Who is Will Best, the new host of the Big Brother reboot alongside AJ Odudu?

In perhaps the worst kept secret over the last seven days, ITV have officially revealed the hosts of their upcoming reboot of popular reality television competition Big Brother, set to return to our screens towards the end of the year. While many are familiar with one of the hosts, AJ Odudu, who returns to Big Brother having presented Big Brother's Bit on the Side when the contest was broadcast on Channel 5, it’s her co-host that has left people scratching their heads and asking “who?”

But for those who had nothing better to do growing up in the early ‘10s, they’ll tell you that Will Best isn’t just someone plucked from obscurity, but instead has a body of work behind him that does indeed make him an apt presenter for such a programme. Born in Tadcaster, Leeds on February 21 1985, Best went on to study History at Manchester University where in his spare time he developed his love of music by organising club nights in the city. After a stint presenting student radio and finally graduating, Best's first presenting role came in 2010 when he co-presented the comedy music chat show Suck My Pop on Viva with Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh.

But it was following in the footsteps of Simon Amstell and Alexa Chung that turned Best into a household name for young adults, joining T4 in 2010 and becoming the face of their flagship “Freshly Squeezed” programme. As one of the main presenters on the show, Will quickly became known for his energetic and engaging presenting style. He had a great rapport with his co-hosts and guests, and was skilled at balancing humour and entertainment with more serious topics and interviews.

One of the show's most popular features was the "Lift Music" segment, in which Best and his co-hosts would perform a song in a lift with a well-known musician or band. Those musicians included a pre-fame Ed Sheeran, Example, Jessie J and Florence and The Machine among the artists crammed inside an elevator.

After leaving T4 in 2012, Best went on to host a number of other TV shows and events, including "MTV News," "Radio 1's Big Weekend," and "The BRITs Are Coming," while Channel 4 requested his presence for their coverage of the iTunes festival in 2012 and 2013 alongside  Nick Grimshaw, Annie Mac, Lauren Laverne and Tom Ravenscroft.

In 2017, he once again became a familiar face for viewers, this time as a host of ITV’s talent show Dance Dance Dance, alongside Alesha Dixon and boasting a judging panel including Ashley Banjo, Tina Landon, and Timor Steffens. However despite his warm reception as a host with his upbeat, energetic style, the show only lasted one season, and the last television appearance Best made was as a competitor in the celebrity episodes of Coach Trip for Channel 4 in 2022. 

Perhaps the choice of Will Best as a host of the Big Brother reboot is an attempt to capture those young people who followed Best during his tenure on T4, who are now all adults (we assume) in his new venture on ITV?