STRICTLY star AJ Pritchard has said the show needs quirky and original new presenters who can replace the “iconic” duo of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
He told GB News: “They’re iconic, aren’t they, Tess and Claudia? But I think people kind of worry, is this the magic the show’s missing?
“The magic of Strictly is the pros, the crew, the hair, the makeup, everything that it is. But I think my one worry is making sure that when you’re going to like, replace somebody like Tess and Claudia, it needs to be somebody that is quirky, original, like, let’s take like, French and Saunders.
“It’s that thing, because they are so well placed to bounce off each other. I think that’s what their role is like. They do it so perfectly. That is the scary part.
“How would you replace such an iconic double act, a duo, and they’ve been at the core of the show for such a long time, starting off in different positions, but both there for 20 odd years?”
AJ Pritchard GB News.jpg
Asked if the show was past its prime, he said: “I don’t think so. I think the one thing with a show like Strictly is you’re going to have different viewings over each year. You’re going to see that kind of – maybe you could say it’s slightly plateaued at the moment, but I do feel like with the right cast, the right celebrities coming in, the right pros, like it is so addictive.
“When you suddenly sit down to watch it for like half an hour, you’re like, ‘okay, I’m attached to this journey. Now. I want to see how this is going to progress’. I think that’s the secret to these shows, really casting the celebrities and the pros themselves to really make it like, ‘oh, I’m attached to that person. Now I’m invested. My dinner plans have changed now because I need to watch Strictly tonight’.
On controversies about the show, he said: “When it comes down to shows like Strictly, they have to be very clear, if something has gone wrong and it’s evident and it’s been documented, that needs to be dealt with, whether that be remove a professional, like they’ve had to do in the past, or in the same cases, maybe speak to [someone], ‘oh, well, we can’t have this happen. We need to move forward from that’.
“As long as it’s clear and precise, then that’s how it has to be done in life. We’re always going to have people. We want the best people in every scenario, but unfortunately, you are going to have one or two bad apples in there.”
