Former BBC Breakfast presenter Steph McGovern has secured a major new primetime series with the BBC, marking a significant return to the broadcaster five years after her departure.
A Primetime Return to the BBC
Steph McGovern will host a brand new six-part series for BBC2 called The Big Deal. The show, set to air in primetime later next year, will see seven pairs of amateur art dealers compete for a chance to win £50,000 worth of British art. None of the contestants have any professional experience in buying or selling artworks.
McGovern, a respected business expert, expressed her excitement about the project. She told the Mirror: "This show dispels the myth that the art world is exclusive. I’m buzzing for you to see how our dealers, from all walks of life, get on when we take them into the heart of the art market... with the ultimate aim of making money."
Demystifying the Art Market
The series, commissioned by BBC Arts, aims to pull back the curtain on the often opaque global art market. Each week, the amateur dealers will face challenges designed to test their skills, from identifying promising new artists to negotiating and securing sales.
Their efforts will be judged by a panel of experts including art specialist Cordelia De Freitas. The judging line-up also features curator Matt Carey-Williams, artist Margo McDaid, and digital marketing guru Ani Petrov.
Suzy Klein, head of BBC Arts, said the series offers a fresh insight into how art is discovered, bought, and sold, calling it a "brilliant example of how BBC Arts can demystify the creative industries."
McGovern's Busy BBC Slate
This new role marks McGovern's third presenting job for the BBC in recent months, signalling a robust comeback. The presenter, 43, left the Corporation in 2019 after eight years on BBC Breakfast to host Channel 4's Steph’s Packed Lunch, which ended in 2023.
Her return to the BBC began in October 2024 when she joined the team of the long-running series Crimewatch Live. This was swiftly followed by the launch of the 15-part daytime show Farms 999 for BBC1 in November, focusing on farmyard accidents and rural crime.
Announcing her return on social media last summer, the mum-of-one said she was "absolutely buzzing" and thanked fans for their supportive messages. Following the end of her Channel 4 show, McGovern also made a brief foray into reality TV on Netflix's short-lived series Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Kieran Doherty of Stellify Media, the production company behind The Big Deal, praised McGovern as "the perfect host" for a series he described as visually exciting, tense, and full of real insights into contemporary art.
