I can’t say I’m surprised that Maya Jama has quit as the host of . During the nine series of the show she’s fronted (over just four years), the dating reality series has waned in popularity; what was once a cultural phenomenon has become a TV relic of yesteryear. But Jama’s own star has only risen – she’s hosted the Brit Awards; she kicked off her acting career with a role in The Gentlemen; and most recently, she ran the castle as a ruthless Traitor in this year’s Celebrity Traitors.
It’s obvious that Jama is ambitious, smartly using and its unwieldy popularity as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. More than 15 million people watched the opening episode, exposing the presenter to a much bigger audience than the 2.1 million who tuned into the start of this year’s . The question that remains, however, is what bigger and better things?
The presenting opportunities for cool, edgy It Girls like Jama are few and far between these days – at least on traditional broadcast television. In the past she’s called Davina McCall and June Sarpong her presenting idols, two women who were allowed to be cheeky, silly, a bit naughty. But that was in the 2000s, and TV has changed a hell of a lot since then.
We want the captains of our most beloved ships to be confident, polished, slick – able to shepherd us through the highs and lows – a far cry from the McCalls and Sarpongs we used to let run riot on and . McCall herself has transformed her brand – she’s now the host of ITV’s cosy, emotional and is a health and fitness influencer with a mental health podcast.
Over the years, we’ve seen Jama shift to fit into this mould, too. She was once a lively presenter on MTV, on London’s community radio station Rinse FM, and the totty on various sports shows. But as she’s grown up, so has her presenting style – she’s adroit, commands attention, and perhaps most importantly, doesn’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. But there’s only so far those things can get you when there is a shrinking number of well-established shows left to take over.
has already gone through a major line-up change (with disastrous results), Winkleman has made part of her brand, and Ant and Dec aren’t going to give up their annual Australian golfing holiday/I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here gig any time soon. Without any coattails to grab onto, the only option left for Jama is to find a brand-new format to make her own, and Lord knows it’s nigh on impossible to get a new format to stick these days.
Enter Netflix. It was announced that Jama has signed a deal with Netflix and there are already “a number of projects in the works”. Netflix’s vice president of UK content Anne Mensah called Jama “fabulous”, citing her “infectious energy” as part of the reason for the deal.
Details of what Jama and the Netflix team are cooking up are under wraps, but it certainly sounds as if she’ll be focusing on new programmes rather than jumping on an already established brand: “There are some really exciting things coming and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working on. I can’t give too much away just yet, but I’m so excited for this next chapter,” Jama said in a statement.
Away from the constraints of traditional broadcast TV, perhaps Jama will be able to fulfill her dreams of becoming the next Davina McCall. There’s certainly less expectation to be as prim and proper. Maybe this will be the making of Maya Jama, and that her treacherous time in the turret really will lead to a bright future. Given her determination and ambition, she deserves it – I just hope Netflix can give her a show worthy of her star quality.