Big Brother’s new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best have claimed the new series will ‘reflect 2023’ and concerns about reality contestant’s mental health.
The duo, who are fronting the ITV2 reboot following in the footsteps of Davina McCall and Emma Willis, admitted the ‘world has moved on’ since the show’s early 00s heyday.
AJ, 35, insisted she was ‘very mindful’ of the participant’s wellbeing and would ‘put her arm around’ the unlucky ones on eviction night, despite live audience will still be allowed to boo.
Speaking ahead of the show’s premiere she said: ‘[The housemates] are people who haven’t been on TV before and this is a real experience. They’re going to come out to maybe a baying audience, who will receive them well or not’.
‘But I think it’s up to me and Will to really put our arm around them’.
Back with a bang! Brother’s new hosts AJ Odudu, 35, and Will Best, 38, have claimed the new series will reflect 2023, admitting the ‘world has moved’ since the show’s early 00s heyday
Get them out! AJ said she will ‘put her arm around’ the unlucky housemate on eviction night, even though the live audience will still be allowed to boo (Former host Emma pictured during an eviction in 2013)
Will agreed that while ‘nobody is going to be stopped [from booing]’ he wondered if the crowds would even want to in this modern age.
Saying: ‘The world has changed and moved forward, people are endeavouring in every industry to make people’s working experiences, and lives better, and that will obviously be reflected in in a show like this, more so than any’.
The TV host later gushed about the reality show which he said had ‘always been a mirror to society’.
‘This is Big Brother 2023, so it’s going to represent the UK 2023 and that’s I think what’s going to make it interesting and and exciting and it’s not going to be like any series before because’.
Despite the concerns AJ insisted that she would still be leaving no stone unturned when interviewing the booted contestants.
‘I’m the noisy neighbour, so at the end of the day I’m gonna be naturally inquisitive. I’m gonna be asking the questions, I want the tea!’.
It comes after reports the reboot would feature some of the reality show’s most iconic former housemates.
According to The Sun ‘Nasty Nick’ Bateman, Chanelle Hayes and Nadia Almada are just some of the names producers are hoping will return to ‘recapture the magic’ of the original series.
Moving with the times: With AJ, 35, insisting she will ‘put her arm around’ the unlucky housemates on eviction night, even though the live audience will still be allowed to boo
Unsure: Will agreed and said that while ‘nobody is going to be stopped [from booing]’ he wondered if the crowds would even want to in this modern age
Throwback: The original show featured a very lively audience who would often boo and hold up signs (Hazel O’Sullivan pictured during 2013 series)
A source told the publication:’It won’t be a reboot full of old faces, it’s likely to be a smattering rather than a deluge of BB veterans’.
‘The one thing [producers] don’t want to do is deliver a show which is essentially a Love Island-style contest full of beautiful people.
Before adding: ‘They actually want the quirky, often controversial characters that are going to stir things up and make things interesting — and many of the names in the frame have proven track records in that respect.’
Nick, now 55, made headlines during the show’s first season in 2000 when he slyly attempted to turn his fellow housemates against each other, before being caught and booted from the show.
Meanwhile Chanette, 35, appeared on the show in 2007 where she struck up a romance with fellow housemate Ziggy, and Nadia, 46, won the 2004 series.
Other possible returnees include Makosi Musambasi, who famously claimed to have fallen pregnant in the house, despite not having sex in 2005.
As well as Kinga Karolczak who drunkenly showed viewers at home an X-rated party trick with a wine bottle.
MailOnline contacted ITV for comment.
Shock return! Back for more? ITV2’s reboot will feature some of the reality show’s most iconic former housemate (‘Nasty’ Nick Bateman pictured)
Back? Other possible returnees include Makosi Musambasi, who famously claimed to have been fallen pregnant in the house, despite not having sex in 2005
Meanwhile legendary narrator of Big Brother Marcus Bentley reportedly signed up for the job once again on the upcoming reboot of the show.
Gateshead-born voice-over artist Marcus, 55, became synonymous with the programme after it launched on Channel 4 in 2000 and he stayed with the reality series up until its last run on Channel 5 in 2018.
Booming ‘day one in the Big Brother house’ at the start of each series, Marcus would describe the action as it played out on screen for viewers, and he is set to do the same when it makes a comeback on ITV2 later this year.
It has also emerged the famous live feed will return after it previously enabled viewers to watch the housemates 24 hours a day from the first series in 2000 before it was stopped in 2009.
It was brought back the following year for a fee but it was dropped again when Big Brother moved to Channel 5 in 2011, before it was once again brought back in 2013 for two hours a night.