Stranded on Honeymoon Island: Davina McCall Interview
In this brand new interview, Davina McCall spills the beans on her huge new series for BBC One and iPlayer, Stranded on Honeymoon Island.
Love Is Blind UK and A League Of Their Own. Stranded on Honeymoon Island was created by Snowman Productions, the team behind the world’s No 1 relationship format Married At First Sight.
Stranded on Honeymoon Island is no ordinary relationship show, it will fast track it all. Twelve unlucky-in-love singles will be matched into couples and then stranded on a deserted island. Isolated and pitted against the forces of nature, will true love blossom and survive…or dive?
In this bold and original new adventure dating format, six couples are matched by experts and then immediately after committing themselves to each other in an intimate ceremony, will be dramatically abandoned in idyllic isolation for the adventure of a lifetime.
On these remote beaches, fledgling relationships are soon put to the test as the couples live together and fend for themselves with few resources. Marooned and alone, they must communicate and collaborate to get by, with nowhere to run when the going gets tough. Will an escape from modern life bring them closer together or push them apart? Will it lead to love or loathing?
Davina McCall on Stranded on Honeymoon Island
Davina, what can you tell us about Stranded on Honeymoon Island?
The thing I love about this show, is that they arrive on Honeymoon Island with no idea who they are going to marry. Our couples start with a speed dating session, they then pick their favourites, but they don’t know who our relationship experts have chosen for them. So, it’s the surprise of turning up to the wedding not knowing who they’re going to marry.
It’s actually quite sweet when you see the joy on someone’s face when the person at the altar is the person they were hoping for. Then they go to their new beach home for three weeks and it’s interesting watching them and seeing how they handle that situation and what they expect from their partner.
And then on top of all of that, it gets really complicated when we start doing Couples Cove. Everybody starts socialising together and then suddenly maybe you’re looking at other options you met at speed dating, it's carnage. Lots of drama to come!
Tell us about your role on the show.
I’m there at the speed dating to welcome them to the experience and to get them all geared up and tell them all what’s going to happen. As it’s called Stranded on Honeymoon Island, they do need to be and feel stranded so I can’t keep popping up every week.
I’m there in the last couple of shows to support the couples, they’ve been on quite a journey so I wanted to go in and have a chat with them. I feel like they needed to see Mummy, I’m like the mother of the show and they needed a bit of motherly love. It was a tough journey for all of the cast, so I felt it was important for me to be there at the beginning and the end.
The show really fast-tracks the early stages of a relationship in such an extreme way, what effect do you think that had on the couples?
What’s so good about putting a couple in a problematic situation early on, is that it shows you who somebody really is. An important part of finding somebody attractive is learning how they handle difficult times. Are they resourceful? Can they do the things needed to keep them safe and comfortable for the next few weeks? How attractive is that to the other person?
The other thing I’ve realised with this show is how important confidence is. It’s so interesting how some couples come together, and you can see how they build each other’s confidence from the get-go. Some couples come together and find each other very attractive at the speed dating, but one of them might lose confidence very quickly, and confidence is key in attractiveness, I think.
What made you want to be involved in the show?
I was quite busy generally in life and I was at a stage where I thought I don’t think I can do any more TV shows. I had a couple of nice shows, I’ve got ITV’s Long Lost Family and The Masked Singer, I didn’t need anything else, but this one came to me and I read the ideas of every show that someone sends to me. I wouldn’t say no to something without reading it myself and I read this, and I thought, oh no this is actually really good and I thought how is this going to be different from other shows and the thing I love about Stranded is the learning.
Everybody, the viewer and the people taking part, can really learn something from this show about themselves, about each other, about the human condition and even if they don’t end up with somebody, everybody learns something they can take into their next relationship, and I love that about it.
Would you say that’s what sets this show apart from other dating shows?
Yes, I feel it’s the deep learning that people do about themselves, about other people and what they want. I think it really cements what they want and what’s important in life.
What can we expect from the cast?
The cast are amazing. It’s interesting to see how much they changed from the speed dating in the first week and what they go through. They are resilient, strong and emotional. They show their true colours, they are honest and it’s brilliant!
How would you fair stranded on a remote island?
I like to think I’m quite low maintenance and I’d like to think I’d muck in and get down and dirty. I’m not frightened of bugs or animals or things like that, but I’d really struggle without technology which is quite interesting, and I’d quite enjoy it for that reason, having no technology is mega. I would also struggle being with somebody I didn’t know and what if we didn’t get on? I think that’s why the flare outs are so important on this show as they have got the opportunity to leave, because if it’s not working then it’s hell!
If you could take 3 items with you to a remote island, what would you take?
I would really miss a bath, so a bath with running water and bubble bath would be amazing. I would love to take something to read, something I could learn from. Lastly the biggest luxury of all would be music in some way, I’d really miss music.
What are your top tips for a successful relationship?
Friendship. To fancy someone, to find them attractive, for there to be some kind of carnal attraction between the two of you. Plus, trust and respect.
What can viewers expect when they tune in?
To get totally addicted. You watch one episode and you’re like Oh My God, I want to see who else is going to come and get married and once you’ve seen the first two, you’re in. Just brace yourself to get totally hooked, you’re going to love it!
Where to watch Stranded on Honeymoon Island
Watch Stranded on Honeymoon Island from Wednesday 3 September on BBC One and iPlayer, with new episodes on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.