Rylan Clark-Neal assures it’s ‘business as usual’ on Strictly

Rylan Clark-Neal – who co-hosts Strictly Come Dancing sister show It Takes Two with Zoe Ball – has assured the series will be as good as ever in 2020, despite the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic.

The TV personality, 31, who has just resumed filming a new series of Supermarket Sweep for ITV – his first post-lockdown gig – told MailOnline that fans of Strictly won’t be disappointed.

‘It’s business as usual for me, Zoe, Claudia [Winkleman] and Tess [Daly]!’ he said. ‘Rest assured the BBC would not let a brand as big as Strictly go on air and not work.

‘It will be the show we all love!’

Of the health and safety measures in place this series, Rylan added: ‘The guidelines change daily to be honest – but we will just move with it.

‘People ask me, are we, the presenters, isolating? Changes every day. Just don’t worry about it – it’s coming back, that’s the main thing! Everyone looks forward to it at this time of year, and in the run-up to Christmas, and they’re getting a series in 2020!’

Rylan did admit, however, that he felt apprehensive at first, returning to TV work. 

A promise is a promise: The TV personality, 31, told MailOnline that fans of Strictly won’t be disappointed

Hosts: Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly will both be returning for the 2020 series

Of Supermarket Sweep – which is a reboot of the 1990s version hosted by the late Dale Winton, and will now feature as part of ITV’s daytime line-up – Rylan mused: ‘It was more an apprehension about, will the show be the same show?

‘Will it work? Is it worth doing it if we have to change a lot of stuff?’

Like Strictly’s latest season, the studio audience is being nixed, but Rylan admitted ‘it hasn’t made that much of a difference’.

He said: ‘The contestants feel more relaxed if anything!’

Back to work! ‘It’s business as usual for me, Zoe, Claudia [Winkleman] and Tess [Daly]!’ he said. ‘Rest assured the BBC would not let a brand as big as Strictly go on air and not work’

Also back: Rylan has just resumed filming a new series of Supermarket Sweep for ITV – his first post-lockdown gig

Rylan is thrilled to be on ITV daytime with the new series, having previously been aired on ITV2 and ‘skewered more towards a younger audience and younger contestants’.

‘When we got asked to do season twp we were told it would be an ITV daytime series and that meant more contestants of all ages. From 20-100,’ Rylan enthused. ‘And I am glad we waited til now to film the new series. It’s now something people can watch to forget about the pandemic.

‘If we had done it before lockdown and aired it over the summer, it would have jsut become another lowdown TV show. But now things have eased you can just tune in and watch it for what it is: laughing at people throwing eggs at each other!’

Supermarket Sweep airs weekdays at 3PM on ITV.