Friday TV Choice: What’s the Big Deal: Britain’s Best Buys? (Channel 4, 8pm)
Regular EastEnders viewers will know that Sonia has been through a tough time over the past few months, including being wrongly imprisoned for a murder her (now deceased) fiancé Reiss committed.
However, while she was behind bars, it did give actress Natalie Cassidy the freedom to try out a new career as a consumer champion.
She’s hosting the series What’s the Big Deal: Britain’s Best Buys?, which began last week and sees her finding out whether some of the most talked-about products on the market live up to the hype.
As she explains, the offer came at the ideal time. Natalie says: “It’s very difficult, as you know, being on a soap, to fit other things in, and it just really worked out… I thought: ‘Well, what a lovely thing to be asked to do, to actually front a show’.
She adds: “And I love documentaries. I love talking to people. And I just thought the subject matter is very relevant to all of us.”
It seems that hosting the series has been something of an eye-opener, especially when it comes to unearthing the truth behind the marketing.
She says: “I think it’s really surprising how many products are out there which aren’t yet scientifically proven. They do claim to do a lot of things, but actually we’re not that sure yet.”
Among the products she’s testing out this week are so-called ‘barefoot shoes’. Converts believe that modern, padded shoes get in the way of our feet doing the job they evolved to do, and that less protective footwear is the key to better posture. But does the science back up the claims?
Natalie says: “I found the journey with the barefoot trainers interesting, because you hear about grounding and all of those sorts of things being very good for you. And I’ve always been a bit: ‘Oh, can’t really be bothered’, but you do feel very different wearing those very close to the ground…
“However, when I went to see the foot doctor, she said they’re not good for me because of how my feet are. We can all go: ‘Oh, that looks good, and that’ll be good for me’. But really, the age old thing is (that) you need to get advice, you do need expertise about things.”
It seems that’s the message she wants people to take away from the series – that it pays to do your research. The actress, who recently announced she would be taking a more permanent break from EastEnders, says: “Why not use the internet for a good cause and say: ‘I’d like to buy an ice bath, shall we have a little look at the science behind it?’”
It’s also why Natalie has recruited experts and members of the public to help her find out which products are worth the money, and tonight they’ll be helping her check out teeth whiteners, and finding out eco-showerheads can save money as well as water.