One of the most acclaimed celebrity fitness DVDs of recent times, Charlie Brooks’ Before And After Workout finds fitness trainer Dee Thresher putting the former soap star through her paces with a series of five ten minute workouts.

Brooks herself claims to have lost a couple of stone using the routines on the disc already, and it’s easy to believe why. And rather than, as some in the genre choose to do, focusing heavily on the celebrity, this fitness discs puts its firm emphasis on the workout routines. They’re explained clearly, are straightforward to follow, and there’s enough variety to ensure you don’t get bored.

The routines are of varying difficulty, and unless you’re already fighting fit, it’s feasible that you’ll have some trouble with them in the early days. But then that’s the point. And because none of the workouts outstay their welcome, there’s little reason not to stay motivated. Sure, you’ll end up working hard, but there’s nothing on this disc that outstays its welcome.

It’s surprising perhaps to find a fitness DVD that has earned such acclaim, but having followed Charlie Brooks’ Before And After Workout through, the plaudits are well deserved. So if you’ve ever been frustrated by a celebrity workout disc that’s proven to be more about the former than the latter, then this will be a very welcome treat.--Ann Foster