Strictly Come Dancing pros "waiting to hear about rule changes" ahead of 2020 series
Katya Jones has suggested Strictly 2020 will go ahead – with new coronavirus social distancing guidelines
Will Strictly Come Dancing return to screens this year? Long-time pro on the show Katya Jones has given fans hope, suggesting production teams are still planning for the BBC One competition to air as scheduled.
Speaking on Fubar Radio's Access All Areas show, the ballroom dancer said that everyone is "working really, really hard to make it work", before hinting some major rule changes good be afoot.
"I think we'll need to wait and hear how the rules are going to change further on because we normally start at the end of July/beginning of August, so things might drastically change of course with the social distancing and things like that,” she said.
"But I think the nation needs some sparkles of Strictly!”
Earlier this week, it was reported sources close to the show said Strictly 2020 could go ahead without a studio audience, group performances or Blackpool Week.
More like this
When asked by RadioTimes.com, the BBC chose not to comment on speculation about the upcoming series.
It’s still unclear if the show will broadcast as scheduled, with stars of the show offering different views. While judge Craig Revel Horwood saying there would be a “way around” social distancing restrictions, dancer Anton Du Beke suggested the Strictly 2020 could be delayed.
In a recent RadioTimes.com poll, 59 per cent of respondents said they'd still want to see Strictly go ahead, even with social distancing measures and no studio audience.
Elsewhere in Strictly news, professional dancers Aljaz Skorjanec and Pasha Kovalev have denied allegations they dumped a dancer from an upcoming live show without telling him.
Although ballet dancer Sam Salter was set to join the Strictly duo in their Here Come The Boys live shows, he said he have been dropped from the tour after it was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Salter said he’d been replaced in the show’s promotional material by Strictly pro Graziano Dr Prima
He said: "You haven’t even told me directly that you’re going ahead. You’ve literally cropped me out of the poster and put someone else in.”
In a statement to the Mirror, producers of show Here Come The Boys said: “The casting for next year’s tour was always the producer’s decision. Unfortunately, we now understand that Sam’s agent failed to communicate this to him.
"Over three weeks ago we contacted all the headline artists involved in the 2020 version via their representatives, including Sam Salter’s agent, informing them that this tour would be cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.”
If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.
