If ever there were a worthy contender for Ant & Dec’s top-presenting duo crown, our money is on AJ Odudu and Will Best. The pair – who first met a decade ago while working on 4Music, and now present Big Brother and its star-studded spin-off Celebrity Big Brother – have an undeniable chemistry on and off screen, sharing the same sense of humour and often finishing each other’s sentences.
When we meet at a hotel in west London, AJ, 37, and Will, 40, are even twinning in co-ordinated denim outfits. And they’re just as we’d expect IRL: upbeat, high-energy and chatty, effusively dishing out hugs and cheek kisses to us and each other.
Marriage is on the horizon for both of them, but not to each other. Blackburn native AJ revealed her engagement to American art director Peter Gibson last month, while Will is set to marry stylist Tobi Rose after proposing last year. So, a lot talk about, then…
What’s the secret to your friendship?
AJ: We laugh a lot together.
Will: We don’t take each other too seriously. But also, we don’t take ourselves seriously.
AJ: Will’s always given me the space to be authentically myself. I don’t have to be super-high energy with him – we can have meaningful conversations and that’s always been really good in this world of chaos, that I’ve got someone who I can lean on and trust. It’s amazing.
W: AJ gives the best pep talks. She’s the first person I ask for advice. Everyone needs an AJ.
AJ: Awww. Everyone does need a Will and I’ve got him!
What’s it like being TV husband and wife?
AJ: I love it! I feel so lucky that I get to work with Will. Big Brother is my dream show, it’s fresher than ever before and I get to do it with my mate.
W: It is wild. It’s nice, because we’re so busy – AJ travels the world all the time while I’m chained to a radio desk [he presents the Hits Radio breakfast show with Fleur East and James Barr]. We know that for now, at least twice a year, we get to spend a couple of months together, seeing each other every day, and it’s a joy. It’s a treat. We are spoiled, really.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
W: [Jokily] AJ’s not really from Blackburn.
AJ: [Laughs.] Can you imagine that?
W: She’s Welsh. I don’t know why she’s been pretending this whole time. [Thinks.] What would people be surprised by? That we can’t remember when we first met? We were working on 4Music back in the mists of time.
AJ: Literally. We cannot remember the day that we faced each other properly, were introduced or met.
W: I just can’t remember not knowing AJ.
AJ: And I don’t remember life before Will. It’s like you’ve always been there. So, not remembering our first meeting is surprising.
Is there lots of wedding chat going on now that you’re both engaged?
AJ: No.
W: Not from my end.
AJ: We’re both way too busy.
W: That is genuinely true. We are too busy to be organising weddings.
If you weren’t hosting Big Brother, what show would you like to present together?
AJ: Mmm, now we’re talking. We want to do big things. We want to do Netflix – streamers.
W: Yes! We’re breaking America.
AJ: We’re going global. Why not? I think me and Will could do everything together. We could do quiz shows, game shows, dating shows. And reality, obviously. I’d love to host Blind Date. How fun would that be? ‘Helloooo! Contestant number one, what’s your name and where do you come from?’
W: Oh my gosh, I’ve got goosebumps. I love coming up with formats for shows. Haven’t had any commissioned yet, but some of them are pretty good. AJ has the most phenomenal eye for TV, like an amazing producer-director’s head. What we actually haven’t properly done is sit down and work on ideas together. I developed an idea before Big Brother for AJ, which got optioned by a production company and got touted around at the wrong time. It was a big show. Do you remember it?
AJ: Well, we need to revisit it. Don’t tell heat the idea, though – that’s our meal ticket!
Are you excited for the new series of Big Brother next month?
AJ: Buzzing. Literally can’t wait. It’s going to be a longer run this year as well.
W: Seven weeks! Eviction nights are so good – it’s like a gig.
AJ: They’re the closest I get to feeling like an actual pop star. We’re both onstage all glammed up, huge crowd, I’ve got a microphone in my hand, there’s music, we’re dancing, we’re singing. The MC says, ‘Please welcome AJ Odudu and Will Best…’ and I’m like, ‘Woo!’ I feel like I’m at the O2 Arena coming out of the floor. It’s like a dream.
This year marks the show’s 25th anniversary – is there anything extra planned?
