Celebrity Big Brother: Davina McCall interview

Wednesday, 30th December 2009

As Davina McCall prepares to present her last ever series of Celebrity Big Brother next month, she looks back on past series of the shows and speaks about her hopes for the new run which starts on Sunday.

Didn’t you cry when you heard that 2010 would be the final year of Big Brother?
Yeah. I think it was just the shock of it. I just thought that Big Brother was going to go on forever. I was quite devastated. But time is always quite helpful, isn’t it? I ended up thinking “Well, the brilliant thing is, they’ve given us another year, and we can just make it a fantastic year. Let’s go out with a big bang.”

Will the last ever Celebrity Big Brother be given a spectacular send-off?
I think everybody is really thinking about making this a really creative, brilliant send-off.

Why do you think celebrities decide to participate in the series?
I think mostly because they'd like people to see them in a different light. Perhaps they've been seen in a negative light in the past, and they'd like to redress that. Or they just like the idea of being part of it.

It must be quite an operation, keeping the housemates' identities secret?
We're always happiest when people don't know who's going in, because it's so much more fun for the viewers, waiting to discover.

Do you get sick and tired of people asking for little tips and hints and names?
No, because it's the one time I'm really good at keeping a secret. I feel quite smug about knowing something nobody else does. It's a bit like being pregnant, in your first trimester, that feeling of knowing something that no one else does.

Who have been your favourite celebrity contestants over the years?
George Galloway probably gave me one of my favourite moments ever on the show, with him pretending to be a cat. Coolio and La Toya Jackson were great. And I quite liked watching Pete Burns.

What have been your favourite moments?
Well, clearly the cat moment was very funny and Gorillagate, with Pete Burns’ coat. And Mark Owen winning, because there was such a big crowd, and they were all really screaming for him, and Take That had split up a couple of years before, and he just came out and whispered in my ear "I've forgotten how to do this." I thought it was so sweet.

Do any interviews stick in your mind as having been particularly uncomfortable or difficult?
Well, clearly Jade, Jo and Danielle. That was hard. I had to level the accusations thrown at them, but give them a chance to say their piece.

Who would be in your Celebrity Big Brother fantasy line-up?
Lindsay Lohan, Robbie Williams, George Michael. George Michael is an enigma, I love it. It would have to be people I don't know much about. People who are dark horses, a bit mysterious. Then you get to see a bit more about what makes them tick. And that's what it's all about.