Davina McCall on mid-life dating show: ‘Everybody forgets the cameras are there’
Davina McCall told ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda about dating difficulties and forgetting the cameras are there
Dating is hard, and if you find it easy, then spare a thought for the rest of us who’ve not been quite so lucky in love.
The challenges that present themselves on the rollercoaster of romance are often amplified the older you get.
Those who find themselves back on the market later in life can be met with complex issues to overcome.
"I think there are a few," TV Presenter Davina McCall tells me.
"Women mostly are the ones who will spend years and years single. Either because they feel like their kids need them to be single or they don’t want to introduce a man into their life.
"There’s mistrust too. When you find it hard to trust because of something you have been through.
"Or of course, the thing that does happen to us sometimes in mid-life, which is bereavement."
Davina is back on ITV next week, as My Mum, Your Dad returns for a second series.
The show puts single parents in a remote country retreat, while under the watchful eye of their children.
The adults are paired up, go on dates and see if there’s a spark - much of it orchestrated by their offspring.
They also speak with a host of qualified experts to work through any emotional baggage that may lead to them being resistant to letting someone new into their lives.
Coming back a second time means contestants are more at ease with what’s in store, according to Davina.
"You know what you are applying for, there are no surprises, or you won’t feel manipulated.
"There was a worry, is it going to be like Love Island? Are you going to try and trip us up?
"I think once you’ve watched a whole series, you can go in a little bit more comfortable, knowing that we are not trying to do that."
Season one of the show was incredibly successful and had viewers laughing, crying and everything in between. Roger and Janey are actually still together, after spending two weeks on the show back in 2023.
In a world full of swiping, typing and liking, good old-fashioned face-to-face contact still seems to be a successful route to finding a soulmate.
Davina said she believes that: "The idea of having the freedom to purely concentrate on what you are doing, it’s the dream for many mid-lifers.
"We all hate our phones because we are the generation that grew up without them. We know what life was like before, so this show is a taste of that really."
Flirting can be awkward at the best of times, but the idea of having your attempts to engage a member of the opposite sex recorded on multiple cameras would fill many with dread.
As with any reality show, I would imagine it’s hard to forget that the cameras and microphones are all around you.
However, Davina - who’s been working in television for more than 30 years and was recently given a Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards - thinks that the contestants completely fail to remember they’re being filmed.
"You know what’s interesting?" she asks. "I’ve been talking to you and all this time I’ve been engrossed in our conversation, I’ve completely forgotten the cameras were there.
"I always noticed this about Big Brother. Literally 2 days in, everybody’s forgotten where the cameras are and what they are doing."
My Mum, Your Dad starts on Monday, September 16 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Unscripted is ITV News' arts and entertainment podcast, brought to you by ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar. In each episode, Nina speaks to a leading name from the world of arts and entertainment