GMTV’s suave, sophisticated, good looking sofa host Ben Shephard is the latest celebrity to ‘get Goked’ as he hits the high street with Gok Wan for his Channel 4 series Gok’s Fashion Fix.

Gok is determined that clean cut Ben, known for his sharp suits and day time demeanour will be ‘sexed up’ and uses his as his very own ‘Ben doll’.

Gok says: “I want him to be looking a bit dirtier and a whole lot more Goked.’

As the pair embark on their shopping trip, Gok jokes that they’re going to start by checking out some new pants when Ben admits to the style guru that he doesn’t wear any under crackers.

Ben: “But I don’t wear underwear!”

A delighted Gok says: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my entire life as I am right now. Big thighs, small waist, broad shoulder and no underwear!

“I wanna get that rough edge out, I wanna filth you up.”

Keen to deviate from the shirts and v-neck jumpers, Gok laden’s Ben with armfuls of leather jackets, scruffed up jeans, and dishevelled shirts before getting him into the changing rooms for the restyle.

And ladies you’ll be delighted to hear that super fit Ben gets in the buff. But this time unfortunately he is wearing underwear…

Gok: “I never thought I’d say this but Ben Shephard can we get your jeans off?!”

Famed for his often outlandish style ideas, Gok starts off by putting Ben in some khaki combat harem pants… which are definitely a step too far for Ben.

“What was it that made you think these would suit me, MC Hammer meets Frankie Dettori. I could be a jockey in these!” says Ben.

Starting over, Gok gets him in to a black long sleeve top and dishevelled look black scarf, and it’s not long before Ben is noticing a startling similarity between his new look and that of another’s…

Ben: “Black top, a little detailing around here [neckline], who am I starting to look like? Hmmm?!”

Clad in an All Saints T shirt, leather jacket, G Star Raw jeans, aviators and the now eponymous black scarf Ben really is Gok mark two. Walking out of the store Ben says aloud:

“What do you mean I look like Gok Wan? Anyone wanna buy a scarf?”

To see Ben in his pants tune in to Gok’s Fashion Fix, Tuesday night at 8pm on Channel 4.

One stage, one chance, one life changing sum of money for one lucky member of the studio audience in this brand new entertainment series for ITV1.

Hosted by Denise Van Outen and Ben Shephard, Who Dares Sings! will challenge 100 members of the studio audience to take centre stage and belt out chart topping hits for a big cash prize.

The game show where anyone can step up the mike and sing to win. But with no panel to try and impress, our contestants will have to hope that they can hold their nerve and their ‘hot notes’ throughout the song.

Judging their performance is SAM a computer finely tuned to detect whether our contestants are hitting the hot notes. Ten hot notes feature within each song, unaware which ones they are, the contestant will have to hit and hold these notes in order to receive a high score. If these notes are missed or not held for the correct length of time, SAM will mark them lower.

But only one lucky voice will be left standing and have the chance to compete for the grand prize of £50,000. But with each performance closely scrutinised, one bum note could be the end of the road.

Ben Shephard says: “As an Essex boy born and bred I can’t wait to start working with the Queen of Essex, Denise Van Outen. The format of the show promises an entertaining evening for all and one lucky punter will have the chance of walking away with some proper cash.”

Denise says; “I’m always the first to get up on a karaoke night out with the girls, so I’m looking forward to being part of this massive Saturday night party. We’ve all sung into our hairbrushes or in the shower, but Who Dares, Sings gives people the opportunity to step into the spot light and sing on national TV. Ben tells me he can’t sing, so hopefully I can teach him a thing or two.”

Controller of Entertainment, John Kaye Cooper says: “It’s fantastic to have Denise and Ben at the helm of this exciting new series for ITV which combines the party atmosphere of a karaoke night with a fun gameshow format that could bring our winner instant fame and fortune.”

Ben Shephard has been talking about his mounting excitement over his new job as presenter on TV show, DanceX.

Ben has presented on many well known ITV shows, but this will be his first foray into the world of BBC primetime.

Shephard told the Manchester Evening News: “I feel like someone’s going to pinch me at some point and say, ‘We were only joking, Graham Norton’s going to come and do this one. He’s had a few weeks off!’

“It’s very daunting in a way, because you think about the rich history of light entertainment, the sort of stuff I watched as a kid, the sort of stuff I still watch now. It doesn’t feel real.”

Ben Shephard, host of new BBC Tv show Dance X, has revealed to The Sun newspaper why he recently left X Factor spin off show, The Xtra Factor.

He said:

“I was considered when Kate left the ITV1 show,” Ben told The Sun. “But they took Dermot instead so I decided it was time.”

Although Ben has not spoken to Simon Cowell since, he said: “I’d work with him again. You can’t really say no, can you?”

The Sun has tipped Fearne Cotton as the new host for X Factor spin off show, The Xtra Factor. Ben Shephard quit the show last month after being passed over for the main presenters job.

An ITV insider said: “Fearne was top of our list — she’s young, bright and is on top of the pop world with her Radio 1 show.

“We’re in final discussions and hope to make an announcement soon.”

After three years of fronting ITV2’s Xtra Factor, Ben Shephard has reportedly quit the show to present BBC1’s Dance X.

Reports suggest that Ben was not happy when Dermot O’Leary was asked to replace Kate Thornton as host of the main X factor show, so he accepted a job elsewhere.

