BBC

Strictly Come Dancing could be set for more big changes to go alongside Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s decision to step away from presenting duties at the end of the current series

Strictly bosses are reportedly eyeing up a big change for the scandal-hit show. Insiders claim the BBC dance contest could be about to up sticks and move north.

Currently, the long-running series is being filmed at a studio in Elstree, Hertfordshire. But reports suggest Kate Phillips, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer is “thinking seriously” about relocating to Media City in Salford, Greater Manchester.

It would see the show move to Dock 10, which is a purpose built studio complex in Media City. And it’s claimed any move would also see the show get a new boss with speculation rife over whether long-standing executive producer Sarah James is currently overseeing her final Strictly contest.

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A source told MailOnline: “She [Kate Phillips] is thinking about it seriously.” A TV insider also told The Sun: “A shift to Salford would be seismic.

“It would also make sense on many levels, but mostly from a PR perspective. It’s a clear statement of intent from the Beeb, who want to draw a line under the show’s troubled time at Elstree.

“There is a lingering sense of anguish that now seems to hover around the show and it’s one that bosses really want to dispel.”

And the source also claimed the move would be “logical in many ways”. However, a BBC spokesperson has since told the Mirror: “There are no plans to move Strictly Come Dancing, any suggestion is pure speculation.”

The show has been hit with a number of controversies and scandals in recent years. And there will also be new presenters from the next series after the announcement that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are stepping away from their duties.

After shocking fans with their statement part way through the current series, speculation quickly mounted about who will replace the dynamic duo. And professional dancer Ian Waite, who appeared on the show from 2004 until 2009, has shared who he thinks will be a great replacement for the pair.

Speaking to Reach about Tess and Claudia’s decision to leave the show on behalf of Zingo Bingo, Ian said: “I think it was a big, big shock for everybody that they decided to leave but when you’ve been doing something so long.

“Tess has been doing it for 21 years, it’s a long time to be doing any job. She might want to just move on to do different things and Claudia’s got Traitors, which is huge now So I can understand why they made the decision.

“I think they’ve been amazing but wouldn’t it be nice to have two men presenting this time just to spice it up? It’s been very much female presenter led.

“The main show and It Takes Two, so it would be nice to see some male presenters back in there just to balance it up. I think the public would like to see it.”

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Actor Sir David Jason, known for playing Del Boy in the hit show Only Fools and Horses will discuss the sitcom and show unseen footage in new series

Sir David Jason has insisted “the love for Only Fools has never faded” after reuniting with cast members from the beloved sitcom for a new documentary series.

Celebrating the show’s 45th anniversary, Only Fools And Horses: The Lost Archive will air behind-the-scenes footage as well as material that the series producer said was “filmed but never broadcast”.

The sitcom, which was a ratings smash hit for the BBC, including at Christmas, first aired on September 8 1981 and proved to be a career-defining role for Sir Jason, who played Del Boy, and Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played his brother Rodney.

Announcing the new UKTV documentary series, Sir David, 85, said: “The love for Only Fools has never faded. It’s incredible to see how many people still hold it close to their hearts. Revisiting these rediscovered moments reminded me just how special the show was – and still is. It’s incredible to be able to share them now.”

The two-part series features interviews with cast and crew and includes archival material from more than 10 classic episodes, including The Jolly Boys’ Outing and Mother Nature’s Son.

In interviews, cast members including Sir David, Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel), Gwyneth Strong (Cassandra) and Sue Holderness (Marlene) pay tribute to creator John Sullivan, who died in 2011 at the age of 64.

Further discoveries, which didn’t make it into the original episodes due to timing or structural constraints include new material from the episodes He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Uncle, Mother Nature’s Son, Time On Our Hands. There is also an unseen opening scene of Del and Rodney in a nightclub from The Class Of ’62.

Clips have been digitally scanned and restored from 16mm negatives, meaning the cast appear in high definition. Sean Doherty, director and series producer, said: “Few shows have the kind of enduring popularity that Only Fools enjoys.

“The archive has uncovered some extraordinary material – 66 unseen clips and scenes so far that were filmed but never broadcast because they didn’t fit the timing or structure of the original episodes, plus nearly 100 assets from rushes and location filming. We’ve truly been spoilt for choice.”

Helen Nightingale, UKTV’s head of factual and factual entertainment, commissioning, said: “Only Fools And Horses is part of the national DNA.

“With its humour, heart and unforgettable characters, it’s British comedy at its very best. This series is a celebration of its legacy and a chance to share new discoveries with the fans who’ve loved it for decades.”

In 2019 a musical adaptation of Only Fools And Horses starring Paul Whitehouse opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and it toured across the UK and Ireland in 2024 and 2025.

In 2022 on Only Fools and Horses actor Michael Fenton Stevens told how many jokes were lost from the sitcom over time due to time constraints.

