SO what could be better than half-an-hour of DIY SOS?

Well an hour, of course, call it DIY SOS - Tour de Force (BBC1, Thursday) and let Nick Knowles, builder Bob Grose and the boys loose in France with Billy the electrician answering his mobile phone with the cheery greeting "au revoir", and wondering why the caller hung up.

There was one speck in the paint, however. "Where's Brigid (Calderhead) the designer?" demanded my wife about the absence of the woman who rowed so often with Bob that many viewers thought they were married.

"It isn't the same without her, I don't want some stick-thin Welsh wonder," added my other half about newcomer Debs.

Fortunately, there was enough excitement about the team helping David and Julie Bradbury convert a former grain store into a usable bedroom in their 15th Century farmhouse in Brittany to fill some of the cracks.

But, while we quickly learned that the couple had bought the farm and grounds for £46,000 after selling their Surrey home, there was no mention of the family's plans for long-term financial survival apart from letting out a nearby derelict barn.

The trouble is, if the Bradburys couldn't finish the house without nimble-witted Nick, what price the holiday letting business?

Co-presenter Lowri Turner made her farewell appearance after eight series by leading her team of comic craftspeople to a remote corner of France (somewhere called St Tropez) to mess about in boat themes for a child's bedroom.

Apparently, Mr Knowles is going to present single-handedly from now on. Ms Turner somehow always seemed to be pregnant during her long stint with DIY SOS, but is now set for a spell with Celebrity Fit Club on ITV1 next week.

She also popped up on The Joy Of Exercise (BBC2, Wednesday) where her decidedly anti-male views grew a little tiresome. Apparently, our current culture of gym classes and aerobics is all about empowering women.

Other celebrities like John Fashanu, Green Goddess Diana Moran, "Mad" Lizzie Webb, Gail Porter and Jono Coleman were more honest and admitted that keeping in shape had a lot to do with making yourself look attractive to others.

Surprisingly, even the older celebs boasting about their efforts to keep young and beautiful seemed to think that TV keep fit started with the Green Goddess and Mad Lizzie plus those Jane Fonda videos.

Somehow the original leotard-clad queen of keep fit Eileen Fowler was ignored.

She was the first person to fill the community centres of Britain with people straining muscles they didn't know they had. I remember my mother sending off for the membership badge and exercise programme linked to her TV appearances.

"You've got a really good memory if you can recall Eileen Fowler," said my mother, who admitted she's still got the badge safely tucked away in a drawer.

"But, I never thought a lot of her exercises," she added helpfully.

As my wife watched most of The Joy Of Exercise huddled on the sofa with a hoodie pulled around her ears, Eileen isn't the only superfit celeb on TV failing to make an impact.

Published: 10/01/2004