Big Brother narrator Marcus Bentley is often recognised for his voice in public – and was once asked to narrate a funeral.
The UK version of the iconic reality show returns to ITV at 9pm tonight after being axed by Channel 5 in 2018.
Since 2000, Big Brother has created iconic characters such as ‘Nasty’ Nick and moments such as ‘David’s dead’ - but voiceover actor Marcus Bentley has truly defined the show as its narrator.
Speaking to The Anton Savage Show, Mr Bentley said he is “absolutely frazzled” ahead of Big Brother’s return.
“I'm loving every minute of it,” he said.
“Five years away, and now Big Brother is back and so am I.”
Mr Bentley has narrated the show and its spin-offs for 23 years, covering a total of 2,008 episodes – but he never expected to go that far.
Our Housemates will soon be calling this place home... #BBUK pic.twitter.com/NlrAJna0es
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) October 7, 2023
“When I first got the gig, I’d already been doing voiceovers for a couple of years,” he said.
“[The producers] heard my show reel, asked me to do a little bit of a test, and they really loved how I said ‘chickens’, and I got the gig.
“A couple of weeks into it, my wife said, ‘Marcus, this might be a bigger thing than you think’.”
'Do you have the time, sir?'
Currently living in Bristol, Mr Bentley is often recognised by Big Brother superfans.
“I once got followed around a department store and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, do they think I’m stealing?’,” he said.
“Then this shop guy just randomly said, ‘Uh, do you have the time, sir?’.”
'I even did a funeral'
Many fans who meet Mr Bentley ask him to make a Big Brother-style voicemail and he’s often asked to provide voiceovers at local events.
“I have done weddings, I’ve done Bar Mitzvahs, marriage proposals, Best Man speeches,” he said.
“I even did, I can’t believe it, someone's funeral.
“She was a massive fan, Allison was her name, and she asked me to record a little something for her cremation ceremony – I couldn’t refuse.
“As her coffin went through into the crematorium furnace, the Big Brother was playing out with ‘Alison, you have been evicted from planet Earth please leave immediately’.”
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