BBC: Strictly not ready for same-sex couples

DESPITE a growing clamour for change, Strictly Come Dancing will not feature same-sex couples this year, the BBC has announced.

Former contestants and judges have been among those suggesting it was time the popular Saturday night show moved with the times and paired dancers of the same gender.

Judge Rinder, a former contestant, said “it would be great”, telling The Daily Telegraph this week that “visibility really does matter”. But the BBC has chosen not to risk any controversy, confirming the format for the series starting on Aug 31 will not change.

“Strictly has chosen the traditional format of mixed-sex couples and at the moment we have no plans to introduce same-sex couples,” a spokesman said.

Last year, Craig Revel-horwood, one of the judges, said he saw no reason why two men or two women could not be paired, saying: “I think it’ll probably happen next year.” Last year, Susan Calman, who is married to a woman, was criticised by LGBT activists for dancing with a man. But Richard Coles, a fellow contestant and a gay Church of England vicar, said he understood why couples were mixed after initially favouring the idea. He said: “There’s a complementarity when men and women dance which is different when couples are the same sex. I would happily dance with AJ or Anton, but I get the aesthetic argument.”

Meanwhile, Vick Hope, 28, a Capital FM presenter, has been confirmed as the first contestant for the 2018 series.