The favourite to win Strictly, Chris McCausland, wants to persuade his friend and The 1% Club host Lee Mack to do the BBC show in 2025.
The 1% Club host is coming to support his friend in Saturday’s live final when McCausland competes against Sarah Hadland, Tasha Ghouri and JB Gill.
Now the comedian — who is making history as the first blind Strictly contestant — has a plan to encourage his friend to do the show next year after being asked which comedian he would like to do an upcoming series.
He joked about Strictly being “easy” and rehearsals only being “three hours a day” as a way to persuade Mack to sign up.
“Lee Mack is coming on Saturday. I’m gonna completely underplay the demands of the show,” he told a press conference ahead of the final.
“It’s only three hours a day. You’d be brilliant at this mate. This is easy. I think Lee would be great.”
His professional dance partner Dianne Buswell agreed that Mack was a great shout for the BBC show.
Jokes aside though, McCausland lifted the lid on why he thinks the presenter would be perfect for the show. “Because Lee is as obsessive about putting the hours in, the time in, as I am. He wants to do a good job whatever he does.” He said.
However, there is one small snag in his plan. McCausland is unsure when Mack would be able to squeeze Strictly into his already very booked diary. “But he’s just signed up for more of his Not Going Out series,” he said. “I’m not sure if he’d have the time.”
Yahoo has reached out to Lee Mack’s representatives for further comment on whether he would consider doing the show.
One comedian McCausland is confident will do Strictly is his other good friend Josh Widdicombe, from The Last Leg, after he filmed this year’s Christmas special. The comedian had a good laugh about how he got to rib him over the Christmas special being easier because it’s prerecorded.
“Josh is lovely and he was so nervous about doing the Christmas special which is brilliant,” he said.
“Cos it allowed me to wind him up about the fact that he was just prerecorded and get on with yourself, but he got a taste and he loved it and I’m sure I’m putting money on the fact that in the next two or three years, he’ll be back here during the full run. And yeah, he’d be great.”
This year Strictly, the BBC’s crown jewel, celebrated 20 years and McCausland said the show is “some people’s football”.
He explained: “Strictly just wasn’t on my radar. The first time I heard the theme tune was in episode one.
“I didn’t watch the show, obviously. I had no emotional connections to it whatsoever. It was other people telling me they thought I should really give this some consideration.
“I’ve really come to appreciate how it matters to people, how it lifts their mood, how it helps people overcome their own issues. It’s some people’s football, in a way. I appreciate that now.”
Chris & Dianne Show Dance to You Get What You Give by New Radicals
Chris & Dianne Couple’s Choice to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon
Chris & Dianne Waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday 14 December at 6pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
