Anna’s victory in The Great British Sewing Bee has given York and North Yorkshire another reason to celebrate.
Viewers across the country were rooting for the York seamstress as she sewed her way to the title.
For many in this area, it wasn’t the first time we were seeing a familiar face on the small screen.
For more than two decades, locals have been appearing on some of Britain’s biggest reality television shows, turning living rooms, pubs and workplaces across the region into unofficial fan clubs.
Long before streaming services dominated our entertainment landscape, reality TV was a national obsession. Millions tuned in to Big Brother, The X Factor, The Apprentice and Love Island, eager to follow the fortunes of ordinary people thrust into the spotlight.
And this area has produced more than its fair share of memorable contestants.
As the latest success story, Anna - who is part of St Leonard's Hospice's retail team - became the 2026 winner of The Great British Sewing Bee after impressing judges with her creativity, technical ability and eye-catching designs.
Her triumph has brought back memories of other local stars who captured the public’s imagination on reality television.
Strictly Come Dancing star Tasha Ghouri, of Thirsk. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire.
One of the most successful contestants to emerge from North Yorkshire in recent years is Tasha Ghouri, from Thirsk.
In 2022 she became the first deaf contestant on Love Island and reached the final, finishing fourth alongside partner Andrew Le Page before going on to become one of the programme’s biggest post-show success stories as a podcaster, author (Hits Different), deaf‑awareness campaigner and charity ambassador. She was also runner‑up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024.
York has also had its own connection to the famous villa. Surveyor Javi Shephard represented the city during the second series of Love Island in 2016.
He was a 27-year-old personal trainer from York at the time and one of the original islanders but failed to couple up with anyone. Although his time on the show was brief, his appearance brought the ITV phenomenon a little closer to home for York viewers.
York-born Georgia Steel was on Love Island series four in 2018, before appearing in multiple reality shows. Image: Ian West
York-born Georgia Steel was still based in the city at the time of filming Love Island series four in 2018, going on to appear in multiple reality shows including Celebs Go Dating, Celebs on the Ranch, Celebrity Coach Trip, and Love Island: All Stars.
A contender on BBC's The Apprentice, Oliver Medforth, pictured in 2018, when he was appointed sales and operations director at Raisthorpe Distillery, based at Raisthorpe Manor, Wharram near Malton.
Reality TV success has not been limited to dating shows.
The Apprentice has attracted numerous candidates from this neck of the woods, including Oliver Medforth (2024), from Thixendale in Ryedale. He is the co founder of drinks producer Raisthorpe Distillery based at Raisthorpe Manor, Wharram near Malton.
Another contender in that series was fitness entrepreneur Rachel Woolford who reached the final, and launched North Studio with locations including Harrogate.
Rachel Woolford who won BBC's The Apprentice, pictured, with Lord Sugar. Rachel launched North Studio with locations including Harrogate
York-born actress, comedian and writer Donna Preston joined the Celebrity Big Brother house last year to appear as a housemate on the 24th series, and placed fourth behind Jojo Siwa, Danny Beard and Jack P. Shepherd.
Unlike the headline-grabbing reality shows of the 2000s and 2010s, The Great British Sewing Bee belongs to a gentler era of TV, where the focus was craftsmanship, creativity and kindness rather than confrontation.
York's Donna Preston, left, promoting Fully Blown, a 2019 short-form BBC Three comedy series she created, wrote and starred in alongside Verona Rose.
From entrepreneurs, islanders and now a Sewing Bee winner, the region has produced its own cast of reality TV stars.
Anna’s victory almost feels like a throwback to the early days of reality television, when local communities rallied behind contestants they could claim as their own, and every elimination or triumph became a talking point.
What's been your reality TV highlight? Share your view in the comments below.