‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bosses fear a hot studio could help to spread coronavirus.
The BBC Latin and ballroom dancing competition’s health and safety squad are said to be concerned for the dancers’ health if the hot weather returns during the show, as it increases the risk of the virus spreading on set.
Bosses are looking to keep everyone cool on set by aiming for the studio to be no hotter than 21 degrees, but is proving to be a challenge.
An insider told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV Column: "Producers and crew are jumping through all sorts of hoops to get the show on the air for viewers. The latest hurdle is keeping it cool enough that everyone isn’t a big, sweaty mess.
"The theory is that the more the dancers and celebs sweat, the greater the risk of Covid infection potentially. So they’re trying to keep it cool, which is very difficult under the red-hot studio lights."
Last month, ‘Strictly’ pro Dianne Buswell confirmed the show’s professional dancers will isolate in a hotel this year.
She said: "We’ll be all getting together in a hotel and we’ll be doing all our routines, all our pro numbers, together. It’s gonna be a lot of fun actually.
"I think we’re all very excited for it."
But not everyone appears to be too keen on the isolation plan, as Anton du Beke previously admitted he hopes he and his co-stars will not have to quarantine in a hotel.
He said: "Potentially, we will end up in a hotel for a couple of weeks or a month. That’s what has been spoken about and has been provisionally pencilled in.
"Everything else is contingencies but we’re waiting for instructions and the situation is massively fluid at the moment, so we will see what happens.
"It will be lovely to be with my ‘Strictly’ family – they are terrific and I love them all – but without Hannah and the children will be difficult, especially after having all this time together.
"I’m hoping we’re not going to have to do it but we will wait and see."
‘Strictly’ is to air a "slightly shorter run" than usual this year due to the pandemic.