Will Best has described the sudden loss of a television contract early in his career as a 'weird and scary' experience. The 41-year-old presenter, known for co-hosting ITV's revival of Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu, shared the story on The Businessmen podcast with Joel Dommett and Ben Shephard.
Best made his presenting debut on the short-lived music chat show Suck My Pop in 2010. The following year, he landed a role on T4's The Crush, but the show was axed less than 12 months later. He recalled a two-week period where his agent received calls about the future of T4 and its programmes.
“My agent got a call saying, ‘Bad news, T4’s going, but don’t worry because The Crush is going to carry on and Freshly Squeezed is going to carry on,'” Best said. “Then a few days later, ‘Listen, there’s good news, there’s bad news.’ The Crush, that’s gone, but Freshly Squeezed isn’t. That was kind of a weird, scary time.”
The lack of job security in television prompted Best to launch a business venture. In 2017, he co-founded Bloody Drinks, a company specialising in canned Bloody Mary cocktails, with his friend Henry Farnham. The brand is now stocked in supermarkets across the UK.
Best has since found success as the host of Big Brother, which returned to ITV2 in 2023. The civilian series has been renewed, while the celebrity spin-off has been reportedly rested to focus on the main show, with an extension being considered.
