Strictly Come Dancing professional speaks out on fate of upcoming series

Strictly is due back on BBC1 in the autumn

Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones is optimistic that the upcoming series will go ahead despite the coronavirus.

The next series of the hit BBC dancing competition is set to hit screens in the autumn, and professional dancer Neil Jones has revealed in an Instagram question and answer session on his stories that at the moment it is still “going ahead” as planned.

The dancer, who competed in the show last year with ex England footballer Alex Scott, added that the series is “coming together nicely” but that the team will be “listening to advice” so as not to take any unnecessary risks.

A photo posted by on

This comes as the BBC announced that they are stopping production on a stream of their other shows.

The network revealed earlier this week that they have stopped filming on their continuing dramas - EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Doctors.

“In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice,” said an EastEnders spokesperson.

“The decision was made after the latest government update. We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England.

“We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible”.

Filming has also stopped on Line of Duty and Peaky Blinders. Hopefully, though, Strictly can go ahead this autumn.

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is acting deputy editor for My Imperfect Life, where she looks after the beauty, fashion and eCommerce pages. Previously she was a writer for woman&home and gained an AOP awards nomination after working on their news team. She earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London in 2017 and has since worked with a number of brands including, Women's Health, Stylist and Goodto. When she’s not testing new products, Aleesha spends her time soaking up the newest bestsellers and Netflix releases, exploring different wines, attempting new languages and has been known to be a bit of a jet setter, after spending a year living in Madrid.