Villagers in Hamza Yassin’s home, Kilchoan, are willing their friend and neighbour to win tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing final and bring some glitter to their remote highland outpost. Most of the 150 residents will be heading to the village hall to watch Hamza, 32, and Jowita Przystal, 28 dance against Helen Skelton, Fleur East and Molly Rainford and their partners.
There is even talk of dressing up in sequins and having a proper bar – unheard of in a village of fleeces, cagoules and BYOB. Others will travel from all over the Ardnamurchan peninsula, on twisting single-track roads, to cheer on Hamza. His next door neighbour, Gayle Richardson, is heading back from a business trip to watch.
There will be another community party across the water in Tobermory on Mull. Strictly’s breakthrough star was born in Sudan, grew up in England and moved to Scotland when he was 21. Now he considers himself a Scotsman and wants to lift the trophy for his adopted homeland.
Amanda Gane, the woman Hamza describes as his Scottish mother, said: “I don’t care if he wins, although I think he will. I just wanted him to get to the final. He always had that potential, he’s strong, he’s flexible and people love him. I’m a very proud Scottish mum.”
Kilchoan Primary has 12 pupils and two in the nursery. The children have made a “good luck” banner for Hamza and have been watching his progress through the competition.
One of the dads, Rod Wyness, said the kids don’t distinguish between TV Hamza and the one they bump into dolphin-watching at the jetty or buying milk in the village shop.
He said: “They are detached from reality, they see him on TV and they see him in real life. He’s always absolutely fantastic with them. Sometimes you worry that your children are annoying other people. That’s never the issue with Hamza. He picks them up and has them on his shoulders.”
At the start of the series Rod, Gayle and other parents decided to open the village hall and make the weekly show a party for all. Rod said: “We thought we should do something so everyone could enjoy the dancing. There hasn’t been much dancing here for the last couple of years with Covid.”
Kilchoan saw a Hamza they had never seen before. Rod said: “We all knew he was quite nimble but who knew he had dancing in him? In that first dance, when we saw him fling Jowita in the air, we thought, ‘oh right’. You could see that he’d do reasonably well.”
There’s more than the village’s honour riding on Hamza’s victory too. Several villagers put a bet on him when the show started and the wildlife cameraman with the knee-length dreadlocks was a rank outsider. They will be in for a sweet payout if he lifts the trophy.
Hamza’s fame, though, was gained by bringing folk to the Ardnamurchan peninsula before he stepped out on the dance floor. Rod, who runs the Puffin Cafe, said: “Even before Strictly, he brought people into the area. They’d seen him on TV and loved the wildlife and the scenery. He has a fan base.”
Rod sells the tie-in book for Hamza’s CBeebies series, Let’s Go For A Walk. He said: “He’s a legend. He brings me in copies and signs 60 of them at a time with a little message. He doesn’t have to do that.”
Amanda and her husband Chris have watched their friend change from a freelance wildlife cameraman and odd jobs man into a national celebrity. As a serious Strictly addict, Amanda is sure Hamza has what it takes. She said: “I’ve known him for 11 years. He’s so warm and smiley, he is genuinely like my second son.
“I’ve seen him dance at ceilidhs, I’ve seen him lifting Gayle and my kids. He lifted my grown-up daughter, who is all muscle, and stood on one leg. He’s on and off our boat in the summer, he scrambles on rocks. He has balance and agility.”
When Hamza told Amanda he had been offered Strictly, she thought it was a great idea but a huge change. She said: “He’s used to spending weeks in a hide or in the Arctic. As gregarious as he is, I knew this would be a test.”
Chris added: “Up 'til now, he’s been more recognised by five-year-olds than adults. When we walk down Tobermory High Street they tug their parents’ hands and say, there’s Ranger Hamza. The village is very different to London. There he’ll be spotted all the time. Here we’re a big family. Everyone knows him already.”
Amanda is not sure if she, or Hamza, will be more nervous tonight. "He’s pretty calm but he must be nervous. He’s a laid-back guy generally.” Chris added: “He will want to get it right. He’s not desperate to win but if being right gets him points then so be it.”
The couple travelled down to Elstree Studios and watched Hamza dance his breakthrough salsa. Amanda said: “He had a chest infection but he didn’t make a fuss. He’d missed two-and-a-half days of training so we went in with lowered expectations – and he blew the roof off. It was the best night of my life. Chris asked if that included my wedding night. I said no, this was better.”
The final of Strictly Come Dancing starts tonight on BBC One at 7.05pm.
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