Channel 4 Orders Pilot Led by Russian Weight-Loss Expert

Channel 4 has commissioned Chalkboard TV to produce an hour-long pilot of The Slim Reaper, a tentatively titled prime-time factual-entertainment show featuring Russian weight-loss guru and “detox diva” Galia Grainger.

The Slim Reaper will see Grainger teach people her grandmother’s healthy-eating rules so they can lose weight in a week. The series will take place in Grainger’s “Slimmeria” center, a Georgian mansion located in the Sussex countryside. It will incorporate stories about both guests and staff members.

Mike Benson, managing director and executive producer at Chalkboard TV, stated: “Galia describes herself as The Slim Reaper and she certainly doesn’t pull her punches when it comes to telling overweight Brits what they might not want to hear. We see The Slim Reaper as something of a Fawlty Towers for weight loss and we’re looking forward to unleashing Galia and the staff on C4 viewers.”

Tim Hancock, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for features and daytime, added: “Galia is a one-off and her tyrannical approach to weight loss is as watchable as it is effective. This pilot will hopefully look and feel like no diet show you’ve ever seen before.”