Strictly Come Dancing bosses 'taking inspiration from I'm A Celeb' with 'risk'

Strictly Come Dancinghas been involved in a number of scandals of late and fans have been left less than impressed with the latest celebrity line-up. While viewers of the BBC show have called the latest batch of famous faces "underwhelming," the inclusion of Tom Skinner had them in uproar.

The former star of The Apprentice was met with huge backlash following the announcement he is to take to the dance floor. It comes as some of his controversial views online have been called out in recent weeks. He has also opened up about his relationship with US vice president JD Vance.

But a PR expert believes that while bosses made a surprise call by including the reality TV star, she also admitted it could be a "tactic" to gain more headlines. It comes as Strictly star La Voix commits to a huge live show during the competition.

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PR Carla Speight said of Tom's inclusion: "After all the scandals from the last series of Strictly, I’m surprised we’ve got a new series. This time round, it appears they’ve taken inspiration from the team behind I’m A Celebrity and booked a polarising character to grab the headlines, and it’s worked.

"Given that there’s been scandal after scandal in recent years for the BBC, alongside mass accusations of being biased and drama over the years behind the glittery scenes of the Ballroom favourite, I’m genuinely surprised we have a new series.

"This time round, they should have played it safe in a bid to regain trust with celebrities with bigger profiles, but instead they decided to go for more drama."

She went on: "From a PR strategy perspective, they had two choices: play it safer, risking a decline in viewing figures, in order to attract bigger stars in the future with some investment and good PR. Or book a polarising cast member, who appeases the right in the hope it softens them and reduces the volume of people questioning their license fees. Tom Skinner is ideal for that, though I doubt the longstanding fans of the supposedly family-friendly show will be pleased to watch him if he makes it past the first episode."

Carla also revealed that his relationship with Vance could strengthen the motive behind his booking. However, she said: "I wonder if this could end up being a step and a shimmy too far right for the Strictly team to handle. Strictly's loyal LGBTQ+ and female viewers won’t be impressed by this at all, given what’s happening in the US and what’s happened behind the scenes of previous series of the BBC flagship show.

"It is surprising that the BBC bosses approved his casting, as they should be focusing on rebuilding the Strictly brand after all the abuse and misconduct reported in recent years. But instead, they’ve opted for taking the same tactics as a rage-baiting YouTube clip.

"An institution, with loyal fans who expect better of them, resorting to this tactic could be a sign that this is the last Tango for the hit series."

Further adding her view on the addition of Tom, Carla went on: "There’s been an immediate uproar over his booking, but then that’s probably what the bosses were hoping for. Rage baiting is a simple tactic to guarantee headlines, and the US will pick it up, too, given Tom’s recent affiliations.

"For Tom, that’s great news; he’ll gain more followers both in the UK and the US who share the same views. It’s also a win for Strictly bosses as they’re everywhere now and trending online, but at what cost in the long term?"

She concluded by saying that "only time will tell" if this is a good move for the show.

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