Chris McCausland reveals why he previously turned down Strictly Come Dancing
The comedian and Strictly pro Dianne Buswell speak to Radio Times about why he signed up for the series, what training is like and more.
A regular guest on panel shows like Would I Lie to You? and QI, stand-up comedian Chris McCausland is already turning heads on Strictly for his sense of humour quick one-liners – when the live shows start, he may yet become the bane of the BBC censors.
And as Strictly's first ever blind contestant, he's also pushing boundaries on the dance floor with professional partner Dianne Buswell.
Chris, you're the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. How's the training?
Chris: I need Dianne to be good with her descriptions and to tell me if something is rubbish. I don't know what the dances look like. I couldn't tell you what a tango is, or a paso doble or the cha-cha-cha, in terms of visuals.
Even if somebody says, "They've done a twirl," or, "They're moving to the side," there's a thousand things you can imagine in your head. Until I'm actually physically doing it, I won't really understand what the dances are.
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Once, Dianne just picked my leg up and put it where she wanted. When we're practising, I can hear Dianne moving around me, but when the crowd was there with the music, I couldn't hear Dianne, I was just guessing where she was.
Dianne: Chris keeps telling me, "I don't want it to be dumbed down," which I love.
Chris: There's no point me being here otherwise.
Dianne: Normally, I would show someone something, whether it's footwork, or an arm position. Chris is going to elevate how I teach. I might say "a bowling ball action" or "paint a picture". There are things we're going to have to work on and understand as we go along.
Chris: I'm not looking at my feet, am I?
Dianne: No, I'll never have to say that – we've got a plus already! I'm a massive fan of Chris, I've watched so much of his work. He's going to be great, he's got a lot of potential. Don't get me wrong, we still need to create the dancer there….
Chris, you lost your eyesight at the age of 22. Do you have any prior dancing experience?
Chris: I had 10 per cent vision when I was 11, and I was playing football and computer games, but no, no dancing. When I was a teenager, it was all rock and metal, mosh pits, crowd surfing and headbanging. I don’t dance, so this is all massively out of my comfort zone.
Why did you sign up for Strictly?
Chris: I was resistant to the idea for a while. I said no a few times – to last year's series and the Christmas special. One reason was for self-preservation. I didn’t think I could do it, because I literally couldn’t see what’s expected of me. And because I don't watch it, I don't have an attachment to the format.
But I'd rather do something I had no knowledge of than make a show I knew everything about. I'm good at making comedy out of failure, but I'm going to take this seriously.
Dianne: What we're wearing now is pretty funny...
How are you feeling about being Strictly-fied?
Chris: I'm learning about the elements of the show as I'm going along, so I've asked that we have some barometer of cheese, like, "OK, Chris, this next bit is full stilton blue cheese." Dress me in what you want and paint me whatever colour you want. But I'm not wearing a leotard. That's where I draw the line!
Dianne: That's fine. They probably wouldn't want you in that anyway!
You've also had a spray tan. How was that?
Chris: I went mild, because I've never had one. I've never been in a sun bed. I don't even sit in the sun when I'm away. I'm quite self-conscious. I thought I might as well jump in and leave my inhibitions at the door. Most of it washed away, so you can't really tell now. I've upgraded to slightly human. Next time, I need to get a tan where you can actually tell I've had one.
Are your friends and family excited to watch you on the show?
Chris: My best mate, who I've known since I was three, his wife is obsessed with the show. She knew I'd been offered it in the past, and had resigned herself to the fact it wasn't something I thought I could do. When she found out I was going to do it, she had a panic attack. She didn’t breathe.
I'd like to say it’s because she's proud of me, and she really wants to support me through this, but it's the free tickets. Rather than saying, "You can do this, Chris. You’ll be amazing. I’ve got faith in you," she said, "If you go out, could you still get me tickets?"
A condensed version of this interview appears in the latest issue of Radio Times.
Strictly Come Dancing continues at 7pm this Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer.
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