Strictly star Mark Benton: 'I want a fake tan!'

(Image credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Mark Benton says he's very excited about indulging in the obligatory spray tans for the BBC1 hit.

"I've never been fake-tanned in my life, so I'm looking forward to it," Marks tells TV Times.

"I'm not sure my wife will be so keen, if she has to clean the sheets and pillowcases!"

Mark, recently seen as maths teacher Chalky in Waterloo Road, is also over the moon that Hairy Biker Dave Myers is one of his rivals.

"When Dave was a make-up artist, we worked together on the 1996 Catherine Cookson drama The Girl.

"There was a scene where a big ox was going mad and I was too scared to do it, so they dressed poor Dave up in my character's gear and made him do the scene instead!"

*Click here to try some great Hairy Biker recipes at Good to Know website.

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough.

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!