Speaking on the Only Fools and Horses podcast he recalled his own episode and said: “It was a very big programme by then. I was in Series 6 and it had just gone to 40 minutes so they had the extra time to do things. That was the point by which they had turned into mini plays, they were just beautiful.

“They did that because John Sullivan would always write 10 minutes more than was needed. So every half hour script has 10 minutes of material which was cut. If you can find the original scripts from before they were printed to be used in the studio, if you can get them from when he was writing – and they must be somewhere, his family must have them on record, I think – it would be brilliant to read through all those bits that were cut.” The extra scenes and gags from Del Boy and Rodney were filmed, only to be omitted in the final edit.

The sitcom featured the colourful escapades of market trader Del Boy and his less streetwise younger brother Rodney as they went through the highs and lows of life trying to become rich.

The characters lived in Peckham with Grandad, played by Leonard “Lennard” Pearce, and their friends included Trigger, played by Roger Lloyd Pack, and Boycie, played by John Challis.

* Two part series Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive will be airing on U&GOLD in 2026.

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AFTER nearly two decades of filling Saturday lunchtimes with her wit and warm charm, Zoe Ball is stepping away from her BBC Radio 2 show.

The beloved presenter will air her final programme on December 20, bringing an end to a chapter that has made her a fixture of British radio.

Her announcement comes after she was included in the BBC’s “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters tested for the perfect on-screen partnership to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

The Sun revealed that Zoe Ball was one of the ten stars put through their paces in order to find the perfect on screen partnership in a top-secret chemistry test.

The news has sparked excitement that Ball could be in the running to replace Tess and Claudia as Strictly Come Dancing host.

Earlier this series, the duo dropped a bombshell, revealing they would be stepping away from the beloved BBC dance show for the final time.

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Bookies have now suspended betting on who the replacements could be following Ball’s announcement.

Amid all these changes, there have also been personal developments in her life.

Zoe revealed she has a mystery “lodger” who, she joked, has “won more awards” than her.

The Radio 2 presenter dropped the hint on her “Dig It” podcast, confessing that her multimillion-pound pad now has a very special new resident.

While Zoe has hinted at a mystery man, the status of their relationship remains unclear.

Her last public romance was with construction worker Michael Reed, which ended in 2023.

Zoe was married to DJ Norman Cook (better known as Fatboy Slim) for 18 years, before splitting in 2016.

The couple, who co-parent their children Woody and Nelly, have stayed close since their split, with Norman even calling Zoe his “soulmate.”

It comes after Zoe quit the Radio 2 breakfast show at the end of 2024 following the heartbreaking loss of her mum, Julia Peckham, to cancer in April last year.

She left the coveted slot she’d held for six years to “focus on family,” and took a four-and-a-half month break from the radio following her mother’s death.

At the time, Zoe shared a touching tribute to her late mum on social media, saying: “Sleep tight dear Mama. 

“Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.”

Opening up about her grief, Zoe revealed she found the first birthday of her mum, Julia, since her death especially hard.

She said: “It’s a year and a bit since we lost mum, and I found her birthday this year, the toughest, the toughest, you know, a whole year later.

“That was brutal. It was a week of absolute weeping, I still get quite emotional sort of talking about mum, even now.”

Speaking on her podcast, Zoe choked back tears as she admitted suffering an “emotional breakdown” during a this “brutal” period of her life last year.

The presenter bravely told how she was left unable to move on the kitchen floor after being struck down with grief following her mum’s passing.

It’s been a chaotic time for Zoe and her family with her dad, TV legend Johnny Ball, revealing earlier this year he had been secretly fighting prostate cancer.

The 87-year-old broadcaster endured three brutal months of daily radiation treatment back in 2022, but is now “through it” and feeling”fine”.

She has admitted she occasionally questions whether leaving her flagship BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show was the right move, after stepping down to spend more time with her teenage daughter.

This year brought another blow when a yob smashed Zoe’s car window and stole her handbag while she was appearing on The One Show.

“Someone had smashed the front window of my car, that’s never happened to me before,” she revealed.

Initially frozen from the shock of the attack, she said: “I got in and I had a massive cry.”

Despite leaving her regular radio show, she promises fans she isn’t disappearing completely, with special broadcasts lined up over the festive season and into the new year.

The 55-year-old broadcasting favourite is set to be replaced by presenter Emma Willis.

She said: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.

“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.

“But I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a superwoman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.“

The adored host first took to the air as co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show nearly thirty years ago, before becoming the first female DJ to host the primetime slot solo.

Zoe was the BBC’s second-highest paid presenter while she was hosting the coveted morning slot, pocketing £950,000 between April 2023 and 2024, just behind Gary Lineker.

Zoe had been one of the contenders to replace the much-loved pair on Strictly, amongst others including Alan Carr and Rylan Clark.

After quitting her radio show, the mum-of-two is now pipping the rest at the top.

Emma Willis, who is due to replace Ball on her Radio 2 show from next weekend, said:

Willis said: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family, and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.

“I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”