Rhod Gilbert didn't call Nick Knowles before replacing him on DIY SOS: The Big Build

Rhod Gilbert didn't call Nick Knowles before accepting the 'DIY SOS: The Big Build' role.

The 53-year-old comedian has replaced the long-running host for tonight's (16.11.21) one-off 'Children In Need' special, but he has admitted he didn't contact his predecessor about the appearance.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I’m not one of these people who just rings up people I don’t know.

"But I saw immediately as soon as I took the job I saw a tweet from him saying, ‘Look, this is a bigger job than any of us presenters. This is for Children In Need and that’s what to focus on. You know, and I’m sure Rhod will do a good job’.

"And I was very pleased to see that.”

Rhod has been brought in as a temporary solution following a row over Nick's decision to play a builder in a Shreddies advert.

The deal with the breakfast cereal breached the BBC'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.

Rhod admitted he was nervous stepping into Nick's boots, but his main goal is to "not upset everybody" with his spin on the role.

He said: "All you can do is try. I’ve always said there’s no getting around whether I could do it. It was whether I’d be accepted.

"When somebody’s been doing it for 20 years, he’s gonna be bloody good at it. You know, it takes a while to find your feet on these things. I didn’t have that.

"I have got one to try and do as good a job as I can. And not upset everybody, the viewers of the show. Hopefully, I’ve managed to pull that off.”

Meanwhile, the former 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' star got advice from producers about what they wanted from him for the special.

He added: "I asked the producers what they wanted. ‘Do you want me to try and be Nick? Do you want me to try and literally step into his shoes? Or do you want me to be me?’

"They said very clearly, ‘We want you to be you. Don’t try to be somebody or not do what you’re comfortable with’, you know, which was really the only sensible answer to my stupid question.”