Strictly Come Dancing stars to honour Bruce Forsyth with a special tribute dance in opening episode
THE first Strictly Come Dancing after BRUCE FORSYTH‘s death was always going to be a tear-jerker.
And bosses are making sure they mark the occasion in a way he would approve of – with a big old dance.
The BBC1 series launches early next month, and on Monday the professional dancers met to start working on their tribute to the legend, who died last week aged 89.
Strictly’s executive producer Louise Rainbow said last night: “The thoughts of everyone here are still very much with Sir Bruce’s family.
“Of course, we will be paying tribute to Sir Bruce at our launch show and this will include a heartfelt performance from our Strictly professional dancers.
“We all want to celebrate him and all that he loved about the show. Sir Bruce was, and will always be, a huge part of Strictly Come Dancing.”
Paralympic gold medallist JONNIE PEACOCK was named as the show’s first disabled contestant on Monday, completing a line-up that includes MOLLIE KING, GEMMA ATKINSON and CHARLOTTE HAWKINS.
I hope they do Brucie proud.
READ ON FOR THE REST OF DAN WOOTTON'S BIZARRE TV COLUMN
Shore is harder for girls
GEORDIE Shore’s SCOTTY T once bragged of sleeping with almost 1,000 women – but says the show’s bosses now make it far harder for him and screen pal GAZ BEADLE to add to their tally.
He said: “Gary and I used to go out and go mad and bring all these girls back. Now, because the show is so much bigger, there are more security issues.
“Girls have to go through a longer process to be able to go into the house. If we see a girl, we can’t talk to them directly, someone has to go up to them and talk to them for us.
“If they think we’re gonna ask them to come back into the house they have to have their full passport and security checks.
“When they get to the house they’ve then got to have their own private interview in a separate room with a camera, with three people who are asking them questions.”
But no security check is too long for CBB winner Scotty who says he bedded two girls while filming the new Geordie Shore series.
That’s about as committed as he’s ever likely to get.
MOST READ IN BIZARRE
C4 gives thriller a bash
CHANNEL 4 isn’t just pinning all of its hopes on the success of the Great British Bake Off.
Yesterday it announced a whole raft of shows to spice up its schedule.
Among them is six-part spy thriller Jerusalem, the first original telly commission from Boardwalk Empire writer Bathsheba “Bash” Doran.
The drama series, set in the aftermath of World War Two, follows civil servant Feef as she agrees to spy on the British government for America, who is terrified its ally is going to play into Soviet hands.
Also unveiled is six-part comedy series, Hang Ups, written by Episodes actor STEPHEN MANGAN. He has a starring role as therapist Dr Richard Pitt, whose life is falling apart at the seams.
There’s some heavier viewing too.
Cross-dressing artist GRAYSON PERRY has landed four-parter Rites Of Passage, which focuses on landmark events in our lives and looks at how other communities treat these moments.
And 90-minute special Genderquake will explore gender fluidity in modern Britain. It sees ten young people, who all have strong opinions about their own sexuality, live together under one roof.
It’s not quite Love Island.
Soapbox
CHESNEY is still feeling nervous after his attack in CORONATION STREET, but is embarrassed to talk about it with Fiz when she drops in on him.
He then takes Ruby and Hope into town on the bus but suffers a panic attack and flees, leaving them on their own.
Meanwhile, Nicola introduces Phelan to her boyfriend Scott.
When it transpires that Scott has no idea Phelan is Nicola’s father, he is hurt.
In NEIGHBOURS, Sheila drops a bombshell on the Brennan family that will change them for ever.
It forces the boys to look at the family with fresh eyes and realise that perhaps one of them isn’t a Brennan at all.
Elsewhere, Dipi jumps to the conclusion that perhaps Yashvi and Ben are more than just friends.
-MATT LeBLANC has revealed he’s thinking of packing it all in. He said: “I would like to retire earlier than later because I think I would like to do not a f****** thing. That’s what I would like to do. Just nothing.”