Comedian Chris McCausland will be the first blind person to compete on Strictly Come Dancing. When the show returned this year, it was announced that McCausland, best known for playing Rudy in CBeebies’ Me Too!, would be taking part in the long-running BBC dance competition for the first time.
The 46-year-old Liverpudlian comedian lost his sight in his early 20s due to the genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa, a diagnosis that prompted McCausland to change careers – he had worked in web development before joining the entertainment industry.
McCausland’s participation follows Rose Ayling-Ellis becoming the show’s first deaf contestant, who won the competition alongside dance professional Giovanni Pernice in 2021. At the time, the duo’s win was widely hailed as raising awareness of the UK’s deaf community and breaking down barriers in dance.
In an interview last year, McCausland told the Observer about disability representation in the media: “I think the best way to represent disability is to make people forget about it as much as possible. It’s always a part of you. People are interested, you get them involved in it, you get a laugh out of it. But if you can produce a show that’s not, say, 80% about blindness, it’s more impactful and more entertaining when you talk about it. I believe in disability representation in the mainstream.”
Strictly have also announced their second contestant for this year’s series – JB Gill, former member of boy band JLS. “I danced on the Strictly Christmas special over 10 years ago, but… loved “I was really interested so when I got the call to take part in Strictly this year I said yes straight away,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it and showing off my new skills to the boys from JLS. From wearing muddy wellies in farm fields to sequins and glitter balls, I’m up for it all!”
The 22nd series of Strictly begins after weeks of criticism about the show’s behind-the-scenes practices, with Pernice leaving the show following Amanda Abbington’s departure amid accusations about his teaching methods. Despite what he publicly stated“I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour and look forward to clearing my name.” His 2016 dance partner, TV presenter Laura Whitmore, has since issued a public statement claiming that she had been subject to “inappropriate behaviour” and that the series demonstrated “a pattern of behaviour that must stop”.
In July, Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima confirmed he would become the second professional dancer to leave Strictly following a BBC investigation into his behaviour on the show. He did not deny kicking entertainer Zara McDermott, but his spokesman Mark Borkowski told BBC News: “There is never a time when it feels right to kick or be kicked. He knows that. He knows he made a mistake. He apologised at the time.”
Strictly staff have also spoken out about their treatment on the show. Their complaints detail a “toxic” workplace culture, including cruelty, sexism and the BBC’s failure to take their complaints seriously. The BBC responded by saying it was “not aware of any allegations about a negative workplace culture.”
