Strictly distanced: BBC bosses consider quarantining celebs and dancers

Strictly distanced: BBC bosses consider quarantining celebs and dancers, making them wear face masks and dance two metres apart in a bid to save show amid COVID-19 crisis

  • Bosses are considering putting forward drastic measures in an attempt to save the show amid the coronavirus pandemic 
  • BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has revealed fans could see the show go on-air without a live audience
  • Producers are also looking into testing participants’ temperatures and installing glass divides inside the studio ‘so that people feel even more protected’
  • Insiders previously claimed keeping participants in isolation was not plausible due to family ties
  • Strictly Come Dancing joins a legion of shows in being rocked by the ongoing global crisis
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

Strictly Come Dancing bosses are considering putting forward drastic measures in an attempt to save the show amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While the global crisis has caused the future of many British TV shows to hang in the balance, BBC executives are pulling out all the stops to ensure the series can return to screens later this year.

BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has revealed producers are still assessing contingency plans such as enforcing a face mask rule, dancing two metres apart and even quarantining celebrities and professional dancers. 

Strictly distanced: Bosses are considering putting forward drastic measures in a bid to save the show amid the coronavirus crisis (2019 winners Oti Mabuse and Kelvin Fletcher pictured)

Charlotte said in a session earlier this month: ‘We’re looking at how that would work. Could you quarantine people? Can we test everyone before filming? There’s a lot of work being done. It’s a big task.’

She also said fans could see the show go on-air without a live audience, with the BBC also looking into testing participants’ temperatures and installing glass divides inside the studio ‘so that people feel even more protected’. 

The Strictly set-up has included a live audience since the show first aired back in 2004, when it was fronted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. 

Insiders previously claimed keeping participants in isolation was not plausible due to family ties. 

Pulling out all the stops: BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has revealed producers are still assessing contingency plans (cast pictured on tour in 2019)

Pulling out all the stops: BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has revealed producers are still assessing contingency plans (cast pictured on tour in 2019)

Drama: Strictly Come Dancing joins a legion of shows in being rocked by the ongoing global pandemic (2018 winners Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton pictured)

Drama: Strictly Come Dancing joins a legion of shows in being rocked by the ongoing global pandemic (2018 winners Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton pictured)

They told MailOnline: ‘Strictly are looking at options. At this stage, there’s no chance they could isolate as individuals or couples. That would leave any married or parent dancers not seeing their families for up to three months.

‘At the moment, it’s not being considered. No one knows where we’ll be in the world – if the series is a much shorter run, say. The isolation is not something that’s currently on the table.’

Despite the recent claims, Charlotte insisted the option could now be on the table to enable filming goes on without breaching government guidelines.    

Never done before: Quarantining participants is being considered as options (judges Bruno Tonioli, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood pictured)

Never done before: Quarantining participants is being considered as options (judges Bruno Tonioli, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood pictured)

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We will continue to review all productions on a case by case basis and will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the Foreign Office, World Health Organisation and Public Health England.’ 

Bosses are also reportedly offering doubled fees to celebrities, with sources claiming TV executives are keen for the series ‘to remain the jewel in the BBC’s crown’ and have already put forward contract proposals in a bid to attract a ‘stellar line-up’ for this year’s upcoming series. 

Former contestants are believed to have been paid ‘five figures’, with singer Anastacia and JLS star Aston Merrygold thought to be the show’s most expensive signings for their respective stints in 2016 and 2017.

Switch up: Last month, sources claimed Strictly may go ahead this autumn without its usual studio audience (hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly pictured)

Switch up: Last month, sources claimed Strictly may go ahead this autumn without its usual studio audience (hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly pictured)

The pandemic has already thrown the TV industry into chaos, with numerous series forced to halt filming including Line Of Duty, Casualty and Holby City.

Which UK shows have stopped filming?

EastEnders

Line Of Duty

Peaky Blinders

Doctors

Casualty

Holby City

River City

Pobol y Cwm 

Hollyoaks 

Vera 

Call The Midwife 

The Only Way Is Essex 

Lorraine

Loose Women 

Emmerdale

Coronation Street 

Others such as Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and The Last Leg continued without a studio audience, and some such as Have I Got News For You resuming by filming entire episodes on webcam. 

On resuming filming on other hit series, Charlotte told The Times: ‘We’re looking at how we get started on those again. We’ll have to be looking at scripts and ways to film things differently, because of the two metres apart rule.  

‘That is going to mean adapting. How can those shows that we want to make be made with social distancing in place?’

The executive also revealed filming has commenced on Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, starring Jodie Comer, Imelda Staunton and Martin Freeman, with actors being forced to do their own make-up and bring packed lunches to Elstree studios. 

‘We only have one actor on set each day, and we’ve used a real skeleton crew,’ Charlotte added. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk