Strictly Come Dancing has been plunged into fresh chaos with the BBC launching an investigation into allegations of drug use on the show.
The Sun reported over the weekend that two Strictly stars had been accused of taking cocaine and the corporation has since engaged a legal firm to lead a probe. The stars have not been named nor has it been identified whether they are professional dancers or celebrities.
“We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us,” a BBC spokeswoman told Deadline. “We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.” Deadline understands the external law firm will report into an internal BBC team.
According to The Sun, the initial allegations of cocaine use came via a legal submission to the BBC several months back by law firm Russells on behalf of the former celebrity contestant Wynne Evans. This submission alleges two unnamed stars took cocaine and that this information was well known on set. Evans was recently dropped from his BBC radio show after being caught on camera during the Strictly live tour making a lewd remark. He subsequently posted on Instagram to say that it “breaks my heart to say the BBC has decided not to renew my contract so I won’t be returning to my radio show.”
The report plunges the BBC entertainment juggernaut into fresh chaos, just a few months after the BBC Studios-produced show recovered from its previous scandal.
Last year, two professional dancers exited the show following allegations of misconduct from their partners. One of them, Giovanni Pernice, had his row with ex-partner Amanda Abbington spill out into the open as the BBC investigated. New welfare measures were also introduced amid the scandal.
