Interview with Steph McGovern

30 March 2020

The Steph Show airs daily on Channel 4 at midday, broadcast live from Steph’s living room in Yorkshire.

Tell us what the show is all about and how things have changed since the Coronavirus pandemic.

This show is what I’d like to call a ‘power hour’, it’s on at midday and it’s going to be live from my front room now because of everything that is going on. It’s going to be a celebration of people doing really good things, I want to get loads of people on who we need to thank, or other people want to thank. We’ll be having challenges in the programme so that people can get involved at home and there’ll be celebrity guests as well. It’s an hour to entertain people, to bring smiles to faces, whether people are on their own or with family.

And we’ll give people information, too. There’ll be consumer items as that’s my background, so there’ll be consumer help and we’ll look at different issues around everything that’s going on in the world at the moment. We won’t be doing what the news is doing because they’re already doing a fantastic job of that, we’ll be looking at where we can add value and bring a bit of fun to people’s lives.

You’re going to be making a live TV show whilst self-isolating at home. How do you feel about that?

Everything in life feels weird at the moment. I never imagined that I would be in a situation, or any of us would be in a situation, where we’re having to socially distance, where we’re only able to go out once a day for exercise and we’re limited in how many times we can go to the shop.

I would never have normally opened up my house in this way, but things are different. I’m itching to get on air, I want to start talking to people, I want to see what people are doing, I want to help people and help other people to help people, if that makes sense. I think this is the perfect way to do it. I am, fundamentally, a normal person despite my mad job so I’m at home like everyone else is at home.

It’s an unprecedented time in the country, do you feel a responsibility to be broadcasting during it?

We all have a responsibility to do what we can at the moment, in whatever capacity. Obviously the most important people out there are our NHS workers, it’s all the people doing jobs to keep us going, whether it’s the bin people, posties, food delivery people or whoever, their responsibility is more important than mine. But I feel the skill I have is talking a lot and talking to people and I think trying to bring a bit of warmth and positivity about everything that’s going on is a responsibility. It’s important to get all these people doing great things on air to thank them and celebrate them.

The show was going to have a live studio audience but will now be a bit different. How do you feel about that?

We haven’t got the live audience element anymore which I’m gutted about but we’ve got to keep everyone safe and follow all the guidance. So instead we’re going to be doing what everyone else is doing and finding other ways to communicate.

We’ll have celebrities Skyping in or Zooming in, or House Partying in, who knows. We’re in this fortunate position now of having brilliant technology to communicate, and I will be using that to the absolute maximum to hear voices from all over the country where people are doing all kinds of different things - loads of people who are out there grafting and people who are going to bring a bit of joy to our day.

The show is coming live from Yorkshire. Why is it important to you that the show is from the north?

It’s nice to be able to do a show coming from the north, because that’s where I’m from and so often the media has neglected the north. It’s important to me because I’m from here and I’m selfish, I want to be able to live in the north while I do a programme! But just because it’s presented by a northern person and it’s filmed in the north, it doesn’t mean that’s all we’re going to talk about. Everyone is proud of where they come from, right across the country, and we’re going to reflect that in the show. I don’t care where you’re from, as long as you have a good story to tell me and can have a laugh, you’re in.

You’ve previously been part of a team of presenters, how do you feel about now presenting solo and having your name on the show?

It’s scary having your name on a show because there’s no one else to blame if it’s rubbish! If someone had told me when I was a teenager that one day I’d have a TV show with my name on it, on an actual, proper television channel, I wouldn’t have believed them. And even seeing my trail going out on the telly, I was staring at it going ‘noo!’ It feels amazing but equally scary, I’m human, I get nervous. Every night before I go to sleep I’m practising the opening of the show.

During self-isolation and lockdown, what would you recommend to people…

A TV box set? Succession

Best crisps? Monster munch!

Board game for families? Monopoly because I’m a raging business person.

Favourite podcast, other than your own?! Russel Kane’s Evil Genius, and Not Bad for a Monday (presented by Steph).