A presenter can really make or break a TV show and have a huge effect on its ratings. Whether it’s daytime shows like Loose Women and This Morning or game shows like Tipping Point and The Chase, the nation regularly tunes in to see their favourite presenters do what they do best.
But which of the UK’s TV presenters are the most popular?
By analysing factors such as social media followings, engagement rates and Google searches, the team at Spin Genie UK have revealed the country’s favourite TV presenters.
The UK’s Favourite TV Presenters Overall
1. Jeremy Clarkson - 9.11/10 popularity score
Taking the overall top spot as the nation’s favourite TV presenter is Jeremy Clarkson, earning a popularity score of 9.11/10. His opinionated yet humorous tongue-in-cheek personality means that most people either love him or hate him, making him the marmite of the presenting world. He is most well-known for presenting the show Top Gear, which he has done for 26 years in total. In 2018, it was announced that Jeremy would host the newly revived series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which was previously hosted by Chris Tarrant.
Despite not being everyone’s cup of tea, Clarkson has amassed over 7.4 million Instagram followers and 7.9 million X (Twitter) followers. On Instagram, he has an average engagement rate of 2.56% and could earn at least £64,700 per post, making him the most expensive presenter when it comes to sponsorships. In 2023, there were over 2.7 million searches for Jeremy’s name on Google.
2. Ant McPartlin & Declan Donnelly - 8.75/10 popularity score
In second place is the iconic duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, otherwise known simply as Ant and Dec, with a popularity score of 8.75/10. The pair's loveable personalities have earned them a three-decades-long presenting career, starting with a guest presenting job on Gimme 5 back in 1994. Since then, they have hosted a vast array of shows including the likes of Britain’s Got Talent, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and most recently, Limitless Win.
Across their joint Instagram and X accounts, Ant and Dec have over 11.7 million followers. They have a 2.3% average engagement rate on Instagram, meaning that they could charge at least £17,700 per post on the platform. There were also over 1.6 million Google searches for the pair throughout 2023.
3. Richard Hammond - 8.35/10 popularity score
Following closely behind is Richard Hammond, earning a popularity score of 8.35/10. Like Jeremy Clarkson, he is also most well-known for hosting Top Gear, having worked on the show for over a decade. Between 2009 and 2012, Hammond also presented the BBC game show Total Wipeout! alongside Amanda Byram. In addition to this, he has also worked as a presenter on many science-related shows, such as Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab, Brainiac: Science Abuse and Science of Stupid.
Richard has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and an average engagement rate of 9.4%. This means he could be earning at least £7,200 per post on the platform. Hammond also has 3 million followers on X, and there were over 749,300 searches for his name on Google in 2023.
The UK’s Favourite Daytime Presenter
1. Stacey Solomon - 7.97/10 popularity score
The UK’s favourite daytime presenter is Stacey Solomon, who received a popularity score of 7.97/10. She first appeared on our screens as a contestant on The X Factor in 2009 and then went on to win I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! the following year. In 2011, she became a regular panellist on Celebrity Juice and held this position for two years, before returning again between 2016 and 2019. However, she is perhaps most well-known for being a panellist on Loose Women, a position which she has held since 2016 following Vicky Pattison and Jamelia’s departures.
Stacey has over 5.8 million Instagram followers and 1.5 million X followers. On Instagram, she has an average engagement rate of 6.8% and could earn around £20,000 per post, at a minimum. In 2023, there were over 2 million searches for Stacey’s name on Google.
The UK’s Favourite Documentary Presenter
1. Louis Theroux - 6.47/10 popularity score
Taking the top spot for documentary presenters is Louis Theroux, earning a popularity score of 6.47/10. He is well-known for producing documentaries about various taboo topics, most of which are filmed in the United States. Louis’ most popular work is Weird Weekends, a series that allows viewers to get glimpses into the lives of people they wouldn’t normally come into contact with, such as those with extreme beliefs or from unusual subcultures. Some of his other documentaries include When Louis Met…, Dark States and Forbidden America.
Louis has 3.2 million followers across his X and Instagram accounts, which is by far the highest figure across all documentary presenters on the list. He has an average engagement rate of 3.8%, meaning that he could charge a minimum of £5,300 per post. In 2023, there were 859,000 searches for Louis’ name.
The UK’s Favourite Game Show Presenter
1. Keith Lemon - 7.15/10 popularity score
The UK’s favourite game show presenter is Keith Lemon, who received a popularity score of 7.15/10. He is a character/alter ego played by Leigh Francis and was originally featured in the comedy sketch show Bo’Selecta! Keith is mostly known for the popular comedy panel game show Celebrity Juice, which ran for 26 series between 2008 and 2022. Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby starred as the team captains for ten and 12 years, respectively, with Laura Whitmore, Emily Atack and Gino D’Acampo also making regular appearances.
