BBC still hopes that Strictly Come Dancing will air this year

The BBC's Controller of Programming Dan McGolpin said today (April 6th) that the network is "doing everything it can" to get the show on air, while the nation continues to be on lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking in an interview with Emma Bullimore, he said: "It wouldn't be the same if we didn't have Strictly in the autumn, would it? So no of course the BBC is doing everything it can, and I know that everyone involved in that production team would absolutely love that to happen this Autumn."

The dancing competition usually launches in August/September as the celebrity line-up is revealed, with live shows later kicking off in October and continuing until December.

Dan is hoping that filming will be able to go ahead as planned, providing the crisis improves.

He continued: "So we've really just got to keep watching the government advice, thinking about what's possible. And if there's any way of bringing Strictly back this autumn, then we absolutely will. That's very much our intentions, so yeah fingers crossed."

Pro dancer Anton Du Beke recently spoke about the future of the show and, like Dan, he's keen to get back on the dance floor.

During an interview with Steph McGovern, he said: "The actual live stuff doesn’t start until about September, so we’re hoping we’ll be out of it by then and back to some sort of normality. I think everyone will be ready for a bit of Strictly Come Dancing by then!”

In recent weeks, we've seen multiple TV shows and films come under pressure due to coronavirus, with many having to either postpone or cancel filming altogether.

From Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway to Britain's Got Talent and The Voice live shows, many entertainment shows have had to make major changes.

We hope Strictly isn't next!