Who would win in a fight between the IRA and the Taliban?

The makers of an American television show have created a computer simulator to provide the answer to a question no-one was asking, outside of a school playground or in a pub after a few too many drinks.

Deadliest Warrior pitches hypothetical fights between historical figures, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of factors such as weaponry and tactics, like a hi-tech version of playground card game Top Trumps.

The analysis is used to create a computer model where the battle plays out to the death.

I think it is entirely regrettable that once again we have media outlets seeking to exploit ruthless terrorism for commercial gain

Jeffrey Donaldson

DUP MP

It is broadcast by Spike, a cable channel owned by MTV aimed at "young adult males", and the pitch for Sunday's programme is suitably dramatic.

"The Taliban - deadly extremists battling in the mountains of Afghanistan, versus the IRA - elusive, hard-hitting masters of Ireland's urban jungles.

"It's a battle to the death, between two lethal guerrilla warriors, armed to the teeth with flamethrowers, rocket launchers, carbines, mines and a devastating home-made bombs."

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the programme could be seen as glorifying terrorism.

"I think it is entirely regrettable that once again we have media outlets seeking to exploit ruthless terrorism for commercial gain," he said.

"It may be seen as a bit of fun, but young people are very impressionable, and it is wrong to glorify a terror group when countless people lost their lives."

Previous episode titles include Viking vs Samurai, Spartan vs Ninja and Pirate vs Knight.