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DAVINA McCALL INTERVIEW
Big Brother starts Thursday 4th June, 9pm, C4
Big Brother is coming up again. Does that mean you're pregnant?
Not pregnant this time! I think there must be a rumour every year now. My parents even called me up this year to ask me.
You're on TV a lot, particularly during the summer. Do your kids think everyone's mummy is on TV?
No, because they don't ever see me on the telly. Big Brother is on too late for them, and they're too young. They have been to Big Brother, but their best bit of that was going to see the special effects people at Elstree, where they met R2-D2, C-3P0, Darth Vader, Ewoks, the whole gamut. They couldn't care less about my job or Big Brother. But my daughter Holly was quite worried that I kissed Doctor Who on Comic Relief. I had to do a lot of explaining.
Speaking of offspring, your other baby, Big Brother, is ten years old this year. Can you believe it's been so long?
I don't think so, because it doesn't feel old. It always feels fresh to me. I spoke to the producer today, and he told me something that absolutely made me gasp. I love the fact that Big Brother can still make me gasp.
Even if we were to torture you, you wouldn't tell us what it was that made you gasp, would you?
Nope, of course not. It would ruin it, and you wouldn't like it as much if you knew what was coming. It wouldn't be as exciting.
You have an almost proprietorial attitude towards the show, don't you? It really means a lot to you.
Yeah. I've loved hosting it over the years. It's a bit like Claudia Winkleman belongs to It Takes Two or Simon Cowell and X-Factor. I think because I've watched every single episode of every single series of Big Brother I feel intrinsically linked to it. And I'm really close to the people that work on it. A lot of the people have worked on every series. We're all mates, I love these people. That continuity is really nice. In my business, you often move from show to show and don't have a chance to strike up a relationship. So it's just the best jolly. And I don't think summer is summer without Big Brother.
What do you remember of the first ever night of transmission of Big Brother?
I remember the feeling of wondering if it was going to work. I knew I thought it was interesting, but I wondered if anyone else would think so. But what I thought was funny about the first series was that it got picked up as an interesting social experiment, and some of the broadsheets were covering it, saying it was a really interesting programme. Obviously it's not cool for them to do that any more. Sometimes they dip their toe in, but they take it out again pretty quickly. I just remember questioning whether people would get it – and they totally did.
Did you have any inkling that it would go on to become the major phenomenon that it has done?
No, you never know. I've done programmes that I thought were going to be great, and they didn't catch on, and then I've done programmes that I thought would do incredibly badly. God's Gift, for example – I know it was on in the middle of the night, but it had quite a cult following and I remember thinking "This is potentially the end of my career." But it worked. You never really know if something is going to work or not.
Who have been your favourite contestants over the years?
Well, last year had quite a lot of my favourites. This is contentious, but I did love Rex. I just did. When he just used to look at Nicole and go [puts on voice] "what's wrong with you?" It was that sort of bolshie chef thing and the arrogance that was kind of brilliant. As well as the Luke and Bex romance, which is still going! I saw Luke the other day – he’s gone sort of Indie rock star – he's got long hair and everything. Helen and Paul are one of my favourite couples. Nadia was one of my favourite winners. She was so lovely, and so overjoyed to win, it meant so much to her – so much more than the money. And Craig, as well, giving that money away when he came out – that was really special. And Brian winning it as well – that meant a lot to him in so many ways more than just the money.
While we're talking about past contestants, there's one who was in the news a lot earlier this year, Jade…
I think Jade's passing was just sad for everyone, really sad. I don’t really feel comfortable discussing it – it was just very sad.
Let's move on to your outfits. They've received a lot of attention over the years.
Oh God. I know, it's so funny, isn't it.
Do you choose them yourself, or do you have a stylist?
I have a brilliant stylist called AJ, and we choose outfits together. It's funny how much outfits polarise people. I sometimes look at the 'What was she thinking?' column in a magazine and think 'I quite like that one. Is that wrong?' I mean, look at me. Right now I'm wearing an all-in-one pantaloon harem trouser - Hammertime! Not everyone's cup of tea, but I love a play suit. It's good to try something different, and wear something that people will either love or hate. At least they'll feel something. I'd much rather that than just be bland.
Do you ever turn down something because it's too outlandish?
No, but I would turn something down because it was too 'mutton'. I’ve come to an age where I have to be a little bit careful about how I look, in terms of dressing too young.
Do you get to keep your outfits?
Well, if I rip, tear or soil them in any way, generally speaking I have to buy it. Sometimes if I've got a really good relationship with the designers, and I wear their stuff a lot, then they'll give me a couple of things. I'm not like an actress who gets stuff delivered to their door. I don't have a model's figure, I don't fit sample sizes, and I'm of an age where I'm not going to be in all the glossy magazines on a weekly basis. So I don't get reams and reams of free clothing – but what I get I cherish.
