Will Best is temporarily stepping back from the Hits Radio Breakfast Show as he balances his commitments to Strictly Come Dancing and Big Brother.
The television and radio presenter announced on air that he will not be joining Fleur East and James Barr on the weekday breakfast show until November.
Best, 41, has been juggling an unusually busy schedule in recent weeks after signing up for the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing, while continuing to front ITV2’s hugely popular Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu.
Rather than disappearing from Hits Radio completely, however, Best has promised to remain part of the breakfast team while he concentrates on his television commitments.
He will make regular appearances on the show by phone, with listeners able to hear his weekly Strictly check-ins on Fridays and Mondays, as he updates Fleur and James on his progress in the BBC dancing competition.
Why is Will Best leaving Hits Radio Breakfast?
Will Best is taking a temporary break from the Hits Radio Breakfast Show because of his demanding schedule on Strictly Come Dancing and Big Brother.
Best has been part of the breakfast team alongside Fleur East and James Barr since April 2025, having previously worked with the Hits Radio family as a cover presenter.
The show broadcasts every weekday morning from 6am, with the trio becoming a regular part of the station’s breakfast line-up.
But Best’s workload has increased considerably this autumn.
He is currently competing on Strictly, meaning he has to fit intensive dance training, rehearsals and the live BBC shows around his existing presenting work.
At the same time, he is continuing to present ITV2’s Big Brother, which returned for its latest series in September.
That combination has left Best with a particularly packed diary.
In an interview with The Independent before Strictly began, Best described himself as having an exceptionally busy schedule, with the dance competition being added to his existing commitments at Hits Radio and Big Brother.
His temporary departure from the daily breakfast studio therefore gives him some breathing room while the Strictly competition progresses.
When will Will Best return to Hits Radio?
Best has confirmed that his break from the daily breakfast show is temporary.
He is expected to return to Hits Radio Breakfast in November.
In the meantime, listeners will still be able to hear him through his regular phone check-ins with Fleur and James.
The arrangement means Best can continue sharing his Strictly experience with the Hits Radio audience without having to make the daily journey into the breakfast studio.
His updates are also likely to give listeners an insight into what life is like behind the scenes on Strictly as the competition becomes increasingly demanding.
Will Will Best still be on Big Brother?
Yes.
Best is continuing to present Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu on ITV2 and ITVX.
The decision to temporarily step back from Hits Radio does not mean he is leaving Big Brother.
In fact, the current series has been enjoying a significant surge in viewing figures, making it another major commitment for Best during an already hectic autumn.
Best and Odudu have presented the ITV revival of Big Brother since it returned to television in 2023.
They have subsequently become the familiar faces of the show’s main coverage, with Best also having presented the celebrity version and its accompanying programmes.
Big Brother is enjoying a ratings boost
Best’s decision comes as Big Brother is enjoying one of its strongest periods since its return to ITV.
The latest series launched on ITV2 and ITVX on September 13, with ITV reporting that the opening episode consolidated at 1.4 million viewers.
More importantly for the show’s streaming performance, its first week generated 4.9 million streams, a 32% increase on the 3.7 million streams recorded over the equivalent period of the previous year’s series.
And the numbers have continued to climb.
ITV reported on September 28 that the 2026 series had reached 12.7 million streams on ITVX, up 50% on the 8.5 million streams recorded after 13 episodes of the previous year’s series.
The broadcaster also reported that viewing among 16-34-year-olds was up 17% across the first two weeks.
One episode attracted 645,000 viewers, making it the show’s biggest audience outside its launch episodes since 2024 and representing a 41% year-on-year increase.
Those figures underline why Big Brother remains such a significant part of Best’s television schedule.
Who is Will Best?
Will Best is a British television and radio presenter who has built a career across music, entertainment and reality television.
He first made his television presenting debut in 2010, when he hosted the music and comedy show Suck My Pop on Viva.
He subsequently presented a number of entertainment programmes, including Love Shaft, Dance Dance Dance and the CBBC series Airmageddon.
His career has also included more serious broadcasting.
