{"id":774507,"date":"2026-09-18T08:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/774507\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:14:14","slug":"strictlys-will-best-reserve-judgement-until-youve-seen-the-new-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/774507\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly\u2019s Will Best: \u2018Reserve judgement until you\u2019ve seen the new show\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Will Best, one of the busiest men in British television, is apologising. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry that we had to move this,\u201d he tells me over the phone, sounding remarkably unflustered for someone being pulled in 25 directions. <\/p>\n

The 41-year-old presenter is one of the 15 famous faces<\/a> taking part in this year\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing<\/a>, and that alone comes with a schedule so rigorous that it\u2019s 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\u2019ll be continuing to co-host Greatest Hits Radio\u2019s breakfast show from 6am on weekdays, as well as fronting ITV<\/a>\u2019s Big Brother<\/a>. <\/p>\n

His day started long before our midmorning chat, with Best waking up \u201cat the crack of dawn\u201d for his radio slot, before heading to Elstree Studios for Strictly photoshoots and press, where he\u2019s speaking from now. \u201cIt\u2019s all good, it\u2019s all fun stuff,\u201d he insists, with an infectiously positive tone that will largely never slip.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the oft-mentioned \u201cStrictly family\u201d has already kicked into action and this year\u2019s cast, which also includes the likes of Dani Dyer<\/a>, ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips<\/a> and EastEnders\u2019 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 \u2013 \u201cshe\u2019s hilarious, she\u2019s full of energy\u201d \u2013 though Best\u2019s contributions have been sparse so far. \u201cI\u2019m 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\u2026 I hope people don’t think that I\u2019m aloof. I\u2019m enjoying the banter. I\u2019m just yet to really dive into it.\u201d <\/p>\n

And there\u2019s an early bromance brewing too. \u201cI\u2019m in love with Chris Appleton,\u201d Best declares of the celebrity hairstylist. \u201cI feel like he\u2019s my older brother, who\u2019s actually the same age as me. He\u2019s very tall and broad. He\u2019s huge, but he gives the best hugs and I feel like he\u2019s really got my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AJAJ Odudu and Will Best presenting the award for Best Talent Show at the NTAs (Getty)<\/p>\n

Best\u2019s positive demeanour could fool you into thinking he\u2019s 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. \u201cI was so tired when I got in because, you know, there has been a lot and I was stressing,\u201d he explains. \u201cI was a little bit down, and Chris, he sensed it.\u201d Thankfully, Appleton\u2019s pep talk wasn\u2019t modelled on his BFF and client Kim Kardashian<\/a>\u2019s \u201cGet your f***ing ass up and work\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe picked me up and put his arms around me,\u201d Best says. \u201cHe was like, \u2018Will, you\u2019ve got this. You\u2019re busy because you\u2019re great. You can do it.\u2019 [He] totally lifted my spirits. He\u2019s a very special man.\u201d <\/p>\n

Best\u2019s appearance on Strictly will be particularly closely observed by two people: fellow Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu<\/a> and his Greatest Hits Radio co-host Fleur East<\/a>. 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<\/a>, while Odudu was devastatingly forced to pull out of the grand final due to injury. <\/p>\n

Does their success on the dancefloor add some extra pressure? \u201cI guess it does a bit,\u201d Best admits. \u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019t let me live it down immediately.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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<\/a>, Josh Widdicombe<\/a> and former pro Johannes Radebe<\/a> are on hosting duties. <\/p>\n

\"WillWill Best is one of 15 stars competing on ‘Strictly’ (BBC\/Ray Burmiston)<\/p>\n

Taking up the reins on one of British television\u2019s most-loved programmes is simultaneously a highly coveted and hugely daunting position to be in. It\u2019s 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<\/a>\u2019s iconic footsteps). <\/p>\n

What\u2019s his response to the naysayers? \u201cI think reserve judgement until you\u2019ve actually seen the show in its newer form,\u201d he says, choosing his words carefully, but seeming confident. \u201cI 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\u2019re each bringing something really different to the show, which is only going to make the show better.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am a crier so I suspect I will get emotional at times<\/p>\n

Strictly will see Best swap sides, going from host to contestant \u2013 something he admits makes things \u201cvery different\u201d. \u201cYou\u2019re just less in control. Hosting Big Brother, you know, I\u2019m in script meetings and you\u2019re part of the creative process of the show in a small way. Whereas for this, I just turn up and do what I\u2019m told.\u201d <\/p>\n

Perhaps more so than any other celebrity competition, Strictly has a way of disarming its contestants too. Plenty in the show\u2019s 22-year history have broken down in tears and needed some comforting words (as have many professionals). \u201cI am a crier so I suspect I will get emotional at times,\u201d he predicts. \u201cBut 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\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we speak, Best has just filmed his Strictly debut, this Saturday\u2019s pre-recorded launch show, and it\u2019s time to power ahead with training. When he first entered the studio with his partner \u2013 he can\u2019t name them, of course, but says they made him \u201ccry with laughter\u201d during the famous \u201cchemistry circle\u201d, speed-dating-style tests \u2013 he did so with zero previous experience. <\/p>\n

That said, he does have one slightly traumatic dancing ordeal that he\u2019s 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. \u201cThey had a whole list of things to film,\u201d he says. \u201cThey 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.\u201d <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he\u2019s looking forward to the Latin \u2013 \u201cfully releasing the hips feels good, that\u2019s not something one gets to do very often\u201d \u2013 but feels less confident with the pacier styles. \u201cThe jive is really hard, and the kick\u2026 Anything involving quick feet and kicking is where I worry that I\u2019ll come unstuck,\u201d he admits, explaining that his fears have been compounded by the Strictly physio diagnosing him as flatfooted. \u201cNow I don\u2019t know a lot about dancing or the world of being a physio, but it doesn\u2019t sound like it will be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while many celebrities say reaching Blackpool Week is their main goal, he\u2019s not feeling quite so optimistic. \u201cHalloween would be a good one,\u201d he muses. \u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n

And who knows? While it doesn\u2019t count for everything, throwing yourself in wholeheartedly can take you a long way in Strictly. Best might be unthinkably busy, but he\u2019ll certainly be donning the sequins and the spandex and giving it his all.<\/p>\n

The 2026 season of \u2018Strictly Come Dancing\u2019 premieres on BBC One at 7.25pm on Saturday 19 September<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":774508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[59957,71525,47690,162394,6491,6494,309,96,11237,184837,60723,9210,6487,186838,38004,100643,248455,185932,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-774507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-aj-odudu","tag-arts-culture-and-entertainment","tag-award","tag-awards-ceremony","tag-celebrities","tag-color-image","tag-england","tag-entertainment","tag-horizontal","tag-london-england","tag-national-television-awards","tag-performance","tag-photography","tag-stage-performance-space","tag-talent-show","tag-television-show","tag-the-o2-england","tag-theatrical-performance","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}