Paul O’Grady has slammed the BBC for being too "scared" to have same-sex couples on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The 63-year-old presenter thinks the public broadcaster are concerned about a backlash if they moved away from traditional male-female pairings on the flagship programme.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "They’re scared because they’re public funding and they’re scared of public reaction going, ‘I don’t want to watch this kind of filth on a Saturday night".
"We’re not looking at an alien orgy."
Paul will preside over a same-sex episode of ‘Blind Date’ over the weekend and he thinks it is "ridiculous" that shows such as ‘Strictly’ haven’t modernised in the same way.
He added: "We’ve brought it into modern times…We’ve got same-sex couples.
"They should have them on Strictly, it’s ridiculous. The only dance two men should never do is the tango. It’s two fellas vying for position of top dog. It’s masculine and aggressive, the proper Argentinian tango.
"’Strictly’s been going for years. It needs something to liven it up for a bit longer.
The show was formerly hosted by the late Cilla Black, a friend of Paul’s, but he now finally feels it’s his own programme.
He said: "Before, I felt like I was playing. I was sort of standing in for Cilla when she was off but not anymore. Now it’s very much my show."
Paul believed that Cilla visited him from beyond the grave following her death in 2015 aged 72, and has been on a course to exorcise his pal’s spirit.
He said: "I’ve been exorcising ghosts. I’ve actually been exorcising our Cilla.
"I was very conscious so I’m glad I’ve done it.
"I actually loved doing the exorcising ghosts thing. It was a thrill."
Paul O’Grady slams BBC over Strictly Come Dancing
