Big Brother co-host Will Best admits ‘pressure’ ahead of ITV launch as he reveals the iconic format making a return
BIG Brother co-host Will Best has admitted feeling “pressure” over its highly-anticipated return.
The show is being revived on ITV after a five-year break.
New presenter Will promises fans it will return to its original format as a social experiment”, similar to that of its Channel 4 days.
Big Brother aired for 11 series on C4 before being bought by Channel 5 where it continued for a further eight.
It also aired 14 celebrity series – creating iconic reality TV moments.
This time around ITV bosses have gone to impressive lengths to ensure the troops are ready for TV’s toughest social experiment.
“There’s a lot of pressure on this show,” Will admits to The Huffington Post.
“And I get nervous about everything, any job. I’m a bit of a worrier.”
Will assures fans he wouldn’t be hosting the show if it was going to be a carbon copy of Love Island.
He added: “Big Brother is the only reality show where you don’t need to have a talent, you don’t need to be single, you don’t need to be an influencer – all of these things that we’ve become so used to, none of that matters.
“So are we going to have a proper cross-section of British society? And I was assured, ‘yes it’s going to be real people’, and ‘yes the nature of the housemates means that this is going to have that social experiment feel’, which also means it’s going to feel very unproduced.”
He says this means he and co-host AJ Odudu “don’t know what is going to happen”.
AJ, 35, and Will, 38, made their debut on Big Brother’s Best Bits earlier this week, with viewers praising their on-screen chemistry.
They both told The Sun they are more mindful of contestant’s mental health in today’s ‘be kind’ era – and won’t be encouraging booing on eviction nights.
Will said: “It’s been a long time since the show was on. The world has changed and move forward.
“I don’t think we’ll be telling the audience not to boo, but are people going to want to boo in 2023? It feels like the world has changed a bit.”
AJ added: “I do feel a responsibility towards the housemates’ mental health, for sure.
“They may come out to a baying audience on eviction night, but I think it’s up to me and WIll to put our arm round them and give them an opportunity to share their side of the story.
“We’re still going to ask the important questions that viewers want to know, and I still want the housemates to spill the tea, but we’re not going to be mean in any way, I am very mindful of that.”
- Big Brother begins on Sunday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. The launch night will also be aired on ITV1.
