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That's my Joel
Joel Dommett pleads with telly chiefs to ‘trust’ him with a chat show as he hosts the National TV Awards on ITV1
Plus, go behind the scenes with Joel on TV Mag's exclusive photo shoot
TV presenter Joel Dommett has sent a message to his bosses that could trigger a tug-of-war between the BBC and ITV: 'I want my own chat show.'
The Masked Singer host, 39, admits in an interview with TV Mag that he feels like he's finally proved himself with big entertainment shows and live TV.
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Joel works for both ITV1 - hosting The Masked Singer, In For A Shout and The National TV Awards - and BBC1, as presenter of Survivor.
And now, in a confession that could lead to a fight for his signature between Britain's biggest channels, he admits that he wants someone to "trust" him with his very own series.
He says: "Genuinely I would love to have my own chat show. I really would love to.
"Someone else said that to me recently, and it's very difficult to know what people sort of want from me.
Read more on Joel Dommett
"It's definitely something I would love to do and try to make it your own, and make it different.
"Especially because I feel, like, I know everyone now, you know.
"It's getting to that point where hopefully I'm becoming a little bit more trusted, I suppose, in the industry.
"If people would watch it, I will happily do it."
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Joel moved from comedy into TV presenting after becoming a household name as a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016.
He has since hosted the likes of This Morning and Lorraine, as well as his big ITV1 and BBC1 shows.
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Joel took part in an exclusive photo shoot with TV Mag ahead of hosting The National TV Awards for a fourth time and road-tested the striking black suit and silk shirt he’ll be rocking on the night.
He says: “It’s wipe clean. That's what I told the tailor: ‘I want a shirt and bow tie that it’s possible for me to get champagne on and wipe it straight off.’
"It’s beautiful, it genuinely is absolutely amazing.
I'm going to be presenting the NTAs, but it’s also going to feel like I'm a contestant on Naked Attraction
Joel Dommett
"Everything will have to be made from silk from now on - I’m going to become the Mariah Carey of comedy.
“I don't think I've ever had a silk shirt before in my life. I put it on and it genuinely feels like I've got no shirt on at all.
"I'm going to be presenting the NTAs, but it’s also going to feel like I'm a contestant on Naked Attraction.”
He’ll certainly look the part, but will Joel be feeling so breezy and cool come the big night at the O2 arena?
He says: “The lead up to it is almost harder than the night itself.
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"As soon as they press record, that's when I relax.
"Whether it goes wrong or right, it's just happening.
"The preparation is the difficult thing, to get the script right, get all the production right, that's such a big operation.
"So, honestly, as soon as they go: ‘And we're live!’ I'm like: ‘Ahh, just enjoy it now.’
“I think the job as a live TV presenter is to remain calm.
"It's like you're a duck - underneath the water your feet are going mad and on top you're just elegantly swimming across the water of the NTAs. That's what I try to do.
Joel Dommett's career so far
Joel started out as an actor, landing small roles in shows including Casualty, Inspector Lynley and Skins.
But the funnyman has also presented or taken part in other big shows, such as:
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2016 - runner up)
I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp (2017-2019)
Celebrity Juice (2018-2022)
Hey Tracey! (2019-2020)
The Masked Singer (2020-present)
The Masked Dancer (2021-present)
In With a Shout (2023-present)
"It's like, say, Strictly Come Dancing will do a really long speech and all you’re thinking in your head is like: ‘Please wrap up, please wrap up, please wrap up, please wrap up.’
"And then it's like: ‘Oh, I just want to thank my mum.’
"And I'm like: ‘Don't thank your mum! Don't thank your mum!’
"But then I just keep it as calm as possible. That's all I've got to do.
“Every year I forget how hard it is, and then I say yes to it again the next year.
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"Just doing a gig at the O2 is difficult at the best of times, then it’s also live television, which is difficult.
"You're also performing in front of all of your peers.
"So there's so many layers of pressure but you’ve just got to not let it get to you and focus on the task at hand, which is essentially reading.
"I just go out, I read the autocue, have some fun and enjoy myself.
";And if I enjoy myself, then hopefully people watching at home enjoy themselves too.”
I would love it to win. I just want to win an NTA.
Joel Dommett
Excitingly for Joel, his Saturday-night primetime entertainment show The Masked Singer has been nominated once again in the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award category.
He admits, however, that he hasn’t prepared an acceptance speech.
He says: “I'm not that kind of person. I feel if I plan something, it'll never win. I don't know, I always think we're going to lose.
"The problem with that is what happened at the BAFTAs - I assumed that Strictly was going to beat The Masked Singer, then Masked Singer won and I hadn't thought about what to say.
"So suddenly I was stood in front of Kate Winslet just going like: ‘Ohhh, the producers are great. Bye.’
"The worst speech I've ever done in my entire life.
"There's not a day that goes past that I wish I’d done something better at the BAFTAs. I would love it to win. I just want to win an NTA.
"By the time I’ve finished hosting the NTAs, whenever that may be, whether it's next year, the year after, 10 years’ time, I want to have won a goddamn NTA.”
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Life has changed completely for Joel since last year’s awards, after he and his wife Hannah Cooper welcomed their son, Wilde, in early September.
And Joel admits that he couldn’t be happier becoming a dad.
He says: “I love it so much. I’m a workaholic but now it gives me a reason to be at home too.
"It's the perfect balance and he's just great. It’s so fun and difficult, but all in the right ways.
"Children are like this mad problem-solving exercise, like a Rubik's Cube that you sometimes have to figure out at three o'clock in the morning.
"I'm learning so much and it's genuinely made my life 1,000 per cent better. I feel very lucky.
"It makes me appreciate every single day.”
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Last year, Joel didn’t want to risk partying after the NTAs, given that Hannah was heavily pregnant.
So will he make up for it this year?
He says: “I'm just not very good at enjoying myself. The truth is, I enjoy myself most when I'm working.
"So when I've just been at the NTAs and I've been working for two and a half hours, I've enjoyed myself so much that I'm not going to top that.
"When it finishes, all I want to do is collapse in a heap. But then someone hands you a champagne and l’m like: ‘Okay… argh.’
“But I'm going to try to enjoy myself this year.
"Me and Hannah have realised something now that we have Wilde: when you've got childcare, you really take advantage of it.
"A night out isn't for free any more. So we've got childcare the night of the NTAS and we're staying in a hotel - so maybe this is the night that stuff gets crazy, you know?
"Maybe I'm going to get loose. Maybe I'm going to have a photograph of me getting into a taxi, the paparazzi getting a shot up my skirt.
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"That's what I want this year. I want to be sloppy!”
The National Television Awards 2024 air live at 8pm on ITV1 on Wednesday 11 September
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