Turning back time

BBC1, 9pm IT’S time to put the biscuits away folks as this health series promises to tell us the secrets to slowing down the ageing process.

And it’s unlikely to involve anything as simple as a magic wrinkle cream from Boots.

We may be living longer, but we are not ageing well – two-thirds of us have a body age that is higher than our actual birth age.

Dr Chris van Tulleken and Angela Rippon join health experts to help volunteers who are ageing badly.

The team has built an ageing lab, which looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. There, they can test everything from total body fitness to body fat, and ultimately give the human guinea pigs their body age.

Then – suitably horrified from the results – the volunteers are given a 12-week programme to help overhaul their health.

“We are going to slow down the ageing process,” says Angela, who ABSURD Greg and sidekick Alex incidentally looks much more youthful than her 72 years.

Tonight’s episode focuses on three unhealthy Brits. Patrick, 51, looks fit and lean, but his junk food diet is doing some serious damage to his heart.

Standing in front of several screens that look like something out of the Minority Report, his jaw literally drops when he finds out his body age.

Meanwhile, 54-yearold Harminder needs to overcome chronic stress, while 47-year-old Jenifer is shown a radical new technique to cure her insomnia. Packed with tips and statistics, this is an informative – although slightly scary – peek into what’s really going on inside our bodies. And it may just make you want to dig out your running shoes in a panic. Harminder