Heavy mettle

MIRIAM’S BIG FAT ADVENTURE

BBC2, 9pm

“IT seems we’ve become a nation of humungous arses, sagging bellies and pendulous bosoms.” No, Miriam Margolyes is not one to mince her words.

And the 78-year-old is also one of a third of the UK’s population that is officially obese.

All of which makes her the perfect person to investigate why the nation is at its fattest, and what – if anything – should be done about it.

At just 4ft 11in, the Blackadder, Harry Potter and Call The Midwife actress says she has still managed to eat her way to 14st 10lb.

“It’s difficult being fat,” she says. “It’s a hard, miserable fate.”

In fact, she says if she could migrate her personality and face on to another body – ideally Claudia Winkleman’s – then she’d finally be happy. In her trademark smock dress and trainers, she sets out to meet people with different attitudes to their weight, including those who either face serious health issues or simply refuse to change.

Miriam starts at a health farm, where portions are restricted and more than five hours of physical training begins at 9am.

She meets an anti-diet plus-size activist who has a doughnut tattooed on her tummy.

There’s a funny scene when

Miriam joins a “fat and happy” plus-size dance class called Curve Catwalk, which sees her twerking with the best of them.

And she spends some time with her best friend, who wonders if Miriam would still be Miriam if she was slim. “I think being fat makes me noisy,” says the actress.

Frank, fearless, funny and fat, Miriam is a thoroughly entertaining guide as she explores this growing problem.