Bill Oddie turns down Celebrity Big Brother

By Patrick McLennan
( What's on TV )
published

Bill Oddie has claimed he has been offered 'a lot of money' to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, but has apparently turned it down.

The 71-year-old bird lover and star of The Goodies revealed on Twitter he had been offered the chance to earn more money than he would in a year to appear on the Channel 5 reality TV show.

Bill tweeted: "My agent just called - 'Is Bill available to do Celebrity Big Brother?' Well, folks what do you think? (It's a lot of money!)"

But he later added: "This just in- I shall NOT be doing Celebrity Big Brother, nor will I be earning more than I have done all year!"

Celebrity Big Brother usually takes place at the beginning of the year.

The new series of regular Big Brother begins on Thursday, June 13. It has been given a 'Secrets and Lies' theme and contestants will live in an eco-friendly house and grow their own food.

The last series of Celebrity Big Brother was won by former X Factor contestant Rylan Clark, who has been signed up to host Big Brother's Bit On The Side. Emma Willis will now host the main show.

 

Patrick McLennan
Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.