Danny Wallace is planning to spend the next three months perched in a tree on a remote Pacific island. But it’s not the premise of another rib-tickling project from the man behind the extraordinary Join Me phenomenon and How To Start Your Own Country series. No, Danny is about to present the BBC’s Castaway and this, he tells Nicola Hicks, is the one way he’s guaranteed not to miss a thing…

A tiny, isolated island two hours off the coast of New Zealand will soon be home to the intrepid group of men and women taking part in the long-awaited second series of Castaway – the ultimate social experiment.

For three months, it’ll also be home to journalist, author and presenter Danny Wallace. Danny will be bringing viewers all the latest news, twists and turns from the nascent island community in an unmissable weekly BBC One programme, as well as fronting Castaway – The Last 24 Hours, a behind-the-scenes, gossip-filled catch-up show four nights a week on BBC Three.

But if you think he’ll be spending his time in between soaking up the sun on a pristine beach or communing with the wildlife in this eco paradise, you’d be quite wrong.

“Most of the time I’m going to be up a tree with a pair of binoculars, spying on the castaways and trying to lip-read what they’re saying,” says Danny, as he takes a break from packing his bags.

“I fully expect to be utterly addicted to this show. It’s going to be like having my own live streaming service – only in real life, not on the telly!”

Dundee-born Danny, 30, was hooked when the original Castaway, set on the Scottish island of Taransay, was screened seven years ago.

“There had never been anything like it before and I thought it was crazy. Then I started watching it and I was instantly hooked. It was amazing, a kind of ‘pure’ reality show. It wasn’t about meddling, it was about documenting the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the fights and the love, so it was extraordinary,” he says.

“I think that this time around it’s going to hold onto those values, if you like, but move with the times, so there will be the things that people have come to expect, the twists and the turns. Hopefully, it’ll be the best of both worlds and I’m really looking forward to getting to know all the characters.”