The nationwide lockdown is slowly starting to lift, but there is still no word about when our favourite TV shows might be able to resume filming or indeed if they can start filming at all. Being one of the BBC's most popular shows, there has been plenty of speculation regarding this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing, as dancing in couples would mean being unable to social distance. While there is still no official word on the 2020 show, here's everything everyone has said about the series coming back post-lockdown...
Will the Strictly Blackpool special be cancelled?
It has been reported that the series could go ahead as usual, but will cancel the Blackpool special episode due to the size of the audience that would go against social distancing rules on large crowds. The special episode also sees the contestants take part in group dances, which wouldn't work with government guidelines at the moment. However, the BBC has yet to comment on whether this will indeed be the case.
Finding a way around social distancing
One of the show's judges Craig Revel Horwood has said that he is sure that there will be a way around the coronavirus restrictions. Chatting on The Steph Show via video call, he said: "I've spoken to the producers and they’re working through absolutely everything to make it happen. I know, fingers crossed, it will. There is some way around it, there has to be. People love the show, it’s great entertainment… We really want it back and I know BBC One are working extremely hard to make that happen for the audience."
Suggesting that dancers could be filmed without audiences using remote cameras, he continued: "When I did it in Australia, we managed to do it without a studio audience. And when people needed to be isolated, one couple, for instance, stayed in a hotel for two weeks and they performed live from the hotel rooftop. They set remote cameras up and it was absolutely amazing. There was a summer breeze wafting through their costumes and it was amazing. So there is a way around it, and it could be even more spectacular."
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Will Strictly be delayed until later in the year?
Since the professionals begin training in August, Anton du Beke has previously suggested that the schedule might have to be pushed back. Chatting on Good Morning Britain, he said: "The pros start in August, but that’s the pro numbers. We’re in group dance rehearsals then. We’re just putting together the numbers that we do during the series. The celebrities don’t get involved until the beginning of September and then the live shows start a bit further into September, so I suppose there’s a contingency there that we could just push the whole thing back and we can forego the group dance rehearsals."
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The dad-of-two continued: "There are some contingencies available I think, with timings there’s a bit of flexibility. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do some studio stuff by then and the lockdown will be over, but no one knows anything yet because the lockdown is still going on."
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Will Strictly introduce a same-sex pairing in 2020?
It has been reported that, like with Dancing on Ice, Strictly will make the historic decision to introduce a same-sex pairing on the show. BBC has yet to confirm the reports, but released a statement back in 2019 which read: "Strictly Come Dancing is an inclusive show and we are proud to have featured same-sex dancing amongst the professional dancers in group numbers in previous series. We are completely open to the prospect of including same-sex pairings between our celebrities and professional dancers in the future, should the opportunity arise."