You said you're not an actress, but you had a star turn in Dead Set, the zombie horror set in the Big Brother house. Was that fun to make?
It was amazing. To me, it felt like that – a clearing of any kind of anger or anxiety from your mind. I literally just spent all day punching doors, kicking doors, running, screaming, banging, headbutting… By the end of it I felt cleansed. They should have a zombie spa or something, where you can go and feel really good about yourself.
When the contestants come out of the house, the crowd can be very hostile. Do you always feel sorry for them, or do you sometimes think 'You reap what you sew’?
It's a bit of both. In my heart, I know that the crowd is playing. If you're there at an eviction night, you know that it's never real hatred. It often depends on how they play it when they come out. I've seen people be booed the second they come out of the house, and by the time they reach the round podium, people are cheering. That's why I always say in their ear 'It's just panto - it doesn't mean anything.' And whatever you think of them, we need villains – the housemates that you loathe are great housemates. We need people to stir things up. That's what makes it. And the crowd are part of it all too – it's all a bit of a joke – I've never seen true animosity.
One of the difficult aspects of your job must be conducting the eviction interviews. People have always got an opinion about whether you've got the tone of the interview right, don't they?
Yes, they usually think I'm being too soft. Friends of mine will often have a go at me about that, and I love that, because it makes me realise how much they care about the programme. But, at the end of the day, I work for Big Brother, and we asked them to go into that house. I have to get them to answer my questions appropriately. I can't just roast them. It's not like going on Newsnight where you expect Jeremy Paxman to roast you because that's what he does. We have asked those people to go there, and they've given up enormous parts of their life to go in there, and they've entertained us. I would like to think that I can ask difficult questions but sometimes I like to ask a really difficult question with a bit of a smile.
Looking back, are there any interviews that you would do differently if you had the chance?
No. There are ones that I've been criticised for but I'm pleased with the job I've done, definitely.
What do you do in the way of homework? You say you've seen every single episode of Big Brother - do you watch it every night, or do you get in on eviction day and watch a whole batch?
[Recoils in mock horror] No, no! I watch every night. I have been known sometimes, if it's really good – like things brewing on the romance front – to leave the dinner table at a friend's house. And other people have joined me. Sometimes we do an early supper and then we all watch together. I often have people at my house every night at 10pm because they know that I have the hotline through to the producers. Because it's often like 24 – they leave you with a cliff-hanger at the end of the show – and you have to know what happened, so I'll phone the producers and find out what happened that day, and then announce to everyone "They snogged!"
What can you tell us about the forthcoming series? Go on, spill the beans, don't give us a load of flannel.
Um… I can tell you it's on this summer. It'll be really good. It's on every day. Um… oh yeah, I'm doing Big Brother's Big Mouth.
You've done that before, haven't you?
Yeah, I have. It's good fun, because it's a bit freer than Big Brother, and I can show my passion.
It always looks quite chaotic. Is it?
It's completely chaotic. But I think that's the joy of it. It's crowd management actually, because there are always some very passionate fans on, who love that programme and get really riotous. I'm going to get a naughty step if they misbehave.
And you're hosting a Big Brother quiz aren't you?
I am, yes – I think it's on the week before Big Brother starts. The contestants are ex-housemates, and it's going to be everything to do with past series.
You'd be a brilliant contestant on that, presumably.
Well, you'd think so, but no! I answered questions on it for Comic Relief, against David Tennant, asked by John Humphries. And I know he loathes Big Brother, and he loves Doctor Who, so I was bricking it right from the start. I already felt like I was on to a loser. And I was so nervous I just couldn't answer any of the questions. So I'd be rubbish. I'd much rather be the quiz master, and look all holier-than-thou and go "Oh this is really easy!" I'm going to say that before every question. "This is soooo easy!"
Looking ahead, then, what are your ambitions for the forthcoming series?
Just more of the same. I don't need Big Brother to change too radically. It's the housemates that bring the freshness in. I do like them suffering a bit – because then the joys are more joyful. So I don't want life to be too easy.
More electric shocks!
God yes! And the other task I keep thinking about that was so awesome last year was the Japanese table tennis. The tasks are absolutely breathtaking. They are amazing. People ask me if I have any input on the tasks. Are you kidding me? How would I think up anything as amazing as that? It was all brilliant. Thriller, Okay Go, Scotch Bonnets…
How long are you going to keep presenting Big Brother for?
If you have new people in it every time, I don't see that it will get boring. And if you look at other reality TV programmes, they are consistently taking tasks that were done on Big Brother over the summer and reinventing them for their show. This show is an innovator, it doesn't copy other programmes. It's unique, it's innovative and it's interesting, and as long as it stays like that I don't see why it can't carry on. And if it carries on, I'm bloody doing it!
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