The biggest TV shows Davina McCall has worked on throughout her amazing career
From Big Brother to My Mum, Your Dad
Last updated 15th Nov 2024
TV presenter Davina McCall MBE has become a household name here in the UK over the last two decades, thanks to her brilliant presenting skills and bubbly personality on popular shows such as Big Brother, My Mum, Your Dad and Long Lost Family.
As well as reality and quiz shows, mum-of-three Davina has also been praised for her hard-hitting documentaries about the menopause, something she is an avid-campaigner for on her social platforms. As series two of My Mum, Your Dad is now over, we take a look at all of the TV shows she's appeared on throughout her extensive and successful career in showbiz, after picking up the Special Recognition at the 2024 NTA Awards.
What TV shows has Davina McCall been on?
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.
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-Present: 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.
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.
At the end of January 2024, Davina was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting, where Princess Anne handed out the award during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 31st January.
Then, on 11th September, Davina was reduced to tears as she was surprised with the Special Recognition at the 2024 National Television Awards.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about TV presenting royalty Davina McCall
My Mum, Your Dad: Which couples stayed together after the show
How to apply for My Mum, Your Dad?