In 2015, he fronted the BBC documentary Is This Rape?: Sex on Trial, exploring attitudes towards sexual consent and rape.
Best later appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Coach Trip in 2022 before becoming one of the faces of ITV’s revived Big Brother the following year.
He has also made appearances as an entertainment correspondent on programmes including This Morning and Lorraine.
His career has therefore gradually moved between live television, entertainment reporting, reality TV and radio.
When did Will Best join Hits Radio?
Best joined Hits Radio Breakfast in April 2025.
His first show on the station’s breakfast programme was on April 28, 2025.
However, he had already established a relationship with Hits Radio before becoming a permanent member of the breakfast team.
He had previously covered for Sam Thompson and hosted an Off the Record session for the station featuring David Guetta.
In November 2025, he also appeared alongside Fleur East and James Barr at Hits Radio Live events in Birmingham and Manchester.
Best subsequently became a regular part of the breakfast line-up, broadcasting alongside Fleur and James every weekday morning.
Who is Will Best’s Strictly Come Dancing partner?
Will Best is partnered with Dianne Buswell on Strictly Come Dancing 2026.
The pair are competing together as Best attempts to learn ballroom and Latin dancing in front of the show’s judges and millions of viewers.
Best was announced as one of the celebrities taking part in the 2026 series in July.
At the time, he admitted that he was excited but nervous about taking on the challenge.
“I have no idea if I can actually dance,” he joked in comments published by Hits Radio, although he said he was ready to embrace the sequins and the dance floor.
Before the series began, Best described signing up for Strictly as a “dream come true”, while acknowledging that the prospect of performing live was also terrifying.
The 2026 series launched on September 19, with 15 celebrities taking part.
The first live competition show followed the launch, with Best among the celebrities beginning their battle for the Glitterball Trophy.
How is Will Best doing on Strictly?
Best’s Strictly journey is now well under way.
The 2026 competition features a particularly wide-ranging celebrity line-up, with Best joined by stars including Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Bethany Antonia and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The series also features a new presenting team, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe taking over hosting duties.
For Best, Strictly represents a very different challenge from the live television and radio work he has become accustomed to.
He has plenty of experience presenting in front of cameras and live audiences, but ballroom and Latin dancing are new territory.
Speaking before the competition began, he admitted that the physical demands of Strictly were something he was still getting used to.
That makes his decision to temporarily step away from Hits Radio particularly understandable as the competition progresses and the remaining celebrities face increasingly demanding routines.
Will Best’s Strictly schedule explains the Hits Radio decision
Best has effectively been working three major jobs at once.
He has been:
- competing on Strictly Come Dancing
- presenting Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu
- co-hosting Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East and James Barr.
That is on top of the preparation, rehearsals, interviews and promotional commitments that come with each programme.
Best previously said that his Strictly schedule was being fitted around his other television and radio work, describing the overall workload as a significant challenge.
The temporary Hits Radio break therefore allows him to concentrate on the two television shows that are currently occupying most of his time.
And crucially for his radio listeners, he isn’t disappearing altogether.
Will Will Best return to Hits Radio?
Yes.
Best has said that he will return to the Hits Radio Breakfast Show in November.
Until then, Fleur East and James Barr will continue presenting the breakfast programme, while Best will stay connected with listeners through his regular phone appearances.
Those check-ins should also give Hits Radio listeners a running commentary on his Strictly journey as the competition heads towards its later stages.
For now, Best’s autumn is likely to remain exceptionally busy.
He has a live dancing competition to navigate, a hit reality show to present and a popular radio programme waiting for him when his Strictly commitments eventually ease.
And with Big Brother currently enjoying a substantial increase in ITVX streaming figures, his decision to temporarily step away from the daily radio studio comes at a particularly busy point in his television career.
Get entertainment news, where to watch guides & lifestyle/travel recommendations in your inbox for free:
Discover where to stream the best TV shows and movies. Get fresh entertainment news, streaming guides, and real-life pop culture experiences at WhereToWatch.tv.
Share this post with someone you think would like it…