The Biggest Loser UK, Season 3 Episode 1

So we're back with The Biggest Loser UK, this time around hosted by Kate Garraway and in the couples format also used in the US. Today's first episode is all about meeting the contestants and taking them to their 'fat camp' home for the next few months. The winner will receive £10,000, (in the US the winner gets $250,000 - just saying).

This season's trainers are Angie Dowds - "train as hard as you can, as often as you can", "first training session, they'll think they've woken up in hell", a kick-ass ball of muscle who could give US trainer Jillian Michaels a run for her money; and newbie Richard Callender, who has his own personal fear of failure, uh oh. I'll go with Angie please, hell threats aside.

First they have to prove themselves with a general workout - squat until I say stop, that kind of thing. What seemed forever through editing was only about 20 minutes of quite low-impact exercise.

Throughout this we were introduced to the couples, and there were some pretty sad stories - really young people who've been told they won't live very long at all if they don't lose weight pretty damn quick. Those looking after sick relatives and scared they won't be there is the long term. Daughters following in the footsteps of their overweight mothers. Generally, the forecast isn't great for these people.

And so to the first weigh-in. How horrendous. The nation watching you in your smalls, dragging your larger-than-average posterior up to the scales, awaiting your almighty humiliation. Mark had no idea what he weighed anymore, as his scales stopped at 24 stone. Which the cynic in me said must just be plain inconvenient. Luckily there were no such technical shortcomings in the Biggest Loser house, their scales know no upper limit. It's like they go all the way up to 11 (tonnes).

The results were as follows:

Mark (25st 13lbs) and Kevin (23st 8lbs) - strangers
Rick (21st 5lbs) and Michelle (16st 3lbs)- husband and wife
Dave (23st 3lbs) and Jamie (28st 8lbs) - father and son and two of the unhealthiest people who could hope to meet
Maria (15st 11lbs) and Michaela (15st 9lbs) - best friends
Eunice (23st 8lbs) and Miriam (15st 2lbs) - sisters
Carol (15st 11lbs) and Katy (22st 3lbs) - mother and daughter, first to get into the house
Raz (15st 1lb) and Lisa (25st 10lbs) - mother and daughter
Jennifer (23st 5lbs) and Sadie (21st 5lbs) - mother and daughter

They have a week to prepare for their first competitive weigh-in, where the couple who have lost the smallest percentage of their joint weight. Luckily, this has all been filmed in advance, and we get to see it on Friday. Trainer Angie uses the word 'hell' a few more times to make sure we get the point. I get it, Angie, it will be HARD.

The Biggest Loser is on daily, thus keeping out blood-trash levels nice and stable. See you tomorrow.