Chesterfield schoolboy wins BAFTA presenting competition

Daniel McGovern was one of 10 finalists in the BAFTA Kids Young Presenter Competition, which featured in the most recent episode of ITV’s factual entertainment series The Big Audition.

As part of his audition, 13-year-old Daniel had to do a ‘show and tell’ about something that meant a lot to him – so he talked about when he donated his hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for young cancer victims.

The budding presenters also put their interview skills to the test in front of an industry panel including This Morning’s Dr Ranj Singh, Blue Peter’s Lindsey Russell and BAFTA’s chief executive Amanda Berry.

Now he has been revealed as the winner, Daniel will present online content for BAFTA Kids and film at a number of locations throughout the year.

He will soon walk the red carpet at the British Academy Children’s Awards, where he will report behind the scenes and interview celebrities.

Daniel, who attends St Mary’s High School, said: “It still hasn’t sunk in yet that I’ve won the BAFTA Kids Young Presenter Competition.

“It feels strange because I’m just an ordinary kid and I never expected to have this amazing opportunity.

“I’m so excited to present an award at the BAFTA Children’s Awards evening and interview people on the red carpet.

“I am also looking forward to going behind the scenes of TV shows and finding out what happens off camera and what it takes to make a TV programme.

“I’d like to meet lots of interesting people: not just the celebrities you see on the TV but all the people behind the scenes too.”

The finalists were assessed on a number of criteria, including confidence, clarity, tone, content and coping under pressure and listening to and responding to instructions.

Lisa Prime, children’s event programmer at BAFTA, who was also on the judging panel, added: “They all showed such confidence and resilience in quite a nerve-wracking environment and allowed their personalities to shine through.

“Those traits will stand them in good stead throughout their lives regardless of whether they chose to pursue a career as a presenter.

“We look forward to working with Daniel, and our previous winners, Tianna and Braydon, over the year.”

Chesterfield schoolboy wins BAFTA presenting competition - watch his audition