Yahoo News Strictly's Chris McCausland to give ballroom a heavy metal twist with favourite song
The comedian has admitted he is not a fan of much of the contemporary pop he has heard on the dance show, and is looking forward to bringing a 'dark edge'.
What did you miss?
Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland hopes to bring a 'dark edge' to the show, by dancing to Metallica.
The comedian and professional partner Dianne Buswell have surprised even themselves by making it through to the 2024 semi-final and will dance the Viennese Waltz to the heavy metal band's collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, Nothing Else Matters. The comedian has admitted he is not a fan of much of the contemporary pop he has heard on the dance show, and is looking forward to showing his dark side.
What, how, and why?
McCausland appeared on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two on Tuesday, 3 December with Buswell, where they revealed what music they will be dancing too in Saturday night's semi-final.
Buswell told host Fleur East: "I hadn't really heard this song. Chris sort of mentioned it to me and I loved it instantly. Actually the Viennese Waltz is quite a grounded dance, so I think it's really helping us get into the character of it being really smooth and grounded. But it has got that bit of an edgy twist to it. And yeah, it's a beautiful song, Chris loves it. The instrumentals in this are just gorgeous, so I'm really excited for this one.
McCausland added: "It's a heavy metal band but it's not a heavy metal song. It's a beautiful song with a real dark edge to it. It's stunning."
East asked McCausland if taking part in Musicals Week had converted him to the music. He said: "I mean, do you know when there's six of you in it, you don't really get to watch. You don't get to watch much of the show, 'cause you're practicing your bits and then you're off doing a bit of social so you only catch a couple. In terms of listening to the songs, I didn't like a lot of them so I was quite happy to miss them. I'm not a fan of the contemporary stuff like that in, in the musical world."
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The comic — who lost his sight 25 years ago aged 22 because of hereditary condition Retinitis Pigmentosa — quipped: "The dancing was of a high standard."
What else happened on It Takes Two?
JLS star JB Gill was also a guest on the show with partner Lauren Oakley. He confirmed he will be celebrating his 38th birthday on Saturday night - when he is due to perform two dances in the semi-finals. East gave him an immune-boosting ginger shot instead of cake to help him keep in shape for competition. He said: "Thank you so much, that's actually a great present."
In a bid to make it through to the Strictly 2024 grand final and have a chance of lifting the glitterball trophy, Gill and Oakley will be dancing the Paso Doble and the Salsa to Red Alert by Basement Jaxx.
Gill is confident about Salsa, saying; "You know what salsa I think is gonna be fun. I love the song, it very much sort of fits my character You know, you're happy, you're big, you know, you can express yourself. So, I'm very much looking forward to performing that one." And the boyband star promised he will be "bringing the hips" on Saturday nig.
Dancer Nikita Kuzmin was the latest to take part in the Strictly 2024 pro challenge. He said: "I love the Cha-Cha-Cha, so bring it on!" The Ukranian-Italian star revealed he as been dancing for 22 years, since he was just four-years-old. Judge Craig Revel Horwood told him: "You steamed through that!"
He managed to complete 16 steps in the 30 second time limit, and had four disqualifications, putting him top of the leaderboard with 14 steps. There are three Strictly professionals left to take part: Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones and Kai Widdrington. Kuzmin said he felt Jones was the one to beat, saying: "For some reason I feel like Neil is the one. I heard Aljaz saying yesterday he's been doing it since the 1600s!"
Strictly: It Takes Two airs on BBC Two at 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One at 6.30pm on Saturday.
