Major ITV star poached by BBC beating out Holly Willoughby as host of huge reboot show
IT’S one of a string of come-back shows but 2023’s Survivor reboot has got the man of the moment to present it.
Masked Singer host Joel Dommett is the latest ITV big name to be poached by the BBC, alongside Holly Willoughby, Paddy McGuinness and Bradley Walsh.
Holly was in the frame for Survivor but Joel beat her to it — partly because he said he was a huge fan of the original run.
A TV insider said: “He was offered the job just before Christmas and accepted almost immediately. It is his first BBC primetime role and is a huge leap for him.
“Holly was his closest competitor but is so busy it was hard for them to make the dates work.
“Joel was a massive fan of the original series and made that clear when approached. He really impressed with his passion, and work on The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer.
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“The BBC feel Survivor is going to be massive, and having Joel is the cherry on the cake.”
It started out in 2001 with two series on ITV and featured a group stranded on a remote island, battling to survive and win a £1million prize.
Newsreader Mark Austin hosted the first series, and cricket commentator Mark Nicholas the next, before the show was canned in 2002.
The Sun revealed in April that the BBC was rebooting the format, with a big-budget makeover. It is the latest show to be revived, with Gladiators, Deal Or No Deal and Big Brother all in the pipeline.
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And Joel follows Holly by heading to the rival channel.
Holly, presenter of ITV daytime show This Morning, has become a favourite of the Beeb and was wined and dined at an awards ceremony in November by its content boss Charlotte Moore.
Bradley, host of ITV quiz The Chase, has also fronted BBC shows, as has Paddy, who went from Take Me Out on ITV to showing off flash motors on Top Gear.
Bradley is also lined up to front the new Gladiators on BBC1 with son Barney.
Joel began as an actor before moving into stand-up comedy.
In 2016 he came second to Gogglebox’s Scarlett Moffatt on ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity and two years later got his big break as The Masked Singer’s host. He has also presented the National Television Awards since 2021.
It shows what can happen if you stay humble and work hard — perhaps others should take note.
DOCTOR LOO HAS LANDED
OUR favourite Time Lord often lands in places we could never imagine ending up.
Now that’s even more true as Doctor Who is about to materialise on toilet roll.
Bosses of the BBC1 sci-fi series have given permission for the show’s logo to go on a string of products.
And it is probably an attempt to claw back some of the extra millions being spent on the show.
After David Tennant features in three specials later this year to mark its 60th anniversary, he will hand the keys to the Tardis over to new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.
After that, Disney+, which is joining forces with the Beeb, will be pumping vast amounts of cash into turbo-charging the series for an international audience.
Hopefully the Doctor Who loo roll will help wipe some of the debt away.
RUSSELL: NO NEED TO FEAR
DOCTOR Who’s new boss Russell T Davies has reassured fans it will be “the same show” after the BBC teams up with Disney+.
The move comes after a dip in viewing figures over the past few years.
In the latest issue of Doctor Who magazine, Russell said: “I know people are, naturally, worried about American producers having notes on things. Well, don’t be. They’re giving excellent notes.
"And I’m here to tell you, you haven’t watched a drama on British television in 20 years that hasn’t had American notes on it.”
Russell even teased a possible return of obscure villain Mavic Chen, President of the Solar System.
FORMER Corrie star Helen Flanagan has had a boob job. She was “really nervous” about sharing the news but felt she needed the surgery after her breasts got “really saggy”.
Helen told all in an Instagram video yesterday, saying she went under the knife in a bid to “feel more confident”.
DAVINA’S SALUTE TO DYING
LONG Lost Family’s Davina McCall wants to take us on another emotional ride.
She’d like to make a This Is Your Life-style show for those with life-limiting illnesses.
The presenter, whose sister Caroline died of cancer in 2012, revealed she has been toying with the idea as she spoke on Stephen Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast.
She said: “Because of my sister, I was thinking about a TV programme I’d love to do called Legacy, because my sister was a beautiful person and I never think she felt it. But, my god, her funeral was amazing.
"She was loved so much and I kept thinking, ‘Why aren’t you here? Oh my god, you’d love this, you have no idea how much you were loved, what a huge impact you had on so many people’s lives’.
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“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do a sort of This Is Your Life TV programme where you bring all the people together, but for somebody that is life-limited, somebody who has a year left and you do their funeral before they die?’.
“Have a living wake for them. It’s horrific, but great.”