The UK is often thought of as the plucky underdog of the film and TV industry, somehow punching above its weight with smaller budgets and resources than Hollywood productions. While British TV has produced some of the most groundbreaking and iconic dramas and soaps, like Doctor Who, The Office and Coronation Street, the British viewing public has fallen head over heels with another type of show, reality TV.
Reality TV shows have been popular for decades, with shows like Big Brother and The X Factor becoming cultural phenomena and propelling the genre into the mainstream. Since then, a huge number of reality TV shows have aired, giving us first-class entertainment as members of the public face all manner of challenges and dilemmas for our entertainment.
Whether in their second season or second decade, these shows give the public the chance to take part in future series. With this in mind, Spin Genie UK has analysed the data to reveal the reality TV shows we want to take part in the most, as well as which are the most popular in the UK today.
The TV shows we want to take part in the most
1. Love Island
Search to take part: 74,240
Love Island is the show most Britons want to take part in, with 74,270 searches over the last year. Love Island has dominated the UK reality TV landscape in recent years, offering a fun yet cut-throat dating show with bags of drama guaranteed. 2024 saw season 11 of the hit romance show take to our screens, and while season 12 is yet to be announced, season 2 of Love Island All Stars is here to fill the void.
2. Race Across the World
Search to take part: 37,380
Race Across the World is the reality TV show generating the second most interest from would-be contestants, with 37,380 searches over 12 months. The show sees pairs of contestants race from point to point without using flights or phones, often traversing entire continents to reach their destinations. Contestants can take any route they want but have to balance the speed of travel with the cost of transport and their ability to earn more travel money along the way.
3. Britain’s Got Talent
Search to take part: 31,520
Britain’s Got Talent is an iconic British TV show that will see its 18th season in 2025, pitting scores of the country’s budding entertainers against each other in the ultimate UK talent competition. The series saw 31,520 searches from people looking to take part over the last 12 months, making it the third most sought-after show by potential contestants.
The reality shows with the biggest increase in interest
1. Race Across the World
2024 search increase: 9,680
Race Across the World has seen the biggest increase in searches by potential contestants, with 9,680 more searches than the previous year. The hit TV show doesn’t just provide contestants with a thrilling competition but also allows them to travel the world, make unforgettable memories, and compete for a grand prize of £20,000.
2. Garden Rescue
2024 search increase: 5,730
Garden Rescue saw the second-largest increase in searches from people looking to take part in the show, with 5,730 more searches in 2024. The highly popular gardening show sees a team of expert garden designers compete to breathe new life into neglected outdoor spaces. Members of the public can apply to the BBC, which produces the show, for their gardens to receive a touch of the team’s green-fingered magic.
3. Love is Blind UK
2024 search increase: 1,770
The reality show with the third-biggest increase in searches by potential contestants is Love is Blind UK, with 1,770 more searches over the past year. Created by Netflix, Love is Blind sees male and female contestants take part in a social experiment, going on “dates” where they have discussions but cannot see each other. Only if one contestant proposes, and is accepted can they finally see each other, with the show then progressing to wedding planning and the couple getting legally married.
The reality shows with the biggest decrease in interest
1. Love Island
2024 search increase: -17,520
Love Island saw the biggest decrease in searches from potential contestants in 2024, with 17,520 fewer searches than in the previous year. While it remains the UK’s most sought-after show for the UK public to take part in, Love Island has seen a considerable drop in interest. This could be due to newer dating shows like Love is Blind stealing a share of the limelight and offering a more original take on the dating show concept.
2. Big Brother
2024 search increase: -11,800
Big Brother saw the second largest dip in interest from the UK public, with 11,800 fewer searches for how to take part in the show. The 22nd series of the show has been announced for 2025, with applications opening in 2024.
However, this drop in interest in the behemoth reality show correlates with the gradual reduction in viewership it has experienced over the years. This suggests that while the show is an iconic part of 21st-century British television, the formula may need shaking up to recapture the magic of earlier seasons.
3. Britain’s Got Talent
2024 search increase: -8,850
Britain’s Got Talent saw the third-biggest drop in interest from potential participants, with 8,850 fewer searches in 2024 than in 2023. Like the other shows with the largest dips in applicant searches, Britain’s Got Talent is one of UK reality TV’s longest-running shows, with the 18th season airing in 2025. This signals a trend with the most established reality TV shows beginning to make way for newer concepts and ideas.
The biggest cash prizes in UK reality TV
1. Britain’s Got Talent & The Fortune Hotel
Biggest cash prize: £250,000
Two shows are tied with the biggest cash prizes on UK reality TV, with Britain’s Got Talent and The Fortune Hotel offering the winning contestants £250,000 in prize money. The Fortune Hotel sees pairs of contestants given briefcases on arrival, but only one contains the prize money. The teams of two face challenges and deception to leave the hotel with the winning suitcase.
