NCIS: Los Angeles

Season 11 M-Net (*101) 19:00 Action

Where we left off: the NCIS team stopped World

War 3 by arresting various terrorist groups at once. Episode 1 Kensi and Deeks head into an ambush, and Callen and Sam search for a terrorist sleeper agent who is working on an aircraft carrier.

Special BBC Earth (*184) 19:00 Reality

One-off doccie special The Restaurant That Burns Off Calories (2020) is a foodie show with a difference. Host Fred Sirieix (First Dates UK, 2013-now) welcomes 20 guests to a three- course a la carte meal and drinks, while his TV doctor co-host Zoe Williams (Trust Me I’m A Doctor, 2013-now) supervises 25 volunteer fitness freaks behind a wall in the restaurant. They’re literally getting on their gym bikes to burn off the calories of whatever is being eaten.

Great plan, but what if all 20 diners order the duck liver parfait starter? It has a whopping 337 calories per plate, which is 55 minutes on a rowing machine. “The show is based on a study from Loughborough University,” says Zoe, “which found that if people knew how much exercise it would take to burn off the calorie intake in meals they ordered, they’d choose to eat less.”

Dr Zoe and the other professionals are measuring each exerciser accurately and the calories in each morsel of food, but that didn’t stop viewers complaining in the UK when it aired in May. “They felt the programme presented an unhealthy approach to food and calorie intake,” explains Zoe, who is a qualified medical professional. The show was also attacked by a number of viewers with eating disorders, as well as Caroline Price from eating disorder charity Beat. “Being told how much activity it would take to burn off particular foods risks triggering the illness further,” explained Caroline, who is Beat’s director.

Not sure how much running it’ll take to burn off that burger? Come dine at The Restaurant That Burns Calories.