The BBC has expressed dismay as professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing reportedly clamour for lucrative panto roles, causing a scheduling headache for show bosses. Sources claim that several pros are eager to follow AJ Pritchard, who has secured the lead role in a Peter Pan production, earning a six-figure sum.
Panto season coincides with the final weeks of the hit BBC show, meaning rehearsals would take dancers away from valuable training time with their celebrity partners. BBC executives are keen for the pros to focus solely on the competition, but the allure of higher pay—potentially more in a week than during the entire Strictly series—has sparked a scramble for deals.
A source told the Daily Mirror: “Celebrities are guaranteed that during the week they will be based at home while the pro dancer moves into a hotel nearby. But if they sign up to panto, it could really throw a spanner in the works. With all the drama going on off-screen, the show doesn’t need this.”
AJ Pritchard, 24, will star as Peter Pan in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, from December 6 to 31. It is unusual for a Strictly pro to be allowed to take a panto role due to show constraints, though judges such as Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas have previously appeared in pantos.
The pros have long complained about their pay. Ahead of the 2019 series, they reportedly secured a 10 per cent rise on their £50,000-per-series salary. All pros from the last series are set to return except Pasha Kovalev, who quit earlier this year.
