Only one pairing can save Strictly Come Dancing after Tess and Claudia

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have decided this will be their final year as the faces of the BBC’s long-running dance competition. See, I told you… apocalyptic.

In all seriousness, the decision for the pair to quit the show after spending over two decades as part of the franchise is pretty drastic for a show that remains one of the BBC’s biggest gems.

Ms Daly has remained a mainstay as the face of the show since 2004, working alongside the late Bruce Forsyth until 2014 when Ms Winkleman took over the role.

Ms Winkleman herself had been part of the fabric of Strictly for a decade before becoming one of the flagship show’s main hosts, working on sister show It Takes Two since its inception.

But come Christmas 2025, the pair will have said their farewells, and there will be a pair of vacancies for what remains two of the biggest gigs in linear television.

So where do the BBC turn? After years of scandals, complaints of a stale format, and now its two stalwarts saying au revoir, it’s a tricky question to answer.

The BBC competition is no stranger to overcoming an obstacle or two, whether it be in the shape of Italian dancers and their robust training methods, or Welsh opera singers and their incredibly ill-judged jokes.

But the void left by Ms Daly and Ms Winkleman feels insurmountable, especially when looking at the list of candidates in the frame to replace them, none of whom suggest that a rip-roaring new era is on the way.

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Instead, most of the names in the frame are the equivalent of turning up to the meteoric destruction left in the wake of their exit with a dustpan and brush.

Let’s take Angela Scanlon, for instance. A very popular choice, according to the Strictly fans who’ve been flooding the online forum site Reddit with their suggestions.

One user described her as “the best and realistic candidate to take Claudia’s role running the Claudatorium”, describing her as “naturally witty and charming”.

To be fair, she is a solid presenter. Experience in a live presenting role on shows like The One Show, a history with Strictly, having competed in 2023, and someone popular at the BBC.

But ever since her name was first mentioned in this article, I guarantee you’ve been thinking, “Anyone else?”

Well, what about Mel and Sue? A veteran and well-established, all-female, comedic double act consisted of Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

They’ve done Bake Off, after all, and will undoubtedly be looked upon as a safe option. But there lies the problem. Safe.

And if you were one of the two dozen or so people who watched their recent ITV quiz show, Win Win, you’d know all too well that safe doesn’t always translate to entertaining (or even palatable).

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What about two people who embody all that Strictly is? A duo who Salsa rather than walk and go to sleep thinking about Glitterballs?

Stacey Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton, for example. The experienced documentary maker won the series with the professional dancer back in 2018, and the pair remain synonymous with their time on the dancefloor.

One bookmaker has even priced Ms Dooley and Mr Clifton as the favourites to fill the void left by Ms Daly and Ms Winkleman. I can’t help but think punters may be looking elsewhere, however. They’re not the answer.

It Takes Two hosts Fleur East and Janette Manrara? BBC vets Graham Norton and Zoe Ball? Daytime stalwarts Alex Jones and Gethin Jones? Do any of those pairings scream “Strictly won’t just survive but thrive”?

The answer is sadly no. Not a single one of those tipped for the role suggests bosses will be doing anything but adding more vanilla to a format so plain even Haagen Daaz would turn it down.

The Strictly gods need to be bold and brave. Bringing in two giant names with ties to the ballroom and a wider audience than the confines of the BBC ballroom.

Enter Hannah Waddingham and Rylan Clark.

Let’s start with the latter. Mr Clark has become one of Britain’s biggest and best-loved TV presenters in recent years, leaving the bleach-blond blubbering mess of his X Factor days well and truly in the past.

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He’s fronted shows on Sky, ITV, MTV, and the BBC, as well as running his own radio show, popping into the odd podcast studio, and fronting advertising campaigns for a popular car-dealing company.

But at the moment, he’s in a bit of hot water for daring to question the luxuries and commodities that are granted to small boat migrants during a live broadcast of This Morning.

In fact, in a Reddit thread that suggested Ms Scanlon and Ashley Roberts should take over the role, some Strictly fans whinged they “wouldn’t watch” and they “dreaded” it being him.

For instance, a Redditor by the name of u/mindylahiriMDb***h pleaded: “For the love of god, do not let Rylan anywhere near this.”

“This a zillion times! I couldn’t watch anymore,” u/Glittering_Vast938 replied, and another user by the name of u/Brenaroxsox moaned: “I just dread it being Rylan.”

But you know what? All the more reason to get him in.

It’s no secret that Strictly’s viewing numbers have plummeted in the last decade, and complaints about the series going “woke” and “stale” have been prominent for years.

If those still watching are complaining that Mr Clark would be too controversial, perhaps that’s all the signs that BBC bosses need to get him through the door and try and claw back the millions who ditched the sanitised and pandering format.

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But who should be Mr Clark’s co-host? For me, one name that would be the biggest show of intent from the BBC that it believes Strictly can survive would be Hannah Waddingham.

A theatrical powerhouse with appeal not limited to the shores of Britain but beyond, too.

Game of Thrones and Ted Lasso stints made her a household name, but her career has rocketed from strength to strength ever since.

She fronted the UK’s Eurovision coverage in 2023, far outshining co-host Alesha Dixon on the Liverpool stage, and every talk show appearance results in two-minute-long snippets going viral on both sides of the pond thanks to her endearing personality.

She’s hosted several Olivier Awards and is an outstanding all-around performer, someone who would be equally at home comforting a down-on-their-luck contestant or celebrating a Glitterball winner – and giving Craig Revel Horwood a piece of her mind along the way.

Sadly, however, her global stock has made her a rank outsider for the role, with several fans pointing out her diary would unlikely be able to accommodate the space required for Strictly’s three-month run.

But if the BBC wants its biggest cash cow to survive, I can’t think of a better rancher. Time to get out the cheque book and put licence fee payers’ money to good use.

Getting Mr Clark and Ms Waddingham through the door would be the biggest signal of intent by bosses, and if there is any hope of the Glitterball retaining its glimmer, the BBC cannot appease its whingy fanbase.