W: There’s the extra week, then who knows? We’re always the last people to find out in terms of who’s going in and all that stuff. But I think this cast is going to be special and I imagine Big Brother will be up to some extra tricks.
AJ: It’s a special year, so it’s going to be amazing. It’s so moving to think that we’re going to be hosting Big Brother on its 25th anniversary year. Even though me and Will don’t know the ins and outs of the series just yet, I’m sure there’ll be lots of amazing twists and surprises – and an epic cast, as always.
W: Since it’s gone to ITV, every series has been amazing in different ways. It’s constantly evolving and I can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Who would be in your ideal CBB lineup?
AJ: I’d want Edward Enninful, the former editor of British Vogue. That would be really fun.
W: That would be awesome. And Anna Wintour’s not working at the moment.
AJ: Get her in there.
W: When you look at past series of CBB, one of the things that makes an amazing housemate is somebody who doesn’t know the format. Louis Walsh didn’t know the format when he went in.
AJ: He kept asking, when do the cameras stop? They don’t!
W: Louis kept thinking there were ‘scenes’. Jackie Stallone [from the 2005 series] had no idea, either. She famously said, ‘I thought I was going to be in here with the finest minds in Britain.’ Instead, she got Kenzie from Blazin Squad. I think the chaos always leads to something amazing.
AJ: As for the upcoming housemates, it’s people who are up for it, sharing all parts of themselves. They’re the bravest people in the UK. I always want to see a real smorgasbord of people – a diverse set of housemates, of all ages, sizes and creeds.
W: And a real cross-section of British society now. What Big Brother has always done so well is hold that mirror up to what conversations are happening on the outside and the state of society. That’s when the show’s at its best.
Did either of you foresee the romance between Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa this year?
W: Of course not.
AJ: It’s beautiful. I’m very happy for them. It was amazing to watch JoJo blossom in the Big Brother house. I really enjoyed getting to know her outside of her pop-star persona.
W: They both had the time of their lives. I interviewed her soon after she came out and she said it’s the best thing she’s ever done. They all loved it. I was supposed to have lunch with Donna [Preston] the other day and I had to cancel because my dog got a grass seed in his ear and I had to take him to the vet. I was livid. We had a boozy lunch planned, but I know that she had an amazing time. Danny Beard had the most amazing time. Jack P Shepherd lived his actual best life. He was a superfan of Big Brother, so he loved being in there. Everyone should do it.
How would you feel about going into the house?
AJ: Absolutely not.
W: Never in a million, billion years.
You just said everyone should do it…
AJ: Everyone else but us! I like coming out from the floor and feeling like a pop star on eviction night.
Who would be your dream housemates if you were in the house?
AJ: If I was in there, it’d be great if Will was in, too. I’d like a house full of fun and laughter and joy. I’d just get all my mates in. Let’s get Maya Jama – she’d be so much fun. Tom Allen, Joe Lycett, Suzi Ruffell, Rosie Jones – you’re all up.
W: I’d want Danny Dyer in there.
AJ: And Emma Willis – get yourself back in there!
W: And Judi Love. I worked with Johnny Vegas the other day, he’s such a lovely bloke. He’s an absolute legend.
AJ: Charlene White. I want them all!
Do you party together?
AJ: We love to party and have fun together. What’s our ritual? We like to have a meal, line the stomachs, refuel and get ready to dance.
W: My favourite party thing we did together was a daytime festival. We had a nice lunch with wine – very civilised – and then a filthy rave-up, which was less civilised.
AJ: That felt wholesome. It felt balanced. I felt like, “I’m an adult now. I’m so proud of me”.
W: AJ and I have different ways of partying these days.
AJ: And different ways of recovering.
W: I do breakfast radio now, so I have to think about protecting ‘tomorrow Will’. I still want to go to gigs but I have to wake up at 5am, so Holiday Inn Express’ Fresh box is my ultimate godsend during a summer of festivals and pop gigs.
AJ: The Fried box suits me down to a tee. It’s got cooling eye gel patches, hydration sachet and more. I recover after the fun. I never regret a good time.
Holiday Inn Express’ Fresh or Fried campaign is running until 24 September 2025, with boxes available at select properties across the UK and Ireland, and online at hiexfreshfried.com, while stocks last. Find out more at Holiday Inn Express.