Unconditional Love (ITV1); Whatever Happened To Slimmers Of The Year? (C4)

IF the latest Robson Green film Unconditional Love produced an uneasy feeling, this was more to do with having the abduction of a child at the centre of the plot rather than the frisson of fear generated by the story. If the thriller element hadn't been so preposterous, it might have been considered in poor taste.

Green was teamed again with Sarah Parish, currently partnering him in BBC1's City drama Trust, as parents of four-year-old Max, who disappears during his birthday party in a shopping centre. He's seen being carried off by a man in a red hood.

The police give up their search quickly, deciding the boy must be dead. His parents know better after receiving a telephone call from someone who claims: "I have your son". To get him back, they must undertake illegal tasks, including a spot of breaking and entering, and arson.

With regular shots of Max looking cute, although seemingly unperturbed by the lengthy absence of his parents, it wasn't difficult to gain sympathy for the frantic parents and hatred for Joe Absolom's hooded kidnapper. Once you'd guessed - quite early if you're a follower of this type of TV mystery - the twist, there wasn't anywhere else to go, except wonder at the stupidness of the parents and idiocy of the police. Unconditional Love wasn't bad, just too manipulative and far-fetched for its own good.

Loss of a different kind was at the heart of Whatever Happened To Slimmers Of The Year?, which tracked down winners to see how they were shaping up. The results were not heartening. Many regained their weight, a wife had been abandoned, and another had ended up in court after joining with Peter Foster, most recently heard of buying flats in Bristol for Cherie Blair, to promote a miracle cure for fatness that was a con.

Getting thin is big business, with half a million women belonging to slimming clubs in this country and accounting for a £120m annual turnover. Anita was the biggest (no pun intended) success story, although it hadn't been easy. She lost eight of her 19 and a half stone in ten months to become slimmer of the year in 1995. A family bereavement sent her back to finding comfort in food and, only when a hairdressers' chair collapsed beneath her, did she go back to weight watching. The documentary ended on a happy note, with Anita achieving her aim of squeezing into a size 12 dress for the Christmas party.

In between, we learnt that losing weight doesn't automatically mean gaining happiness. Jean's husband promised they could have their marriage blessed once she was thin enough for her wedding dress. He walked out on her two weeks before the ceremony, moving in with a woman described as "a fat blob". He felt insecure living with a thinner woman.

Snooker player Les Dodd lost over seven of his 19 stone to become male slimmer of the year. He now weighs 25 stone. His seesaw size sees him losing weight, then putting back on more than he lost in the first place. Junk food is his downfall. Tucking in a healthy meal, he said: "Just imagine it's chips and it tastes so much better".

He needs a "fit fridge" like Paula, who's determined not to regain lost pounds. Her fridge is full of healthy snacks, giving those looking to shed weight real food for thought.