Zoe Ball confident 'Strictly' will go ahead this year
Strictly’s Zoe Ball has said she is sure this year’s series will go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The future of the BBC programme’s 2020 series has been hanging in the balance amid the lockdown, which has had a huge impact on the TV industry.
But Ball – who hosts Strictly spin-off It Takes Two – said she believes it will still air although it may be a bit different.
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The Sun quoted her as saying: “Whatever happens with the situation I know that they are going to put that show on somehow.
“It might not have a studio audience, it might be slightly different."
Judge Shirley Ballas also revealed she feels confident it will go ahead, saying “where there is a will, there is a way”.
“I spoke to some people and they will do anything and everything to make sure that show goes on,” she said.
Last month BBC bosses also gave Strictly fans some hope when they said the network was “doing everything it can” to see it on screen as normal.
Speaking in an interview with Emma Bullimore, the BBC’s Controller of Programming Dan McGolpin said they were keeping “fingers crossed”.
He said: “It wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have Strictly in the autumn, would it? So no of course the BBC is doing everything it can, and I know that everyone involved in that production team would absolutely love that to happen this Autumn.”
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The dancing competition usually launches in late summer with the celebrity line-up revealed. The live shows then start in October and run until December.
McGolpin went on: “So we’ve really just got to keep watching the government advice, thinking about what’s possible. And if there’s any way of bringing Strictly back this autumn, then we absolutely will.”