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‘There’s no point in beating around the bush,’ says Craig Revel Horwood as Strictly Come Dancing Live! comes to town-Hugh Montgomery-Entertainment – Metro
‘Australians speak their mind and tell you the truth to your face.’
Craig Revel Horwood says he’ll continue saying as it is (Picture: Supplied)
Craig Revel Horwood tells Hugh Montgomery what you see on TV is exactly what you’ll get on the Strictly Come Dancing tour.
The thought of trying to train a celebrity who has never danced before and putting them with a professional dancer – I just thought it was going to be dreadful,’ says Craig, reflecting frankly on how he felt when he was first asked to be on the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel at the show’s inception in 2004.
Yet, of course, he was proven resoundingly wrong – and with the show having recently wrapped its 20th season, many of the contestants and professionals are now hitting the dancefloor all over again on the annual live tour.
As usual, Craig is directing the tour as well as appearing alongside fellow judges Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke and, as he sees it, it’s a great chance for all involved to have a bit of a ‘knees-up’ after the demands of the TV run. ‘The pressure is off and they can actually dance to enjoy the dance for its own sake, rather than it being a competition in that way,’ he says.
Nevertheless, a different Glitterball winner is crowned each night by the audience, meaning those who lost out can have their chance to lift the trophy – and Craig will still be on hand to provide his delightfully cutting commentary on the couple’s efforts.
When it comes to the show, Craig has always been known for his brutal honesty, but rather than that being part of his TV persona, it’s true to his off-screen self, he says.
‘There’s no point in beating around the bush. Being Australian, people speak their mind and tell you the truth to your face – and I come with that.’
The line-up of celebs taking part in the new Strictly Live Tour! (Picture: BBC)
Craig has another show he has directed on the road at the moment – a stage musical version of Strictly Ballroom, the 1992 Australian film which was one of the catalysts for Strictly Come Dancing itself, inspiring the BBC TV series’ name.
Exploring the world of ballroom dancing, Strictly Ballroom depicts a highly cut-throat sphere, which Craig says is entirely true to life. ‘You have to supply the money yourself, unlike with other sports, where Adidas and Nike and Reebok will sponsor people. So of course it becomes cut-throat because there’s a lot at stake and there’s a lot to lose.’
The production stars two Strictly graduates in the lead roles, pro Kevin Clifton and ex-EastEnders star Maisie Smith, who reached the final of the 2020 series.
Starting out as a performer in Australia, Craig never did ballroom dancing himself but as a dancer in musicals and the like, he experienced plenty of competitiveness nevertheless.
‘Oh, my goodness, yes… you would walk into a room, and there would be 400 people there all fighting for six jobs,’ he says. ‘In Australia, it was especially difficult because there weren’t that many shows to go around.’
Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith in a stage adaptation of Strictly Ballroom (Picture: Ellie Kurttz)
Craig moved to the UK in 1989, and a few years later gave up performing to become a choreographer: ‘Competing against 16-year-olds when you’re 30 is no fun,’ he explains.
In hindsight, making such a decisive career move at that point was smart: he then accumulated an impressive CV, working on West End shows and much else, before Strictly came his way when he was in his late thirties.
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It has made him one of the most famous people in Britain – and as with all of Strictly’s main players, he has had to contend with tabloid scrutiny and speculative stories about on-set feuds et al as a result.
Craig could hardly sound less bothered by what people may write about him: ‘I treat it very much like reading a comic strip. They’ve got a job to do, to sell papers, and if there’s nothing really going on, they’ve got to make stuff up – it’s called embellishing, darling,’ he laughs.
Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour is in Birmingham until Sunday, then touring until 12 February.
Strictly Ballroom The Musical is in Reading until Saturday, then touring until 15 July.
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