Wynne Evans has all the ingredients to win Strictly Come Dancing.
He’s relatable, extremely likable, a much better dancer than anyone anticipated and he’s really funny.
Or at least he can be.
Alongside Chris McCausland, Wynne looked like a dead set for the Strictly finale until he over-familiarly put his arm around the waist of partner Katya Jones on camera and shocked viewers, already on tenterhooks on the prowl for one slip-up, were quite rightly appalled.
Wynne and Katya were quick to apologise, stressing he was cracking an ‘inside joke’.
I’m so far off from being a comedian but even I could tell you that the point of inside jokes is that no one else finds them funny.
A lesson they soon learned when none of the 7million viewers who watched Strictly last Saturday night were at all amused.
I really like Wynne.
I love that he’s an unexpected highlight of this year’s Strictly when generally the bewildered reaction to him being on line-up was, ‘As in.. the Go Compare Man?’
He perfectly captures everything magical about Strictly and should he survive this weekend’s fourth elimination, I have no doubt his extremely weird joke will eventually be long forgotten.
But joking about being over-familiar with colleagues is quite clearly the last thing Strictly Come Dancing needs after a year plagued with controversy.
Richard Madeley cracked the obvious joke on Good Morning Britain, even if it was deeply unfunny.
Mocking the show’s increasingly annoying tagline ‘keep dancing’, he teased: ‘Keeeeeep groping.’
Susanna Reid’s eye-roll said it all.
Going into this series, Strictly lost two of its most popular professional dancers. A probe into Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour during training with Amanda Abbington was resolved last month, with her complaints of bullying and harassment upheld.
In July, Graziano Di Prima was sacked after footage from his training with Zara McDermott showed he kicked the former Love Island star during rehearsals last year.
I was one of many who had doubts this series of Strictly should even go ahead in 2024. It was only a few months ago the show’s reputation felt completely tarnished and would need at least a few months away for long-running fans to recover and trust its joyful reputation isn’t just an act.
One of the main concerns surrounding Strictly Come Dancing’s two exposés was that there was a toxic culture enveloping the show behind the scenes we weren’t aware of.
So what was called an ‘inside joke’ does little to build that trust that there isn’t a misogynist element among the stars when they’re off-camera.
Granted, I can’t imagine Wynne is any cause for concern.
He’s become one of the most popular pupils out of the class of 2024 because he’s clearly a genuine guy who can’t believe his luck, appearing on the most-watched TV series in the UK as part of the most-coveted line-up in showbiz.
So I like to hope that the question marks surrounding Wynne now will pass and everyone will champion him for capturing everything Strictly is about. He got carried away, severely misjudged a terrible joke and, as the wince-inducing tagline says, we will all ‘keep dancing’.
As far as grim sexist jokes go, sadly people get away with a lot worse.
But the timing couldn’t be more unfortunate. The BBC has been accused of being too slow to take action when it receives complaints so many times it’s becoming harder and harder to defend.
Amanda Abbington wasn’t the first contestant to complain about their partner’s behaviour on Strictly, but she was the first one we heard about.
Katya pleaded with the public during It Takes Two, saying she’s heartbroken ‘sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he’s not’.
She stressed: ‘Even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense. Those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong.’
Regardless, Wynne has now fallen out of favour with bookmakers. After riding high as one of the favourites to clinch first place, he’s now at risk of getting the chop this Sunday, with only Morning Live doctor Punam Krishnan and clunky footballer Paul Merson ahead of him.
Now Wynne is clearly not a monster and any suggestion he is completely exaggerated.
His joke is, however, another gut punch for the BBC hoping to re-establish Strictly Come Dancing as the campest, most joyful, and more importantly safest show on television.
Strictly has – quite rightly – been unafraid to turn up the heat on the dancefloor when routines require those moments of romance and passion; Strictly Come Dancing should be able to push its boundaries for the sake of an unforgettable performance.
Off the dancefloor is another story.
I know impressionable young people who watch Strictly and if ever there was a show to crack such a distasteful joke (which there isn’t) Strictly would be right at the bottom of that list.
Katya has repeatedly insisted she was never made to feel uncomfortable, but it’s beside the point when there is a very real threat against women in the workplace every single day.
Should Wynne be reprimanded by the BBC? I think the Glitterball trophy likely being out of his grasp now and having to spend the next week grovelling for votes is probably punishment enough. The outrage may be extreme but it’s also justified.
It is regrettable though, to put it lightly. Wynne has possibly ruined his chances to join the likes of Rose Ayling-Ellis, Bill Bailey and Stacey Dooley as a Strictly winner because he thought groping his partner on national television was funny.
His trial will be with the public this weekend when they decide if he deserves his place in the competition. I hope the jury decides he does otherwise Strictly Come Dancing will be missing one of its most exciting contestants – even if he is clearly one of its most foolish too.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6.25pm on BBC One.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Liam Payne’s death is the tragic sign we need to ban 16-year-old pop stars
MORE : Strictly Come Dancing winner needed ‘unbelievable’ transformation after becoming fire hazard
MORE : I’m A Celebrity 2024 could already have its winner in Strictly legend