Davina McCall to host new dating show Stranded on Honeymoon Island

From the team behind Married At First Sight

Author: Alex RossPublished 3rd Mar 2025

Despite the future of dating show My Mum, Your Dad being uncertain, it seems nothing is slowing Davina McCall down from matchmaking, as she's now teamed up with the BBC for a brand new series called Stranded on Honeymoon Island.

Due to air later this year, here's everything we know so far about the hugely-antipcated new dating concept that is being made by the team behind Married At First Sight and Love Is Blind UK.

What is Stranded on Honeymoon Island?

Produced by CPL Productions, Stranded on Honeymoon Island is a brand new dating show due to air on BBC One later in 2025. The 12-part series will see 12 unlucky-in-love singles matched into couples, who then marry and immediately start their honeymoon on a tropical island.

The BBC say of the show: 'Davina will meet the singles at their first speed dating event in London, before they are matched into six couples and then stranded on a tropical island for the experience of a lifetime. Isolated and pitted against the forces of nature, will true love blossom and survive…or dive?

'On these remote beaches, fledgling relationships are soon put to the test as the couples live out their honeymoon together and fend for themselves with few resources. Together they must communicate and collaborate to get by, with nowhere to run when the going gets tough. Will an escape from modern life bring them closer together or push them apart? Will it lead to love or loathing?'

When is it on TV?

There's no official start date just yet, but we do know it will air later in 2025.

How many episodes?

Series one will be made up of 12x 60 minute episodes.

What channel is it on?

Stranded on Honeymoon Island will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Who is hosting the show?

TV hosting legend Davina McCall has been announced to present the new series.

Davina says: "I am a serial matchmaker…. So I jumped at the chance to host the BBC's new dating show. I can't wait to meet our couples and find out how they get on when they're Stranded on Honeymoon Island. For some it will be challenging and others, idyllic!!! Hopefully it's the start of some very beautiful relationships."

CPL's Murray Bolandadded: ‘We’re thrilled to be working with Davina on this project. Stranded on Honeymoon Island is a fascinating relationship experiment and there’s no one better than Davina to lead viewers on this dramatic journey as the couples navigate new love in their time together on the island.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, then added: "Davina is the ideal addition to this bold and innovative dating reality show. On Stranded on Honeymoon Island, Davina will be the perfect guide for viewers as the couples embark on the love story of a lifetime where the newlyweds are put to the ultimate test. We’re delighted to be working with her alongside the brilliant team at CPL. It’s a match made in heaven!”

Check out Davina McCall's amazing career below:

1994-1995: MTV Europe, Hitlist UK and God's Gift

After deciding a career in singing wasn't for her, a young Davina had a few casual jobs, before landing her very first presenting role! In 1994, Davina presented Ray Cokes' Most Wanted on MTV Europe, before moving on to Hitlist UK.

In 1995, Davina presented the first series British dating show God's Gift on ITV, before she was replaced by Claudia Winkleman for series two.

1998-2001: Streetmate

Davina landed the role to host Channel 4 dating show Streetmate in 1998, where she helped the British public find love by matching them on the street. Davina hosted the popular show between 30th October 1998 to 9th March 2001.

1998-2001: Don't Try This At Home

At the same time as working on Streetmate, Davina was also announced as one of four hosts on Saturday night ITV series Don't Try This At Home. The show, which featured real people facing tough challenges they couldn't do in every day life, was presented by Davina and Darren Day, Kate Thornton and Paul Hendy.

Don't Try This At Home had four series in total, airing on ITV between 1998 and 2001.

2001: Sam's Game

Airing on ITV between May-June in 2021, Davina starred in a sitcom called Sam's Game alongside comedian Ed Byrne, playing the role of main character Sam. The show, which was made up of six episodes, was cancelled after just one series.

2001-2002: Oblivious and The Vault

Davina continued to present shows in the UK, landing the presenting role on hidden camera comedy game show called Oblivious in 2001. One year later in 2002, Davina presented British game show called The Vault, which also aired on ITV. Davina presented the first series of the show, before Melanie Sykes took over in 2003.

2000-2010: Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother

Perhaps Davina's biggest presenting role in the early noughties arrived with Channel 4 reality show Big Brother. The coming of age show, which saw civilians enter a house as part of a social experiment, was a huge success, with Davina going on to present for a massive 10 series between 2000-2010.

Alongside the main show, Davina also hosted spin-off series Celebrity Big Brother, which proved even more popular with viewers!

However, due to eventual low viewing figures, Channel 4 decided to axe Big Brother after the 11th series in 2010. Although it was later picked up by Channel 5, Davina felt the time was right to leave the show behind.

