ITV to fight the nation's flab in obesity campaign

The Feelgood Factor (working title) will kick off with a variety show at the end of January 2009, to inspire British people to sign up to the initiative.

Viewers will then be asked to sign up to an online website, and pledge to lose a certain amount of weight. Participants will be encouraged to ask friends for sponsorship - so for every pound they lose in weight, they can earn cash for the charity of their choice.

At the end of the eight week campaign, ITV1 will have another variety show, again with celebrities, live music, dance and comedy combined with advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and profiling some of the campaigns success stories.

The programme will tie in with the Government's Change4Life initiative, which will bring together major retailers and advertisers to encourage Britons to lead healthier lives.

The variety shows will be produced by Endemol owned indie Initial.

ITV music and entertainment controller Guy Freeman said the initiative was hugely important due to the rising numbers of people with obesity.

“This will not at all be like [Little Britain character] Marjorie Dawes telling people they are fat. It will be all about encouraging people to make small changes to their lifestyle, have a bit of fun, and become a bit healthier,” he said.

Freeman said he hoped the initiative could raise as much money for various charities as The London Marathon.

As part of the healthy programming lineup, presenter Claire Sweeney will do a “super size me” style documentary, where she will pile on the pounds to show the effects that an unhealthy lifestyle can have.

ITV controller of popular factual Jo Clinton-Davis said the show would show “the other end of the scale” from Louise Rednapp's acclaimed documentary where she raced to become a size zero.

The shows will complement ITV1's new daytime commission Britain's Biggest Loser, where morbidly obese participants compete to lose weight through diet and exercise.

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