Chris McCausland is the first celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand-new 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
JLS singer JB Gill will also appear with the BBC competition announcing the line-up amid an ongoing scandal regarding the conduct of its professional dancers.
Comedian McCausland, a regular face on flagship comedy shows like Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You?, said in a statement that he wasn’t feeling optimistic about his dancing skills but is ready for the challenge regardless.
“I don’t dance, I haven’t danced, I can’t dance, I can’t see the dancing I will have to do. What can possibly go wrong? Ok don’t answer that!” he said.
McCausland, also known for playing Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too!, said: “If anybody out there is thinking ‘How the hell is he going to do that?’ then rest assured that I am thinking exactly the same thing.”
Asked how he feels about taking part, he said: “Apprehensive, massively apprehensive. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, I’ve never watched it, obviously. It’s just some music. I don’t dance, I have never danced. I grew up with headbanging and mosh pits.”
The 46-year-old will be the first blind contestant to compete in the show. He lost his eyesight in his early 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition. The diagnosis resulted in him leaving his job in web development, before joining the entertainment industry and finding success.
Meanwhile, Gill said: “I danced in the Strictly Christmas special over a decade ago and LOVED it, so when I got the call to join Strictly this year, it was an immediate yes from me.
“I’m raring to go to and looking forward to showing off some new skills to the JLS boys.”
The remaining celebrity contestants joining the new series will be announced in due course, but they are rumoured to include DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, former Arsenal player Paul Merson and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham.
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The 22nd series arrives as the programme faces scrutiny over the treatment of some of its celebrity participants.
Two professional dancers, Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, have now left the show following allegations made about their conduct during training. Pernice has denied allegations of “threatening and abusive behaviour,” while Di Prima said in a statement he “deeply regrets” kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during a rehearsal.
The revelations have forced the BBC to conduct an investigation into Pernice’s behaviour, and to announce new welfare precautions to help look after contestants.
A statement shared by the organisation last month, said: “Going forward, we will: have a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all times; increase existing support with the addition of two new roles on the show dedicated to welfare support – a Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer; and deliver further training for the production team and crew.”
Former crew members have also come forward to make complaints about the show’s environment, including allegations of sexually inappropriate comments in the workplace, and a work culture deemed “tense, toxic [and] uncomfortable”.
Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, who quit the 2023 series, said in an interview last week that she and her lawyer are trying to access 50 hours of rehearsal room footage that was filmed during her training with Pernice, which she alleged shows her time “spent in a room that was toxic” with the Strictly professional.
Days later, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore, who was partnered with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice in 2016, alleged she was subjected to “inappropriate behaviour” during her time on the show, and said that she initially raised concerns at the time.
The show will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the forthcoming season, but the organisation seems determined to not let the allegations cast a shadow over the celebrations.