‘No two shows are the same'

Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell on a decade of reuniting loved ones

- Caren Clark

LONG LOST FAMILY

NEW MONDAY / ITV / 9PM / EP 1 of 5 / FACTUAL

Over the past year, we have been reminded just how precious our loved ones are. And, with many of us experiencing separation from family and friends, the heartwarming reunions in Long Lost Family are even more poignant as the hit show returns to ITV for a 10th series this week.

When TV Times joins hosts Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell for a video chat, we’re struck by how moved they are, too, after clocking up a decade on the programme and bringing countless people together with relatives they have searched for all their lives.

Here, Davina, 53, and Nicky, 59, explain why the show holds such a special place in their hearts...

Are you touched by how much Long Lost Family has struck a chord with people? NICKY: Yes, at one reunion early on, I said to Davina, ‘This is amazing, I’ve never done anything that has helped people so much.’ It resonates with people. DAVINA: Yes, and it’s not just about being lost and found; it’s about telling these brilliant stories. They are all so different, and no two shows are ever the same. Things happen that have never happened before. You think, ‘We must have covered everything now,’ but no.

What ‘firsts’ are there in this new five-part series? DAVINA: We’ve covered a story in Sri Lanka, where a girl, Yasika, was searching for her birth family, but we weren’t allowed access to the records. So we had to send her out there. Having somebody physically search for their own family had never happened.