Rhod Gilbert has replaced Nick Knowles as the presenter of 'DIY SOS: The Big Build' for a charity special.
Rhod Gilbert
The 52-year-old comedian will step into the presenter's builders' boots as a one-off for 'Children in Need' when he joins the team - including Mark Millar, Chris Frediani, Jules Perryman and Bill Byrne- and local tradesmen and volunteers as they join forces and attempt to turn an empty field into an exciting adventure camping site for children and young people in Hull, East Yorkshire.
Rhod said: "It’s a great honour to step in to Nick’s enormous steel toe-capped boots and be involved in 'Children in Need'.
"I’m looking forward to joining the infamous 'DIY SOS' team, and rallying an enormous group of local volunteers on a wonderfully ambitious and important project. After having tried my hand at over 30 jobs on my Work Experience TV programme, I'm hoping I may even be of some use around the site. My vis is high and my hat is hard, so bring it on."
Paolo Proto, Executive Producer on 'DIY SOS' added: “We are delighted to have Rhod join the team for this incredibly special build in Hull for St Michael’s Youth Project. We can’t wait to see him get his hands dirty, and we’ll need his humour and empathy as we transform an empty field into an adventure camping site that will benefit children and young people across Hull, for the 'Big Build BBC Children in Need Special'.”
Bosses' decision to have Rhod present the charity special comes after Nick - who has hosted the DIY series since 1999 - found himself in trouble with the BBC when he agreed to play a builder in an advert for Shreddies.
The deal with the breakfast cereal breached the organisation's rules and they threatened to axe him from the show if he didn't pull out of the campaign, which had already aired on television and been paid for. However, they later agreed to let him stay.
A joint statement said at the time: “Both Nick and the BBC have resolved the issue recently reported relating to Nick’s commercial agreements and BBC guidelines."
A BBC spokeswoman added: “Nick is an important member of the BBC family and we are pleased that this matter is resolved.”
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