Strictly bosses hold last-minute presenter auditions as they scramble to secure a host: ‘Nine stars make up final shortlist and will battle it out in dress rehearsal with judging panel’
BBC bosses have still not secured new Strictly Come Dancing hosts, and it’s a race against time with just five months to go before the 24th series is due to kick off.
Leaks about celebrity competitors normally begin to circulate around this time of year, but instead all the focus is on finding replacements for Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who departed the flagship show last year.
Tess and Claudia, who had presented the show for 21 years, announced they were leaving back in October but six months on and there’s still no confirmation of who will be taking over.
In the latest update, it’s been revealed that a series of presenting auditions will be held this week with nine stars set to go head to head.
After weeks of speculation and multiple major names turning the job down, nine shortlisted stars have been summoned to a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band in a bid to get the troubled show back on track.
BBC bosses will be holding the secret auditions and chemistry tests with the celebrities from Monday until Friday and have forced the stars to sign strict NDAs to keep the tryouts under wraps.
BBC bosses have still not secured new Strictly Come Dancing hosts, and it’s a race against time with just five months to go before the 24th series is due to kick off; pictured Emma Willis
Following Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly quitting the series last year, the BBC are on the hunt for a new presenting line-up to bring a fresh take to the show; pictured Angela Scanlon
A source told The Sun: ‘It’s not just about reading autocue. They’ll be looking at how people work together and humour is a massive part of it. There’s everything to play for.’
The chosen few who have been called to the final test will be watched closely and bosses are hoping to make a decision soon.
Among those confirmed to be in the callbacks are Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon and One Show presenter Alex Jones.
Other stars summoned to the auditions are This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul’s Drag Race star La Voix and Radio 2’s Zoe Ball.
A source said: ‘They really want to bring the fun this year. It’s all about chemistry who clicks instantly and can keep the energy up live on air.
‘They could stick with two female hosts as that’s worked brilliantly. But they’re also open to mixing it up.
‘If Rylan and Tom Allen click, that could be a hilarious pairing. Equally, they could even introduce a third presenter to shake things up.’
Bosses are believed to be testing a range of combinations and nothing is off the table.
Nine stars are set to go head-to-head at a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals; pictured Rylan Clark and Alison Hammond
BBC bosses will hold the secret auditions and chemistry tests with the huge celebrities, including Alex Jones, from Monday until Friday
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Sources claimed that Strictly bosses judge some pros’ following on TikTok when decided which stars would be axed in the show’s mass cull.
They said that bosses have chosen to keep pros with a bigger online following in a desperate bid to draw in younger viewers.
It’s been claimed those with bigger online followings have been chosen over dancers who are not so TikTok-friendly.
One example appears to be axed Nadiya Bychkova who boasts 19,000 followers, while Dianne Buswell, also 36, with 966,000 followers has kept her place in the line-up.
Last week Alison Hammond backtracked on rejecting the Strictly hosting job – insisting she’d be ‘crazy’ to turn down the opportunity.
This Morning and The Great British Bake Off star Alison, 51, has long been among the rumoured names to join the programme.
She previously distanced herself from the coveted gig, saying she was busy with her existing TV projects.
Alison told Radio Times: ‘I’m so busy babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen. It’s unrealistic.
‘I would have loved to have done it – anybody that gets it, they’re going to land the perfect job. But I’m so happy with everything I’ve got. What would I drop, to do Strictly?’
However in a new interview, Alison has since clarified her stance on taking over the ballroom.
Speaking to Metro, she revealed: ‘Do you think I would turn down Strictly if it came along?
‘Who would turn down Strictly! They’d be absolutely crazy.’
Alison continued: ‘I was trying to back them off because ultimately everyone keeps putting my name in the mix and they’re ruining my chances of even getting on to Strictly, d’you know what I mean? You all need to stop talking about it because I need to get in.’
She concluded: ‘I’m not too busy, I’m fitter than I’ve ever been before.
‘I can do Strictly. I can do it all. All these people saying: “I’m too busy, and I can’t do it…”, I could do Strictly. Let’s put that on the record.’
Elsewhere Bradley Walsh became a frontrunner for the new host.
Last week, it was reported filming for The Chase has been halted for ‘at least a year’.
Bradley, 65, who has presented the show since 2009, is said to be one of producers’ favourites to join the BBC dancing show.
But TV insiders think the presenter could be faced with a huge dilemma as he is the face of another huge Saturday night show, Gladiators.
Bradley and his son Barney, 28, brought back the 90s reboot in 2024, with the show becoming an instant ratings hit.
It has so far spanned three series, two celebrity versions and CBBC spin-off, with many of the Gladiators making a string of TV appearances including Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Sewing Bee.
If Bradley was to get the Strictly job, he may have to walk away from Gladiators which has helped launched his son’s presenting career.
