‘Day five in the Big Brother house, 1:32pm, some of the housemates are in the living room.’ Because of Marcus Bentley’s renowned narration, we imagine you read that sentence in your finest Geordie accent.
The decor, the presenters, the ever-changing cast of competitors, and even the TV channel have all changed since Big Brother’s debut in 2000 until its demise in 2018 – but Marcus has maintained a regular presence as narrator.
As a result, it is said to be a ‘no-brainer’ for ITV to bring him back for the 2018 remake, which will include newly announced hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best.
‘It was a no brainer to have Marcus back for the new era – he is simply the voice associated with Big Brother UK,’ an insider told The Sun.
Marcus has already begun work; on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain, he addressed host Richard Arnold in his customary booming voice, reporting on the new presenters.
Big Brother got a mention on today’s GMB, they confirmed the new presenters also Brilliant to hear the wonderful voice of @marcusBBbentley #bbuk pic.twitter.com/dXrOs53TWF
— BBXtra (@BigBrotherXtra) April 26, 2023
‘Hello Richard Arnold, this is Big Brother. AJ Odudu and Will Best will be making their way to the diary room,’ he stated.
Richard then clarified: ‘We should just say that the voice of the show Marcus Bentley is not yet confirmed, but we should hear more news.’
The 55-year-old professional voiceover artist has openly supported the ITV remake, retweeting the official Big Brother account when it introduced AJ, 35, and Will, 38, as hosts, writing: ‘Here we go!!! Guys, best of luck. X’
He also referred to Big Brother as ‘the greatest programme on earth.’
Here we go!!! Good luck guys. X https://t.co/QNtrcNOREw
— Marcus Bentley (@marcusBBbentley) April 25, 2023
When a fan mentioned that they are looking forward to his confirmed involvement, Marcus replied, ‘Hopefully soon.’
Mark, from Gateshead, previously told The Guardian that he won the job because of how he said the word chicken.
‘I had to record something like, “Darren is in the garden, feeding the chickens” [for the audition].’
Years later, the Channel 4 Commissioning Editor explained to Mark how he landed the job: ‘It tickled her in some manner,’ she said.
So far, the show has generated a lot of buzz, even from the hosts themselves.
AJ said: ‘Following in the footsteps of some of my favourite broadcasting legends to front such an iconic show is an absolute honor.’
Davina McCall, Emma Willis, and Brian Dowling have previously hosted the show.
Will added that it was ‘a dream come true’.
The Big Brother reboot is set to launch on ITV2 and ITVX later this year.
