Friday 23 May 2008 8:00pm - 8:30pm on ITV1.

As a nation we’re now top of the global stress league wnd the main thing that determines our stress levels is what we do for a living. In this special edition of Tonight, celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli goes behind the scenes of the hospitality industry to investigate just how pressurised some chefs are finding their kitchens.

New research shows that head chefs run twice the risk of suffering serious depression or anxiety as those in lower stress occupations. Drug and alcohol abuse are also reportedly widespread in the catering industry. But how do the strains that chefs experience measure up to other stressful jobs?

Tonight enlists the help of three other stressed professionals, a teacher, A&E doctor, and IT consultant, and monitors their stress levels during their normal day’s work. Then, after training with Jean Christophe Novelli at his cooking academy, the three rookie chefs’ stress levels are put to the test during service in the fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled kitchen of a top London restaurant.

The programme also meets former chefs burnt out by the pressures of the job, including Anthony Delaney who ended up living at Gatwick airport for three years, and Michael Quinn who went from being Head Chef at the Ritz to an alcoholic sleeping rough in the streets.