Bringing back a great programme like Big Brother must be a difficult undertaking for executives, especially because every choice is certain to be scrutinised by the devoted following.
But it appears that they got at least one decision right: the primary presenter.
AJ Odudu will star in the reboot with Will Best.
‘Hello, Big Brother house. This is AJ. Please do not curse when you are live on ITV2’. Yep. That seems about right!
As a long-time Big Brother fan who enjoyed it when Davina McCall got overly passionate on live shows or Emma Willis put a difficult evictee through their paces, I can’t think of a greater presenter than AJ.
AJ has swiftly risen to national treasure status following her wonderful performance on Strictly Come Dancing, and her warm, affable personality will make her the ideal successor to Davina, Brian Dowling, and Emma.
Anyone who saw the second season of The Bridge: Race To A Fortune on Channel 4 would know she’d be totally at home in the reality genre, with all its chores, twists, and unexpected departures.
She masterfully tuned the correct emotional tone for each given time in that high-pressure situation, encouraging the contenders one minute and releasing twists and bombshells the next.
She also appeared truly enthused about what was going on, making it simple for us to feel the same way.
Furthermore, her appearance on the return of The Big Breakfast demonstrated her ability to handle a live broadcast and, as if we needed more proof, that she’s entertaining.
That instantly memorable moment when she revealed to Rita Ora that her supposed hairy apple was actually a peach? Exquisite!
Having fun with celebrities is clearly different from interviewing evictees, but she’s had experience in that area as well: she’s hosted the Married At First Sight sister programme MAFS: Afters and gone down a storm, effortlessly guiding the discussions.
And, as we witnessed when she delivered the UK’s Eurovision points in May 2022, she’s CAMP! Her ‘hell-oh-oh!’ is still living in my head for free.
Of course, the fact that she has unfinished business with Big Brother makes her a great host: back in 2013, when she was still relatively unknown, she joined Rylan Clark-Neal to lead Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.
It didn’t work out: some thought she was too inexperienced to lead that wild spin-off as cleanly as, say, Dermot O’Leary before her; and, while Rylan was retained till the show’s cancellation in 2018, AJ quietly left.
Channel 5 said it was a mutual choice at the time, but she subsequently told Fabulous: ‘There are so many highs and lows working in TV. I learnt that the hard way when my contract for Big Brother’s Bit On The Side wasn’t renewed. Nobody gave me a reason, so I felt rotten.’
She’s evolved immensely as a presenter in ten years, and this is a perfect opportunity for her to return and establish herself as one of the country’s top hosts.
Emma Willis is one person who will surely back her up. ‘I’ve no doubt in my mind we’ll be seeing her someplace cool very soon because she’s brilliant,’ she stated at the time of AJ’s BBBOTS exit.
And, nearly a decade later, that’somewhere cool’ has already included a couple of reunions with Emma herself (they collaborated on Emma and AJ Get to Work; and AJ’s also fronted backstage coverage for The Voice – which Emma hosts), but it will now – somewhat ironically – involve Big Brother.
There were many excellent candidates for the role of host, including Roman Kemp, Mo Gilligan, Vick Hope, Alison Hammond, and Emily Atack, but AJ Odudu is the right match. The right person at the right moment.
There are many unknowns regarding how the new Big Brother will run in 2023, and if it will be a success – but with her at the helm, we fans will have one less thing to worry about.
