As The One Show celebrates its 20th anniversary, viewers have been surprised to learn that the BBC programme's original female presenter was Nadia Sawalha, a star known for her role on ITV's Loose Women.
Since the show first aired in 2006, a rotation of presenters has fronted the programme. While Alex Jones has hosted for the past 16 years, viewers have also seen Christine Lampard, Clara Amfo, and Angellica Bell. However, the first female star was Nadia Sawalha.
Original 2006 Opening Unearthed
One person shared the first opening of the programme from two decades ago, showing Adrian Chiles and Nadia Sawalha welcoming viewers for the first time. In the clip, the duo stand side by side as Adrian promises a range of stories from people across the country, including 'good ones, funny ones, happy ones and sad ones'.
Captioning the introduction, the person on X confessed they 'never knew' Nadia was part of The One Show and questioned whether she would return for the 20th celebrations.
Presenter History
Originally, the BBC show ran for a four-week trial, which Nadia fronted. After that, her Loose Women co-star Myleene Klass took over. Following Myleene, Christine Lampard hosted for three years before Alex Jones joined.
Alex is now the longest-running presenter on the series, celebrating 16 years in 2025. She recently spoke about what she is most proud of during her tenure, telling the BBC: "There are two answers. I'm most proud of the fact that I'm still here because to have a job that you not only love but you're really proud to do is rare over the stretch of time that I've been here."
She added: "It makes me a bit emotional because I'm so proud of the show. It has withstood so many changes in trends, changes in the way people watch TV or whatever, and it still stands and stays relevant. It's still really strong in the ratings and I think it would be really missed if it wasn't there at 7pm."
20th Anniversary Celebrations
To mark the milestone, The One Show has been celebrating with a week of special programmes featuring celebrity guests, memorable reunions, surprise moments, and stories that have captivated viewers over the past two decades.
A description reads: "Alex and Roman will lead the celebrations from the studio, while familiar faces will be live across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland revisiting some of the programme's most memorable stories and discovering what happened next."
The week will spotlight the people and moments that have defined The One Show. The programme airs weekdays on BBC One from 7pm.
