Zoe Ball confident 'Strictly' will go ahead this year

Zoe Ball at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2016 (Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Zoe Ball at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2016 (Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)

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.

Read more: Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood engaged

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."

Craig Revel Horwood (left), Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli (right) arriving at the red carpet launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2019, held at BBC TV Centre in London, UK.
'Strictly' judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli at the red carpet launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2019

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.

Dance Coach Dame Shirley Ballas poses for photographers on arrival at the 2019 BAFTA Television Awards in London, Sunday, May 12, 2019.(Photo by Grant Pollard/Invision/AP)
Shirley Ballas poses for photographers on arrival at the 2019 BAFTA Television Awards in London (Grant Pollard/Invision/AP)

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.”

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

Explained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the flu

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.”