she calls him.
Her choice of snack? A bag of Quavers. His? A couple of carrots.
Together they make a balanced duo, determined to reveal what fixes can dramatically improve our diet, fitness and wellbeing.
Steph looks into relief for her dodgy stomach, while Hugh confronts one of our biggest health epidemics - stress.
But most fascinating is a challenge they set staff at a doctor’s surgery to tackle their compulsive snacking.
One group tries peppermint to send cravings away, while the other faces a padlocked snack cupboard. Anyone got a sledge hammer?
AVENUE 5 Sky One, 10pm
SET 40 years into the future, this space tourism comedy is a riotous rollercoaster, once it builds up some speed.
From Veep creator Armando Iannucci, a brilliant cast holds it together, even when the plot wobbles.
Hugh Laurie is excellent (as always) as Ryan Clark, Captain of the luxury space cruise liner Avenue 5. He says things like: “We’re all heroes on this ship,” and he’s always well up for crew karaoke.
Josh Gad, famously the voice of Frozen’s Olaf, plays Herman Judd, the idiot billionaire who owns Avenue 5. Zach Woods plays Matt, the terrible head of customer relations, while Rebecca Front is a disgruntled passenger.
Avenue 5 is on an eight-week voyage around Saturn. On board it’s a first class experience, with gourmet buffets, a spa and yoga classes. But when the ship encounters technical difficulties, everything is knocked off course.
Stick with this, once the set up has been explained, the pace and laughs really do take off…