The comedian Chris McCausland will be the first blind contestant to compete in Strictly Come Dancing when the show returns this year. In a first for the long-running BBC dance competition, which this year marked its 20th anniversary, it confirmed the participation of McCausland, known for playing Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too!.
The 46-year-old Liverpudlian comedian lost his eyesight in his early 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition. This diagnosis prompted a career change for McCausland: before joining the entertainment industry, he had worked in web development.
McCausland’s participation follows Rose Ayling-Ellis becoming the show’s first deaf contestant. She won the competition in 2021 alongside the dance professional Giovanni Pernice. At the time, the pair’s win was widely celebrated for raising awareness of the British deaf community and breaking barriers in dance.
In an interview last year, McCausland shared his views on representation of disabilities in the media with the Observer: “I think the best way to represent a disability is to make people forget about it whenever possible. It’s always part of you. People are interested, you let them in and laugh about it. But if you can do a show, where, say, 80% of it isn’t about being blind, that makes it more impactful and funnier when you do talk about it. I believe in representation within the mainstream.”
Strictly has also announced a second contestant for this year’s series: JB Gill, formerly of the boy band JLS. “I danced in the Strictly Christmas special over a decade ago and loved it, so when I got the call to join Strictly this year, it was an immediate yes,” he said. “I’m raring to go to and looking forward to showing off some new skills to the JLS boys. From muddy wellies on the fields of my farm to sequins and glitterballs – I’m here to embrace it all!”
The 22nd series of Strictly will launch after weeks of accusations about the show’s behind-the-scenes practices. Pernice left the show amid allegations about his teaching methods, following Amanda Abbington’s departure, despite him stating publicly: “I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour and I look forward to clearing my name.” His 2016 dance partner, the TV presenter Laura Whitmore, then made a public statement claiming that she had been subject to “inappropriate behaviour” and that the series demonstrated “a pattern of behaviour that I believe needs to stop”.
In July, the Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima confirmed he would be the second professional to leave Strictly amid a BBC investigation into his conduct on the show. He failed to deny kicking the TV personality Zara McDermott, with his spokesperson Mark Borkowski telling BBC News: “There is never a time when kicking or any sense of that is right. And he knows that. He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.”
Strictly staff have also spoken out about their treatment on the series. Their complaints detail a “toxic” work culture including cruelty, sexism and the BBC failing to take their complaints seriously. The BBC responded: “We do not recognise the claims relating to a negative workplace culture.”
