Sara Cox, Zoe Ball and Dermot O’Leary, have more than just BBC Radio 2 in common. Along with the likes of Deeley, they all came up through the post Chris Evans and Paula Yates world of youth and light entertainment, going on to present prime time hits such as Top of the Pops and The X Factor. However, as we hit the 2010’s and the world of reality TV exploded, they were dropped in favour of reality tv graduates.
Take Deeley herself, she is a humorous and organic presenter and yet she was still overlooked in favour of ex Reality stars and models such as Josie Gibson and Kelly Brook, both competent in their own way but they do lack the depth and skill the likes of Deeley have. As viewers, we like to know that the person driving the show has control of the gears, freezing whenever you have to read an autocue, looking at the wrong camera at the wrong time are all things that put us on edge.
Now there are a few exceptions to this, Alison Hammond and Rylan Clark, for instance, both plucked from Reality Television, have proven to be real pillars of contemporary broadcasting. Reliable, warm and witty, exactly what we want to see on our screens. However, the likes of Deeley, Ball and O’Leary can’t be beaten and with shows like This Morning allowing them to take centre stage again, it has given us all a chance to remember that they deserve more than a Drive-time Radio Show.
Finally, the days of Reality TV are coming to a close, with the winners of shows like Love Island disappearing into the abyss, we are seeing them being given less and less responsibility on our screens, thus giving the likes of Deeley a chance to reclaim the crowns they never should have lost in the first place. Ps. If you are thinking of entering the Big Brother house next year, don’t be expecting a hosting slot on The One Show any longer.
