Channel 4 commissions Secret Eaters

16 February 2012

Channel 4 has ordered a ground breaking series about the science and psychology of eating from Remarkable Television, an Endemol company.

Presented by Anna Richardson, Secret Eaters will scrutinise the eating habits of overweight families by putting them under 24 hour camera surveillance. There will be cameras in their shopping trolley, the local café, their car, fridge, cupboards and sofa.  Each household has agreed to have every move and mouthful captured.

These families can't understand why their diets are out of control- they think they are eating healthily but the cameras will reveal their secret eating habits.

Their diets will then be analysed by two experts - Food Science lecturer Richard Marshall, and Dietician Lynne Garton - who will debunk the food industry's jargon, and explain how our bodies can fool us in wanting more the kind of foods that aren't good for us. 

Once the families are aware of the true scale of their overeating, they will embark on a 12 week ‘Food Rehab' regime to help them shift the pounds

Secret Eaters was commissioned by Channel 4's Deputy Head of Features Andrew Jackson and is executive produced by Remarkable Television's Kitty Walshe. The 6 x 60 format is set to air this April.

Andrew Jackson said: "If we're honest most of us have sighed these words into our bathroom mirror ‘I don't know why I've piled on the pounds - I always watch what I eat'. Well this series aims to investigate those sentiments. By showing one family the difference between what they think they eat and what they actually eat, we'll help them admit their secret eating ways and put them on the path to a more balanced and honest diet".

Colette Foster, Managing Director at Remarkable Television adds: "We've become a nation of mindless eaters, compulsively snacking and then regretting it. Secret Eaters will unlock our true relationship with food. By explaining why we reach for certain foods we can have a better understanding of how to avoid over-eating."