A spokesman for the host said: “Ben wishes The X Factor’s entire production nothing but the best.”

Kate Thornton’s mum has spoken to the Daily Star today and told of her daughters distress at being dumped from the X Factor show.

She stated that Kate had been assured that she would be returning this year, and was in pieces when she got the call from the shows boss, Richard Holloway, to tell her that she was sacked.

Kate was reportedly told that she was being ousted as Simon wanted a male presenter for this series, he saw the success that Ryan Seacrest enjoyed on American idol and wanted to emulate that here in Britain.

I’m not sure who will be the next host, Dermot O’Leary has already turned the job down. Who knows maybe Ben Shephard will get a long awaited promotion!

The Xtra Factor : 21:15, Saturday 16 September, 2006, ITV2

Ben Shephard is back with all the backstage gossip and unseen auditions, and gets the real low down from the contestants as they leave the judging room.

This Week The Xtra Factor features:

• Louis looking for love.

• An exorcist.

• The ’Ice’ Girls.

• 4th Base – 3rd time.

• The ultimate sacrifice.

• Belly Dancing Grannies.

The girl groups this week are trying all the tricks in the trade to try and wow Simon. First in is five piece act Georgia, made up of Maria, 18, Jean-Ann, 21, Lorna, 19 and Christine, 21. The girls have written their own ballad especially for Simon, and by the smile on his place they have impressed and get a definite yes from Simon and Louis.

Next up is female trio Neopolitan who are made up of ‘Chocolate’ Danielle, 23, ‘Strawberry’, Cheryl, 20 and ‘Vanilla’, Grace, 22 all from Stevenage. They think that their fruity flavours will be enough to impress the judges. But the judges are left in stitches as Simon tries to have a sensible conversation with Chocolate. He says ‘Your voice is the best but Strawberry you’re a bit weak!’

And it is not just the girls that are hoping to impress the judges. A boy band familiar to The X Factor viewers is 4th Base who are hoping that this will be their year. This is the third year running that the boys have auditioned for the series. In the first, the boys made it through to the Bootcamp stages, in the second they got to Simon’s Judges Homes stage but just missed out on the live stages of the competition when he chose 4Tune over the boys. Will it be third time lucky for them this year and will their tenacious attitude impress Simon enough to get them through to Bootcamp? Sharon says ‘You’ve definitely improved. Your harmonies are a lot better.’ Simon says ‘I have not idea of who you are. The danger is that you are doing what American vocal harmony groups do best. And you’re second best.’ Louis says yes, Simon says no but Sharon rescues them, gives them a yes and 4th Base are through to Bootcamp.

Is love in the air for Louis? He has been attracting a lot of attention from some of the older female contestants. To his acute embarrassment, Simon and Sharon tease him every time one walks in. The ladies have inventive ways of trying to attract the Irish lothario with seductive looks, dancing, blowing kisses and even flashing stockings! Sharon jokes ‘He just loves those older ladies. I’d better start looking out.’

Ben also meets bellydancing Joyce, 62 from Ayrshire. She tells Ben ‘I’m free to be me now and I’m ready for this.’ She tells Ben that her bellydancing comes naturally for her. She sings The Closest Thing To Crazy. Simon says ‘I thought we came into this competition to find an artist like Dido and then we met you Joyce’. And Louis tells her she looks like someone that you might see in Spain! ‘What I mean Joyce is that you’re different to anybody else and you’re very jolly and you’re full of life’. He puts her through. Simon says ‘As much as I adore you I’m going to say no.’ But Sharon uses her casting vote and puts her through to Bootcamp. Afterwards she says ‘I can’t wait to tell everyone in my home town who know me as a bit of a character so I think they’ll be very thrilled for me and also my family because not a person knows. I kept it quiet.’

Friends Scott and Rob think they have what it takes to impress the judges, and a recent incident has left them closer than ever before. Scott fell ill a couple of years ago and was in need of a kidney transplant. Despite testing on all his family, doctors couldn’t find a match and it looked like Scott would face a life time of dialysis. But then friend Rob asked the doctors to test him, and despite the million to one odds Rob was an exact match, and as a Christmas present offered Scott his kidney! They audition together and despite sharing organs their vocal talents just aren’t up to scratch and get a resounding no – but not before mooning at the Judges in protest!

19 yr old Thandie from Crewe has the judges, especially Sharon in stitches. Sharon bursts into fits of giggles as Thandie walks dressed in a tiara! The bubbly Thandie joins her and collapses laughing. ‘Come on let’s get on with it Taydy’ says Simon, getting Tandie’s name wrong and setting her and Sharon off again. She starts to sing but has to stop as she started to laugh again. ‘I started laughing and Sharon just started howling’ she explained afterwards. Simon suggests that Thandie brings in her grandmother Hazel into the audition room who tells her to calm down. This time round, Sharon keeps a straight face and Thandie goes thought to Bootcamp.

Last in the room is Christina Aguilera’s number one fan Nicola, ‘My idol is Christina Aguilera. She’s so brilliant’. She’s sure that the Judges will be blown away by her voice as she sings Keep Singing My Song by her heroine. She sounds like Christina and Sharon says ‘Why would we want another Christina Aguilera when we’ve got her. You’re just doing an impersonation.’ Simon agrees. ‘It was Stars In Their Eyes. Absolutely copycat.’ Simon suggests that she goes to some sort of exorcist and get Christina out. So ITV2 comes to the rescue to cure her!