The One Show at 20: Familiar, Predictable and Still Here

(L-R) JB Gill, Lauren Laverne, Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Clara Amfo, Angellica Bell and Vernon Kay (Image: BBC/Elisabeth Hoff)

By Jon Donnis

The One Show turns 20 this month, which feels slightly strange. Not because it seems old, but because it has become such an ordinary part of the television landscape that it is easy to forget just how long it has been there.

Since launching in August 2006, the BBC One programme has occupied the same basic territory: celebrities on the sofa, live music, consumer stories, features from around the UK and the occasional big national event. It is familiar television, and that familiarity is probably its greatest strength.

It is also its biggest weakness.

The One Show can be predictable. There is a formula, and after 20 years it is hardly a secret. But there is something to be said for a programme that knows exactly what it is. It does not need to reinvent itself every week, and it has survived the enormous changes in television since 2006 without losing its identity.

The celebrity sofa has certainly attracted some impressive names. Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift, Denzel Washington and Anne Hathaway have all appeared, while Sam Fender, Olivia Dean and Benson Boone were given television exposure before becoming global stars.

Yet the celebrity interviews are not necessarily what makes The One Show endure. Some of its more memorable moments have involved people most viewers had never heard of before.

That has included young fundraiser Jacob receiving a One Big Thank You from Dwayne Johnson, Emily completing a three-day walk at Windsor with the support of the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Ethan performing with the cast of Come Alive! for BBC Children in Need.

The programme has also been there for some of the country's biggest occasions, from the Coronation and Jubilee celebrations to Eurovision, VE Day and D-Day commemorations. It stayed on air throughout the pandemic too, providing information and entertainment when normal television routines had been disrupted.

Then there are the moments that are simply ridiculous enough to remember. Alex Jones and Matt Baker dancing through Buckingham Palace. Christine Lampard water-skiing across the Channel. Alex Jones climbing Utah's Moonlight Buttress for Sport Relief. BTS's Jung Kook performing from a London helipad.

Not all of it is essential viewing. Much of it is deliberately undemanding. But perhaps that is the point.

Television has changed dramatically since The One Show began. Streaming has transformed viewing habits, traditional schedules have become less important and audiences have more choice than ever. Yet at 7pm on weekdays, The One Show is still there.

That longevity is probably more impressive than any individual interview or performance.

The programme will mark its 20th anniversary with a week of special editions, culminating in an extended One Big Night to Remember on Friday 14 August.

After two decades, The One Show has earned the right to celebrate. Whether it has earned the right to be called great television is another question entirely.

Perhaps it does not need to be. It has simply become part of the furniture, and there is something remarkable about that.

Ricky Gervais On The One Show 18/12/13