Will Best responds to accusations he was ‘too harsh’ on Big Brother

Big Brother is set to return on Sunday with a fresh crop of housemates for 2024.

And, no one is more excited (or, nervous) about that than BB’s co-host Will Best.

In 60 Seconds he talks grilling housemates, backstage riders, pre-show rituals, his obsession with controversial figure Steven Seagal and, his debt to Davina McCall.

For Big Brother series one your co-host AJ Odudu had a backstage rider, but you didn’t. Have you sorted yours out yet?

One has evolved. People have been kind and seen what I gravitate towards. I told somebody I was once nearly cast as The Milky Bar Kid and now my dressing-room is full of Milky Bars.

I also have one beer before every Big Brother live show to get me loose.

My rider is beers and Milky Bars. I am basically a cross between a teenager and a small child.

When do they tell you and AJ who is going in the house?

The day they go in. They let us see the VTs for the new housemates on the morning of the show. It’s funny, I feel like I’m more nervous this time to see who they’ve got than I was for the first series.

I think because I loved the last set of housemates so much there is a lot more pressure in my head on this next batch.

I want to feel the same affinity with them as I did. I also feel like I am going to be cheating on the previous housemates because I’ve kept in touch with some of them.

Some of the interviews I watched back because we do get feedback on social media. There were some interviews where people said we were too harsh and others where people said we were not harsh enough.

I watched those ones back to see where did I land? Most of the time I felt we got the balance where it needed to be.

Our job is to ask the questions that we know people at home want answers to and sometimes those questions are going to have difficult answers.

Sometimes the person we’re asking them to might deflect or not answer. It’s not the Today programme. We’re not grilling the Prime Minister. But we need to try and get those answers.

You used to watch BB with your mum and dad back in the noughties. Do they tune in now you’re hosting?

My mum has watched every second of every series. She’s been to quite a few evictions as well. She is hooked. My dad less so but he is nearly 80. He’s not the core demographic.

What TV show could you present that your dad would be impressed by?

My dad’s very funny. His sweet spot with comedy is slapstick. I do the Red Bull Soapbox Race and he absolutely loves that – people in silly costumes falling down a hill. He could watch that all day.

But I think until I’m on Newsnight I will not have quite hit the heights that he is looking for. People falling down a hill or Newsnight; nothing in between.

You and AJ were at the National Television Awards. Did you get to congratulate Davina for her Special Recognition award?

I didn’t see her at the after-party. I would have loved to have done because – and she won’t remember this – I worked with her on Got To Dance.

I did the spin-off show on Sky and she was so lovely. One of the reasons I wanted to be a presenter in the first place was 100 per cent Davina. The way that she presents in terms of being fun and funny, but also her warmth.

Davina saluted her ‘menopause warriors’. Have you any documentary passion projects you’d love to make?

I’ve been obsessed about making a documentary about Steven Seagal for a while. I think there is a lot of interesting stuff to uncover with him. He is a fascinating and frightening character.

Also, on my Insta algorithm I get fed a lot of these ‘masculine’ coaches. Those guys who run online and in-person courses teaching men how to be men, all under the guise of entrepreneurialism: ‘This is how you get to be earning seven figures in 12 weeks.’ But the rhetoric and the tone that they use, the kind of advice they give is just all toxic masculinity stuff.

As somebody who has never been accused of being an alpha male, I think
I could be quite a good subject for a documentary about it.

How are you feeling about turning 40 next year?

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Bloody Wikipedia! It’s just another birthday. It’s quite confusing. Nobody feels how old they are. We all probably plateau around 26 in our heads. I would say I am about 17 in mine.

I do think being 40 will be quite surreal. I just don’t feel any different to how I did in my early 20s, physically, mentally and, sadly, emotionally. I am pretty sure arrested development has kicked in.

You and your fiancé, Tobi, have a gorgeous Tibetan terrier called Sandwich. Which of you does he listen to?

Sandwich is quite badly behaved and I think that is 100 per cent Tobi’s fault. When
I leave the flat and Tobi is on her own with Sandwich, he jumps on to the kitchen table. When I’m around he would not dream of doing that.

What are you doing with your day?

Well, I have a business outside of telly: Bloody Drinks, which is Bloody Marys in cans and cartons. We’ve just launched
a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary mix. If you go for a Bloody Mary at The Ivy, it’s our mix plus vodka.

After this chat I will be straight back into that. It is a constant juggling act. This month, I have been very busy travelling, so I am slightly nervous about starting the new series of Big Brother after having done several long-haul trips.

It’ll be fine. I’ll have two Milky Bars, one beer and then do two-and-a-half hours of live telly.