‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bosses are weighing up Dave Arch and his orchestra’s role in the upcoming series.
The BBC’s plans have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and Kate Philips, the broadcaster’s controller of entertainment, has confirmed that producers are still deciding what to do with Dave and the band.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Kate shared: "We’re having to adapt, the set’s having to be slightly altered.
"We’re not quite sure at this stage how much audience we’ll be able to have in, and we have to look at Dave Arch and his fantastic band and how we play to them … How hair and make-up and costume will work backstage.
"So it’s probably I’d say the hardest show to do in the current circumstances, a live weekly show that relies on body contact quite a lot!"
Kate also praised TV studios for rising the challenges posed by the pandemic over recent months.
She said: "I think studios have really risen to the challenge and there’s that old line, necessity is the mother of invention – and I’d say across all the entertainment shows, and in the other genres, we’re just seeing constant good ideas and surprising ways of working to overcome the challenges."
Kate previously insisted that the upcoming series of ‘Strictly’ – which is hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman – won’t be a "lesser show".
In fact, she thinks this year’s edition of the show will be "special".
Kate explained: "I can say [‘Strictly’] absolutely is coming back, it is a slightly shorter run but – apart from that – I don’t think it will be a lesser show at all.
"If anything, I think it will be rather special this series."