2000 and 2003: The BRIT Awards

Davina was chosen to be the sole presenter of The BRIT Awards in 2000, taking over from previous presenters including Chris Evans, Ben Elton and Johnny Vaughan. Davina then returned to host the prestigious music awards once again in 2003, gaining huge praise from both viewers and critics.

2002: Popstars: The Rivals

After hosting the Popstars finale in 2001, Davina landed the role of main presenter for spin-off show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, which kick-started the career of girl band Girls Aloud. Whilst Davina hosted the show, Louis Walsh, Pete Waterman and Geri Halliwell sat on the judging panel.

2003: Stars In Their Eyes and Reborn in the USA

In 2003, Davina stood-in for Matthew Kelly for three episodes of hit Saturday night entertainment show Stars In Their Eyes. Later in the year, she was also announced as host for new ITV series Reborn in the USA, a show which saw 10 British pop stars move to America to attempt to revitalise their music career. After eight episodes in series one, no further series were commissioned.

2004 and 2006: BAFTA TV Awards

Davina was given the prestigious role of hosting the British Academy Television Awards in both 2004 and 2006, thanks to her successful TV career in the early noughties.

2005-2015: Comic Relief

For a massive 10 years between 2005 and 2015, Davina was a huge ambassador for charity Comic Relief, co-hosting the annual show on the BBC alongside the likes of Lenny Henry, Dermot O'Leary, James Corden and Russell Brand. Davina also took part in a number of activities and challenges in order to raise money for Red Nose Day.

2006-2018: Sport Relief

As well as Comic Relief, Davina also worked closely with spin-off charity event Sport Relief for a huge number of years, presenting the main fundraising show between 2006 and 2018, as well as taking part in challenges to raise money.

2006: Davina

Davina landed her very own BBC chat show in 2006, named Davina. The show aired on BBC One with a number of huge guests including Vernon Kay, Pierce Brosnan, Gordon Ramsay, Katie Price, Dawn French, Lulu and Piers Morgan.

However, the show turned out to be one of Davina's most unsuccessful shows in her career, with bosses deciding to cancel it after just one series due to poor viewing figures.

2008: Dead Set

Turning her hand to acting, Davina played a fictionalised zombie version of herself as Big Brother host in Charlie Brooker's mini-series Dead Set in 2008. The E4 show had five episodes in total, where Davina was joined on set by the likes of Jaime Winstone and Riz Ahmed.

2008-2010: Big Brother's Big Mouth

As well as hosting the main series of both Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother, Davina also presented spin-off show Big Mouth between 2008-2010, taking over from BB super fan Russell Brand. Davina hosted three series of the show, before it moved to Channel 5 with the new name of Big Brother's Bit on the Side.

2010-2014: Got To Dance

Following her departure from Big Brother, Davina made the choice to move over to Sky One in 2010, fronting talent show Got To Dance. Davina hosted the show for five series between 2010 and 2014, with Ashley Banjo, Adam Garcia and Kimberly Wyatt sitting on the judging panel.

2010-2015: The Million Pound Drop

Davina returned to quiz shows in 2010, fronting Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop between 2010-2015, a live show which gave contestants the chance of winning a huge £1 million pound. After five years, the show went on a hiatus, later returning in 2018 called The £100K Drop.

After three series of the new format with Davina, the show was axed in December 2019.

2011-2012: The Biggest Loser

Putting her love of health and fitness to good use, Davina joined the British adaptation of popular American series The Biggest Loser in 2011, where she hosted the fourth and fifth series on ITV.

2011-Present: Long Lost Family

One of Davina's longest standing shows is popular ITV series Long Lost Family, which she has presented alongside Nicky Campbell since it first started in 2011. The heartwarming series see Davina and Nicky attempting to reunite close relatives after years of separation. To date, the show has 12 series, with more still to come!

2012–2016 and 2021: Stand Up To Cancer

After losing her sister to cancer in 2012, Davina signed up to be an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, hosting the annual fundraising show on Channel 4 between 2012-2016, and later returning in 2021.

2014–2017: The Jump

In 2014, Davina joined Channel 4 show The Jump as a presenter, as a bunch of celebs tried to master Winter sports such as skeleton, bobsleigh, and giant slalom. Although Davina was joined by co-host Alex Brooker for the first series, she went on to host the other three alone, before the dare-devil show was axed after four series and a lot of injuries!