Keith has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and 3.2 million followers on X. On Instagram, he has an engagement rate of 0.1% and could earn a minimum of £7,900 per post. There were over 402,000 searches for Keith Lemon on Google throughout 2023.
The UK’s Favourite News Presenter
1. Krishnan Guru-Murthy - 5.58/10 popularity score
Coming in first place for the UK’s favourite news presenter is Krishnan Guru-Murthy, earning a popularity score of 5.58/10. He joined Channel 4 News over 25 years ago and is now the lead presenter, making him the second-longest-serving presenter behind Jon Snow. He has also become known for his interviews with high-profile figures over the years, including those with Quentin Tarantino and Robert Downey Jr. In 2023, Krishnan appeared as a contestant on the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing, where he was the seventh person to be eliminated from the competition.
Krishnan has almost 764,000 followers across his X and Instagram accounts. On Instagram, he could be earning over £500 per post and has an average engagement rate of 32.2%, which is the highest of all the featured presenters by far. Throughout 2023, there were over 487,600 searches for Krishnan’s name on Google.
The UK’s Favourite Reality Show Presenter
1. Ant McPartlin & Declan Donnelly - 8.77/10 popularity score
After appearing in second place for the nation’s favourite TV presenter overall, Ant and Dec take the top spot for the UK’s favourite reality show presenter. They earn this position thanks to their show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, which has been running since 2002 and has 23 series to date. The pair have hosted every series together, with the exception of the 18th series in 2018 due to Ant’s year-long break from TV appearances. He was replaced by Holly Willoughby for that year only before returning in 2019.
The series attracts an average of around 9 million viewers each year and won The Sir Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award at the National Television Awards in 2022. Despite its popularity, the show has previously come under fire for a number of reasons, including animal cruelty, voting issues and fixes, and bullying. There have also been a number of controversial political figures who have appeared on the show, including Matt Hancock, Nigel Farage and Nadine Dorries.
The UK’s Favourite Talent Show Presenter
1. Tess Daly - 6.28/10 popularity score
The UK’s favourite talent show presenter is Tess Daly, who received a popularity score of 6.28/10. She is most well-known for being a co-presenter on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, a position which she has held since the first series in 2004. Between 2004 and 2010, she hosted the show alongside Bruce Forsyth, before Claudia Winkleman also joined the presenting duties in 2011. After Bruce’s decision to leave the show after the 2013 series, Tess and Claudia became the only presenters.
Tess has 868,000 followers on Instagram and almost 255,000 followers on X. She has an average engagement rate of 2% on Instagram and could charge a minimum of £4,600 per post on the platform. In 2023, there were over 1 million searches for Tess’ name on Google.
The UK’s Favourite Talk Show Presenter
1. Jeremy Clarkson - 9.13/10 popularity score
Taking the top spot in the talk show presenter category, as well as the overall category is Jeremy Clarkson. As mentioned previously, he is most well-known for being one of the hosts of BBC Two’s most-watched show Top Gear. Jeremy hosted the show’s original format between 1988 and 1999, before his decision to leave. His departure saw a decline in viewing figures, and the show was subsequently cancelled in 2001. However, Jeremy and a fellow producer persuaded the BBC to revive the show in 2002 with a new format, for which Jeremy returned.
Despite being highly responsible for the show’s success, Jeremy has been the subject of many controversies, including potentially offensive remarks, road safety issues, and damage caused by driving. Many of these issues were disregarded due to only a small number of complaints being made. However, in 2015, Jeremy was dismissed from his presenting position at Top Gear after an altercation with a producer. Following his dismissal, a Change.org petition was made on 10 March to bring Jeremy back. By 20 March, the petition had reached its target of 1 million signatures, with the site claiming it was its fastest-growing campaign to date.
Methodology
We created a seed list of over 90 UK TV presenters and eliminated any who had not served on at least three series or a year of their most well-known show. We also eliminated any presenters who didn’t have both an Instagram and an X (Twitter) account.
All information surrounding the presenters and how long they had appeared on their chosen show was sourced from Wikipedia on 18 January 2024.
All social media follower counts were sourced from Instagram and X on 18 January 2024.
All engagement rates and potential earning figures were sourced from inzpire.me’s Instagram pricing calculator on 18 January 2024. For the potential earnings, we took the lowest figure from the given range. No engagement rate was available for Ruth Langsford or Laura Whitmore, due to their visible like counts being turned off.
All Google search numbers were sourced from Google’s Keyword Planner.
Finally, we gave each presenter a normalised score out of ten for each factor and then took an average across all factors to form our popularity score.
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