Britain’s Got Talent is the ultimate talent show, featuring all manner of performers, from comedians and ventriloquists to sword-swallowers and escape artists. In addition to the cash prize of £250,000, the winning act receives a slot to perform at that year’s Royal Variety Performance, a prestigious event that could propel their career to new heights.
2. Big Brother
Biggest cash prize: £116,100
Big Brother has the third-biggest cash prize in UK reality TV of £116,100, which was won by Chloe Wilburn, the winner of the show’s 16th season in 2015. Chloe also took home an additional £5,000 during “Cash Bomb Week”, bringing her combined winnings to £121,100.
The most popular presenters and judges on UK reality TV
1. Holly Willoughby & Simon Cowell
Presenter Score: 9.71
Holly Willoughby and Simon Cowell are the UK’s favourite reality TV hosts, with both earning a score of 9.71 out of 10. Holly Willoughby has by far the most Instagram followers of any presenter in our study, with 8.3 million, which is 2.3 million more than the next most popular on the platform, Stacey Dooley.
Holly’s biggest reality TV role is hosting Dancing on Ice, which she currently presents alongside co-host Steven Mulhern, though she is also well-known for presenting This Morning from 2009 to 2023.
Simon Cowell is a British reality TV veteran, being the central judge of both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. Over the years, Cowell has amassed a huge following on X (formerly Twitter) with 10.2 million followers while also having 2.6 million Instagram followers and more than 2.5 million searches over the last year. His cutting remarks, industry knowledge and presenting talent make him one of the nation’s favourite reality TV hosts.
3. Ant McPartlin
Presenter Score: 9.70
Ant McPartlin is the third most popular reality TV presenter in our study, with a score of 9.70. Ant has shared social media accounts with Declan Donnelly, his long-time friend and partner in the iconic “Ant & Dec” duo, with 5.3 million followers on Instagram and 6.7 million followers on X. However, Ant had more than three times the number of searches than Declan over the past 12 months, pushing him ahead of his co-hosting friend.
The shows with the most popular presenters and judges
1. I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Average Presenter Score: 9.36
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is the reality TV show with the most popular presenters, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who earned a combined presenter score of 9.36. The show, which started back in 2002, is one of the most well-known programs on British television and sees a group of celebrities take part in a range of daunting tasks, from mental challenges to eating the things that would turn most people’s stomachs.
Ant & Dec, who’ve hosted the show since its inception, have been friends since 1990 when both had roles as child actors in BBC children’s drama Byker Grove. Since then, they have gone on to have hugely successful careers as TV hosts, hosting hit shows including Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Soccer Aid, Britain's Got Talent and The Prince's Trust Awards.
2. My Mum Your Dad
Average Presenter Score: 9.15
My Mum Your Dad has the second most popular presenter line-up, with a score of 9.15 out of 10. A dating show with a unique premise, My Mum Your Dad gives single parents a second chance at love, influenced by the behind-the-scenes machinations of the adult children who nominated them for the show.
The program is hosted by Davina McCall MBE, who many consider a national treasure following her long television career across the UK’s major broadcasters, from the BBC and Channel 4 to ITV and Sky. Davina has hosted several hugely popular shows, including Big Brother, Comic Relief and Sport Relief, The Million Pound Drop, Stand Up to Cancer UK and The Masked Singer UK.
3. Love Island
Average Presenter Score: 9.12
Love Island has the third highest-scoring presenter line-up, earning 9.12 out of 10. The hit dating show combines couples up contestants and puts them through various challenges and rounds of public voting until just one couple remains. Known for creating drama with couple change-ups, betrayals and shock eliminations, Love Island reached peak popularity in 2019, bringing in an average of 5.6 million viewers per episode.
The show is currently hosted by Maya Jama, who took over from Laura Whitmore in 2023 with season 9 and has since presented seasons 10 and 11. Maya Jama is one of British television's hottest presenters at the moment, recently hosting the 2024 BRIT Awards alongside Roman Kemp and Clara Amfo and presenting for Comic Relief in the same year.
Methodology
We wanted to reveal the biggest reality TV shows and presenters on British television. To do this, we first made a list of British reality TV shows that are currently airing or recently aired.
We then collected the number of searches made in the UK from people wanting to take part in each show, looking at searches for terms like “be on [show]”, “apply for [show]”, “[show]” application, and “[show] take part. UK search volumes for these terms were taken using Google Keyword Planner for December 2023 to November 2024 and combined into an overall figure to reveal the shows we want to take part in the most.
We then collected the same search data for December 2022 to November 2023 and calculated the annual change in search volumes for each show. This allowed us to reveal which shows are becoming more and less popular among potential contestants.
We then researched each show’s cash prize, where applicable, to reveal where winning contestants can earn the biggest payout.
We then listed the hosts and presenters for each show on our list. We collected each presenter’s following on Instagram and X, as well as the number of searches made for their name from December 2023 to November 2024. This data was combined into a single score to reveal which reality TV presenters are the most popular online.
Lastly, we calculated the average popularity score across all presenters for each show, revealing the reality TV programs with the most popular presenting line-up.
