Davina McCall, pictured with Jayne Hardman, who pledged to get a prosthetic nose, reveals the astonishing stories in series two of This Time Next Year
The concept of ITV’s This Time Next Year, hosted by Davina McCall is simple. The impact of the programme, however, is far reaching…
Each episode sees determined people reveal the goals they’d like to accomplish over the course of a year. The thrill is, in this world of instant gratification, we don’t need to wait twelve months to learn the outcome! Thanks to the magic of television, seemingly moments later, the pledger returns, and it’s revealed whether or not they achieved their personal goals…
We’ve seen the trailers for the new series of This Time Next Year and now can’t wait for the ITV programme to start.
Here we talk to Davina about the astonishing pledges and transformations in the opening episode of This Time Next Year and later in the series…
The new series of TTNY opens with an especially emotional story, what can you reveal?
"This is the extremely unusual story of Jayne Hardman. In 2012 her dog bashed into her nose and it sparked a rare autoimmune illness that was dormant in her. Slowly, her nose started to disappear. It’s been extremely tough for her. She’s ended up staying close to home because of it. She’s horrified by her profile, and she doesn’t have a sense of smell."
How moving is it when Jayne pledges to get a prosthetic nose?
"It’s hugely moving. Nose or no nose Jayne is gorgeous, but that’s all people see. She can see when people are talking to her and their eyes drift to her nose. At the same time, she understands people look because it’s extraordinary. What a story and what an unbelievable, lovely lady."
What other commitments are made this week?
"Olivia is a four-month-old baby born profoundly deaf and hasn’t heard before. Her parents Charlotte and Nathan are going to try and get her a cochlear implant. [Later in the series] We also have adult lady Lesley, who is profoundly deaf and wants to get a cochlear implant. It’s amazing!"
There’s also a weight loss story this week with mum and daughter, Nichole and Laura…
"The weight loss challenges are amazing too. There’s a profound change when someone loses weight. You can’t help but gasp when they walk through the door."
Are there a big variety of pledges and age-ranges?
"Yes, Not all stories are as visual or visible as weight loss, but they’re just as important. The kids ones are really sweet, especially when you see how they feel. Learning about the changes people make on the inside is really heart-warming. [Later in the series] Eleven-year-old Elliot wants to win an Irish dancing competition."
What other stories stand-out for you in this series?
"There’s a girl, 11, who’s never had a sleepover because she has Type 1 Diabetes and she doesn’t know when she’s hypoglycaemic so it’s really dangerous. When we meet her and her parents she has a puppy that’s being trained by Hypo Hounds to detect when she’s having a hypo. It’s amazing when she walks back through the door as a 12-year-old and the puppy isn’t a puppy anymore!"
Can you reveal anything about your other upcoming TV projects?
"I just did an amazing reunion for Long Lost Family recently involving a brother and a sister – you’ll definitely be crying. The 100K Drop is coming to C4 daytime. We couldn’t do the Million but 100K is still a lot of money! I’m also embedding myself in the National Health Service for the 70th Anniversary of the NHS. I’m not great with blood but I’ll be doing a live programme from A&E, watching how the medics work. It will be fascinating."
The new six-part series of This Time Next Year starts on ITV on Tuesday 10th April at 8pm.
