Davina McCall admits she would NEVER want to be a Big Brother housemate

Davina McCall has admitted she would never want to be a Big Brother housemate – because the show ‘brings out the best and the worst in people’.

The presenter, 52, hosted the iconic surveillance reality show from 2000-2011, and appeared on E4 on Sunday to kick off new series Big Brother: Best Shows Ever, to mark the 20th anniversary.

She appeared on This Morning on Monday to discuss the first episode of the series, asked whether she could have ever gone in as a contestant.

‘People always often said when they came out that they’ve been edited badly – even though there’s times we could watch 24/7,’ Davina said. ‘It brings out the best of people and also brings out the worst in people.

‘I don’t want people to see the worst of me, I’ll leave that to my kids!’ 

Davina mused about how much the show evolved over its years on the air.

‘It metamorphosed into something different from the first show,’ she said, having watched a classic episode back from series one in the first episode of Best Shows Ever. ‘Everything was so basic. Even [voice-over narrator] Marcus Bentley’s voice was changed, it was a lot posher and less Geordie.

‘Everyone was just in the house smoking, doing nothing, then it got more complicated. But the fans, they’re so dedicated, they’re unlike any other fans.’

Davina revealed that the fans ‘all came back on Twitter last night and they were there every Friday for eviction, with their signs, booing and cheering’ and added that ‘I still get 20 years on people telling me not to swear’ – referring to her famous ‘This is Davina, you are live on Channel 4, please do not swear’ catchphrase.

Davina spoke about her favourite housemates.

‘The big characters were always my favourites,’ she explained. ‘Nikki Grahame. She’s amazing. It was those iconic moments – like George Galloway and Rula Lenska, I can’t watch it without putting a cushion in front of my face.

‘But my favourite, always my favourite, was Nadia [Almada].’ 

Rylan Clark-Neal also appeared on This Morning, having co-hosted the Best Shows Ever with Davina on Sunday.

‘I hate to sound like a broken record, but Nadia was also my favourite housemate. So much so that I went to my first job at a salon and they gave me a Nadia name badge because I loved her so much,’ he recalled.

Rylan appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 11, which he won, and ended up presenting spin-off series Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.

The presenter gushed that to land the role was a dream job, explaining that he was such a big fan while he was at school that when he went on trip to Isle Of Wight when he was 13 he printed his name with an eye logo and put on his suitcase, tricking people into believing he was going into the house.

He also recounted the story he has told in past interviews – that he was supposed to go into the house in 2008 as a housemate as part of a twist, before the papers got wind of it and he was ditched. 

‘I had the right hump!’ he joked.

Rylan went on to take part in The X Factor in 2012, appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 alongside the likes of Steps star Claire Richards, EastEnders’ Gillian Taylforth, The Hills stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, and Coronation Street’s Sam Robertson.

‘I remember the night I won and I had 10 minutes in the house by myself, I wanted to soak in every moment,’ Rylan recalled. ‘I was lucky to win, but you’ll never have your house, your walls, your diary room chair.

‘To get a phone call [to be on the show] was like a lifeline. Big Brother was my apprenticeship into the job I do now and I’ll forever be grateful.’

Davina compared the show’s format – being locked in a house for weeks – with the current COVID-19 lockdown.

‘What’s really weird is the parallels between Big Brother and being in lockdown,’ she said. ‘It’s really interesting. My lockdown has been ups and downs. I’m lucky to have family and food on the table, so I am just hoping this slow-release of this is all will happen and we can get back to normal.’

Rylan added: ‘I have complaints from my end. I am lucky. I have a house with a garden, outside space, food on the table. There’s no complaints here.’  

Davina and Rylan hosted the Best Shows Ever show from their individual homes, swapping stories about their years as hosts of Big Brother and Bit On The Side while one of the most famous episodes was shown – the infamous series one installment when Nick Bateman’s cheating was exposed.

But the close of the anniversary show saw Davina mess up, saying ‘goodnight’ instead of her signature BB closing line of ‘night night’, leaving Rylan fuming.

‘Well I totally f***ed that up,’ said Davina on Twitter as the show aired. (pls do not swear) night night @Rylan #BBUK #lockdownfogbrain.’

The presenter also laughed at her gaffe after she said the show’s Geordie narrator Marcus Bentley sounded ‘English’ because of his ‘posh’ accent during series one.  

Rylan said he rung Marcus after watching back the first series and said: ‘You do know where you come from don’t you?’

Marcus meanwhile tweeted an explanation, writing: ‘My voice sounds so different, as I had producers standing over me telling me to be more posh and I guess I was still developing my style. It was great to be me eventually x.’ 

Davina laughed about Marcus’ accent change during the show, telling Rylan: ‘He sounds so English.’ 

She later clarified on Twitter: ‘Did I say Marcus sounds English? What I meant was posh.’

While many fans lauded Big Brother’s ‘return’ on social media, the show wasn’t exactly as it had been, as Rylan warned viewers that some episodes were edited to remove content that would be deemed offensive in 2020.

In the first episode of E4’s look-back fans got to reminisce on that first series, which saw 10 people move into a simple house in Bow, East London.

Many fans couldn’t believe that such a lavish show stemmed from such simple roots, and were stunned at the dramatic scenes that played out when Nick’s scheme was exposed.

One wrote: ‘Watching BB1 on E4 – so nostalgic and so pure – I loved this series – used to really fancy Thomas,’ while another gushed: ‘#BBUK series 1 was so pure they had no idea what would happen.’

Another added: ‘This is so pure,’ while another fan posted: ‘OMG even the intro music makes me emotional.’ 

In the coming days fans will get the chance to relive some of Big Brother’s most iconic episodes, as the show celebrates its 20th Anniversary next month.

Big Brother: Best Shows Ever continues at 9pm on E4.