At least Greg Davies won't be on the judging panel...
We're still in the midst of a competitive season of Strictly Come Dancing, but already the show's annual Christmas edition is starting to ramp up – with the first confirmed name announced for the festive line-up.
Comedian Josh Widdicombe will be donning sequins for the dance challenge, with Karen Hauer serving as his professional partner as they go up against five other couples for the Christmas Day broadcast.
The news broke on tonight's episode of Strictly Come Dancing companion show It Takes Two, where Widdicombe was revealed as the first celebrity behind the doors of the all-star advent calendar.
He said: "I am utterly terrified this will end in humiliation and worried I’m going to be so bad I will ruin Christmas for the nation. Why have I done this?"
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You may recognise the comic from his successful run on Greg Davies and Alex Horne's hit entertainment show Taskmaster, where he stormed to victory in the first season and returned for the inaugural Champion of Champions.
Widdicombe is also known as one of the presenters on Channel 4's long-running comedy talk show The Last Leg as well as for starring in a BBC Three sitcom named Josh, where he played a fictionalised version of himself.
As usual, the six couples at the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will perform festive routines for the judging panel and studio audience, before a winner is crowned later that very same episode.
This year's edition of the main show was notable for having two alumni from earlier Christmas specials, with both JLS singer JB Gill and EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick returning for a run at the real Glitterball trophy.
Both are enjoying a good run so far, with Gill topping the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard for the last two weeks in a row, while Borthwick has also placed first on two earlier episodes. Perhaps Widdicombe will unlock a new talent too!
Strictly Come Dancing will air on Christmas Day.
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David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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