2015-2019: One Hundred and Eighty, Make My Body Better and This Time Next Year

As well as presenting series one of darts game show One Hundred and Eighty with Freddie Flintoff on Sky One, Davina also fronted documentary Make My Body Better on Channel 4, an informative health series which followed personal stories of determination, transformation and triumph.

Between 2016-2018, Davina presented three series of ITV show This Time Next Year, a show which saw contestants participants make a pledge to attain a personal life goal that they could achieve in 12 months. Following series three in 2019, no further series were commissioned.

2017, 2018 and 2020: This Morning

Due to her popularity, Davina has stepped in as a guest-host on popular ITV Daytime show This Morning a number of times over the years. Hosting alongside the likes of Rochelle Humes, Holly Willoughby, and former host Phillip Schofield, many viewers begged bosses to keep her as a permanent host.

2021: Comic Relief

As well as taking part in a number of challenges over the years for both Comic Relief and Sport Relief, Davina returned to co-present the main show in 2021, alongside Jason Manford and Amanda Holden.

2020-Present: The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer

Davina joined the judging panel for ITV's bonkers show The Masked Singer in 2020, alongside Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Ken Jeong. The first series was a huge success during lockdown and it's since gone on to achieve five series.

In addition to The Masked Singer, Davina is also a panel regular on spin-off series The Masked Dancer, which has so far had two series. It's now been confirmed that Davina will be on the panel alongside Mo, Jonathan, and new panellist Maya Jama in 2025.

For the The Masked Singer Christmas special in December 2024, Davina actually took part in the show as a contestant! Showing off her amazing voice, Davina was behind Star, leaving host Joel and judges Mo and Jonathan in shock!

2021: Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause

In May 2021, Davina teamed up with Channel 4 to release a documentary in an attempt to raise awareness about the menopause and challenge the national reluctance to discuss the topic. Within the documentary, Davina describes her own menopause journey, busting the myths surrounding the transition, and dispelling the shame and fear around hormone replacement therapy.

2022: Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause

Davina returned one year later with another documentary, this time called Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause. The second instalment showed Davina exploring how menopause can affect the mind as well as the body, with memory loss and brain fog decimating women at work. The doc also showed Davina updating viewers on the latest hormone therapy and testosterone for women.

Taking into consideration her own experiences with the menopause, Davina said of the documentaries: "I don't think I've ever worked on a project that has affected me so deeply"

2023: Davina McCall's Pill Revolution

Davina returned with a third documentary in 2023, called Davina McCall's Pill Revolution, using both her own experience and the experience of her two daughters, who have both used the pill. The powerful one-hour special was praised by both viewers and professionals, as it explores the effects the contraceptive pill can have on the body and mind.

2023: Celebrity Gogglebox

In the Summer of 2023, Davina and her partner Michael Douglas joined the fifth series of hit Channel 4 show Celebrity Gogglebox, expressing their opinions on some of the biggest TV shows around.

2023-2024: My Mum, Your Dad

After Davina manifested an idea of a 'middle-aged Love Island', in 2023 ITV commissioned a show called My Mum, Your Dad, which saw grown-up children nominate their single parents in an attempt to find them love. Filmed in a luxury retreat, the show started on Monday 11th September, running for two weeks, and fans loved it!

In October 2023, it was announced the show had been commissioned for a second series, with it airing for two weeks in September. Despite being very popular, reports were rife in January 2025 that ITV have made the decision to put series three on hold due to a lack of male applicants.

2024: Born From The Same Stranger

In January 2024 it was announced that Davina would narrate ITV's new four-part series Born From The Same Stranger. The series, which started on 22nd January, helped people as they seeked their genetic donors.

2025: Stranded on Honeymoon Island

In late February 2025, BBC bosses announced a brand new dating show called Stranded on Honeymoon Island. Davina was announced as the host for the series, which will air later in 2025. She said: "I am a serial matchmaker…. So I jumped at the chance to host the BBC's new dating show. I can't wait to meet our couples and find out how they get on when they're Stranded on Honeymoon Island. For some it will be challenging and others, idyllic!!! Hopefully it's the start of some very beautiful relationships."

Can I apply for the show?

Unfortunately, applications closed on Friday 28th February 2025.

The application page stated: 'Are you single, unlucky in love, and ready to find your perfect match in paradise?

'The series will see twelve unlucky-in-love singles get matched up and married, before being marooned on a tropical island, to see if true love will blossom and survive…or dive?' (sic)

The UK version of Stranded on Honeymoon Island will air later in 2025.

Now read:

My Mum, Your Dad reportedly shelved after two series

Everything you need to know about TV presenting royalty Davina McCall MBE