Strictly Come Dancing could return without an audience, BBC confirms
The broadcaster's director of content Charlotte Moore made the comments during a virtual panel discussion yesterday
It goes without saying that Strictly Come Dancing is one of the crown jewels of the BBC's entertainment line-up - and it seems the broadcaster is willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure the programme can go ahead this year.
Last week we reported that producers were entertaining the possibility of introducing double eliminations to keep the 2020 series on track, and now it's been revealed that shooting the show without a studio audience is another option being considered.
The BBC's director of content, Charlotte Moore, made the comments while taking part in a virtual panel discussion as part of the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday (28th April) making clear that a number of options are still being assessed.
Moore said, "The other thing I would say is [people think] if it is shiny floor, it needs an audience, and I don't think that's necessarily true.
"When you look at something like RuPaul's Drag Race, which is a big shiny floor talent competition with all sorts of catwalks, singing, dancing, impressions - it never has an audience.
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"The audience is the four judges and I don't think it suffers from that at all. I think it is a brilliant show!"
She continued by saying that ensuring the show can go ahead in one form or another remains a top priority for the BBC, but was quick to point out that several things could still change.
Meanwhile, Strictly fans will be treated to a number of compilation episodes in the coming weeks, with three separate specials set to focus on the Movies, Musicals and Blackpool weeks from previous runs of the show – with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman hosting as usual, and the judging line-up joining from home.
Kate Phillips, controller of BBC Entertainment, said: “We’ll be bringing some much-needed Strictly sparkle to the nation.”
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