BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing Will Have Shorter Season, Quarantine a Possibility
DWTS is returning to the ABC schedule this fall. But how will they proceed amid coronavirus concerns? Strictly Come Dancing is the BBC dancing competition that ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is based upon. Details the BBC recently revealed about how they plan to proceed safely may be an indicator of how ABC will produce DWTS this fall.
A BBC spokesperson tells Deadline that the series will be shortened to keep standards high. The show usually airs for about 14 weeks in the fall. However, the BBC wouldn’t say how many episodes they plan to eliminate.
Fewer episodes probably also means fewer celebrity contestants, as couples are eliminated every week. The BBC has not completed casting yet, as the professional dancers are preparing for rehearsals that begin next month.
A BBC spokesman said: “To ensure we deliver the high standards audiences know and love, and in light of the ongoing considerations around COVID-19, this year’s series of Strictly will have a slightly shorter run than usual.”
Along with fewer weeks of shows, there are a number of safety proposals under consideration. Safe filming may include the BBC quarantining cast and crew at a hotel through the run of the season.
“We are considering isolating the dancers and key production members to enable our much-loved group numbers to continue,” a spokesman told Deadline.
Will Dancing with the Stars Follow Strictly’s Lead?
Separate reports say that Bruno Tonioli, who usually flies back and forth between the US and UK on a weekly basis to sit on the judges panel of both shows, will ditch Strictly to judge DWTS.
Also, Len Goodman who judged on both shows at one time, but quit Strictly for DWTS in the past few years to ease his schedule, will likely be stranded in the UK, unable to travel into the US for the season. Maybe he can take Bruno’s place!
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In any case, a shorter season with fewers contestants, and everybody involved quarantining for the duration sounds like a plan. We’ll see which of the BBC adjustments DWTS winds up adopting. Filming in an audience-less studio goes without saying, I would think.
