The great irony of Operation Transformation (RTÉ One, Wednesday, 9.35pm) is that this love letter to everyday fitness has always been a bit flabby at the edges. A blend of weepy reality TV and one of those annoying health apps that are impossible to delete from your phone, it is formulaic with dumbbells attached. And it has been controversial. In 2022, eating disorder organisation Bodywhys criticised the series for promoting a negative “dieting culture”.
Above all, the show remains stuck in a rut. Gone are the days when candidates – “leaders” in Operation Transformation lingo – were paraded around in their underwear during the “weigh-in” segment. Otherwise, little has changed. As has been the case back to when Gerry Ryan hosted, we are introduced to individuals from everyday life whose health issues have reached a point of critical mass. Heartstrings are pulled, sad music tinkles, tears are shed.
In the latest season, the one thing that Operation Transformation has in its favour is that the candidates have genuinely compelling reasons for wanting to improve their fitness. Michelle Rogan was born in the capital’s inner city. But, like all Dubliners, now lives in Meath, where she is coping with the shock of the sudden death of her sister. Her coping strategies include obsessing over her blood pressure.
In Kildare, meanwhile, Noel O’Connell’s cardiovascular challenges have fuelled fears about being around for his youngest son, Ollie (11). “My father got cancer at 60,” he says, “Ollie has Down syndrome. We need to be healthy for him”.
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These are moving stories, and if presenter Kathryn Thomas doesn’t quite milk them for all they are worth, she understands that achieving an emotional connection with the audience makes for solid telly.
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But long-time viewers will feel that they have seen it all before. It doesn’t help that some of the exchanges plumb the depths of banality and should have been edited out. “I ended up working in a waxing clinic,” says one contestant. “As in ... a waxing clinic,” gasps Thomas. “Yeah, a waxing clinic ...”
The “transformation” part of Operation Transformation is overseen by experts including nutritionist Sophie Pratt and psychologist Eddie Murphy (medic Sumi Dunne is absent from the episode). Past Operation Transformation advisers could be withering towards the participants: by contrast, the present crew are positive and non-judgmental.
Still, it’s hard not to pass judgment on the show itself. In its decade and a half on the air, it has turned saggy at the jowls and developed bags under the eyes. You wish the 2024 leaders all the best in their journey towards good health. But it’s difficult not to conclude that Operation Transformation could do with taking a step back and putting its feet up. All these years in, its race is surely almost run.
