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Will Best, one of the busiest men in British television, is apologising. “I’m so sorry that we had to move this,” he tells me over the phone, sounding remarkably unflustered for someone being pulled in 25 directions.
The 41-year-old presenter is one of the 15 famous faces taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, and that alone comes with a schedule so rigorous that it’s tiring to even think about. But for Best, doing the show means adding a heap of extra commitments to an already fit-to-burst diary. In between the gruelling training sessions, filming and live shows, he’ll be continuing to co-host Greatest Hits Radio’s breakfast show from 6am on weekdays, as well as fronting ITV’s Big Brother.
His day started long before our midmorning chat, with Best waking up “at the crack of dawn” for his radio slot, before heading to Elstree Studios for Strictly photoshoots and press, where he’s speaking from now. “It’s all good, it’s all fun stuff,” he insists, with an infectiously positive tone that will largely never slip.
Thankfully, the oft-mentioned “Strictly family” has already kicked into action and this year’s cast, which also includes the likes of Dani Dyer, ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and EastEnders’ Lacey Turner, have quickly figured out how to support each other. They wasted no time setting up a WhatsApp group, where the best memes apparently come courtesy of actor Jaime Winstone – “she’s hilarious, she’s full of energy” – though Best’s contributions have been sparse so far. “I’m a bit of a lurker. I get nervous about chiming in on WhatsApp groups with loads of people. In real life, you can’t shut me up, but something about those WhatsApp groups… I hope people don’t think that I’m aloof. I’m enjoying the banter. I’m just yet to really dive into it.”
And there’s an early bromance brewing too. “I’m in love with Chris Appleton,” Best declares of the celebrity hairstylist. “I feel like he’s my older brother, who’s actually the same age as me. He’s very tall and broad. He’s huge, but he gives the best hugs and I feel like he’s really got my back.”
AJ Odudu and Will Best presenting the award for Best Talent Show at the NTAs (Getty)
Best’s positive demeanour could fool you into thinking he’s pretty non-plussed about his dizzyingly busy schedule. But recalling a wobble on the day of the National Television Awards, when he was also presenting on breakfast radio and preparing for Strictly, he gives the game away. “I was so tired when I got in because, you know, there has been a lot and I was stressing,” he explains. “I was a little bit down, and Chris, he sensed it.” Thankfully, Appleton’s pep talk wasn’t modelled on his BFF and client Kim Kardashian’s “Get your f***ing ass up and work” moment.
“He picked me up and put his arms around me,” Best says. “He was like, ‘Will, you’ve got this. You’re busy because you’re great. You can do it.’ [He] totally lifted my spirits. He’s a very special man.”
Best’s appearance on Strictly will be particularly closely observed by two people: fellow Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu and his Greatest Hits Radio co-host Fleur East. They made it to the finals in 2021 and 2022, respectively, after performing some of the most jaw-dropping routines in Strictly history. East finished as a runner-up to wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin, while Odudu was devastatingly forced to pull out of the grand final due to injury.
Does their success on the dancefloor add some extra pressure? “I guess it does a bit,” Best admits. “I’m sure they will be delighted for me no matter how far I go, but they are both famously quite competitive. I think if I go out very early, they will both be a little bit disappointed. They probably won’t let me live it down immediately.”
It’s not just the celebrities taking part who are making their Strictly debuts this year, either. The programme is entering a brand new era, with five new professionals controversially replacing some much-loved stars, while Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and former pro Johannes Radebe are on hosting duties.
Will Best is one of 15 stars competing on ‘Strictly’ (BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Taking up the reins on one of British television’s most-loved programmes is simultaneously a highly coveted and hugely daunting position to be in. It’s something Best has experience of: after cutting his teeth on T4 and doing music festival coverage for Channel 4, he took over Big Brother with Odudu in 2023, after Willis stepped down (and Willis had already taken on the mighty task of following in Davina McCall’s iconic footsteps).
What’s his response to the naysayers? “I think reserve judgement until you’ve actually seen the show in its newer form,” he says, choosing his words carefully, but seeming confident. “I have had the privilege of watching Jojo, Emma and Josh in action, and I think everybody is going to be absolutely blown away by how amazing those three are. Their chemistry together is so genuine and real. They’re each bringing something really different to the show, which is only going to make the show better.”
I am a crier so I suspect I will get emotional at times
Strictly will see Best swap sides, going from host to contestant – something he admits makes things “very different”. “You’re just less in control. Hosting Big Brother, you know, I’m in script meetings and you’re part of the creative process of the show in a small way. Whereas for this, I just turn up and do what I’m told.”
Perhaps more so than any other celebrity competition, Strictly has a way of disarming its contestants too. Plenty in the show’s 22-year history have broken down in tears and needed some comforting words (as have many professionals). “I am a crier so I suspect I will get emotional at times,” he predicts. “But I think that is all part of the journey. My main aim is no matter what happens, I just want to feel like I have given everything and I have experienced everything that the show has to offer. Whether that’s in the outfits, in trying to gain a new skill or whatever it is. So if that involves me crying live on television, so be it.”
When we speak, Best has just filmed his Strictly debut, this Saturday’s pre-recorded launch show, and it’s time to power ahead with training. When he first entered the studio with his partner – he can’t name them, of course, but says they made him “cry with laughter” during the famous “chemistry circle”, speed-dating-style tests – he did so with zero previous experience.
That said, he does have one slightly traumatic dancing ordeal that he’s trying not to think about too much. When he landed the Big Brother job in 2023, he decided it was time to up his game on Instagram and TikTok, and hired a Gen Z social media specialist to help. “They had a whole list of things to film,” he says. “They had to cross off all the dances they had planned because it was just taking too long for me to learn a 15-second TikTok routine.”
Nevertheless, he’s looking forward to the Latin – “fully releasing the hips feels good, that’s not something one gets to do very often” – but feels less confident with the pacier styles. “The jive is really hard, and the kick… Anything involving quick feet and kicking is where I worry that I’ll come unstuck,” he admits, explaining that his fears have been compounded by the Strictly physio diagnosing him as flatfooted. “Now I don’t know a lot about dancing or the world of being a physio, but it doesn’t sound like it will be good.”
And while many celebrities say reaching Blackpool Week is their main goal, he’s not feeling quite so optimistic. “Halloween would be a good one,” he muses. “I definitely want to do Halloween because you can add another layer of camp on top of the already wonderfully camp cake that is Strictly Halloween.”
And who knows? While it doesn’t count for everything, throwing yourself in wholeheartedly can take you a long way in Strictly. Best might be unthinkably busy, but he’ll certainly be donning the sequins and the spandex and giving it his all.
The 2026 season of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ premieres on BBC One at 7.25pm on Saturday 19 September