{"id":619381,"date":"2026-04-20T15:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/619381\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:06:14","slug":"bbc-strictly-slammed-by-former-contestant-as-comedian-shares-joke-she-refused-to-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/619381\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Strictly slammed by former contestant as comedian shares joke she refused to make"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comedian Katy Brand has revealed she refused to deliver scripted jokes handed to her by a Strictly Come Dancing producer during her appearance on the 2012 Christmas Special.<\/p>\n

The 47-year-old shared the behind-the-scenes details on Instagram, explaining that she was asked to say specific lines during her pre-dance interview segment.<\/p>\n

“When I did Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, I was asked by the producer filming the VT insert interview package to say, ‘I live to make people laugh,’ and also, ‘When I heard I was doing a Viennese Waltz, I was confused because I thought it was a biscuit,'” Ms Brand wrote.<\/p>\n

She added: “And friends, I flatly refused to say either of those things on camera.”<\/p>\n

Ms Brand encouraged her followers to take inspiration from her stance, noting that everyone has the power to manage their own public image.<\/p>\n

The comedian also disclosed that Dame Sheila Hancock had a similar encounter with the same producer during the festive special.<\/p>\n

According to Ms Brand, the 93-year-old actress was prompted to declare that appearing on Strictly was “the role I have been dreaming of all my life.”<\/p>\n

The veteran performer’s response was characteristically sharp: “Darling, I’ve played Lady Macbeth.”<\/p>\n

\"Katy<\/p>\n

Katy Brand made the admission on Instagram <\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

Ms Brand captioned her post: “I hope she doesn’t mind me telling you that. I adored her.”<\/p>\n

Ms Brand partnered with professional dancer Anton Du Beke for the Christmas Special, where the pair performed a Viennese Waltz to It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.<\/p>\n

Their routine placed them second from bottom on the leaderboard that evening.<\/p>\n

Since her Strictly appearance, Ms Brand has continued to build her career across multiple entertainment fields.<\/p>\n

\"Katy<\/p>\n

Katy Brand took part in the BBC Strictly Christmas Special in 2012<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

Most recently, she penned the screenplay for Netflix’s adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club, the bestselling novel by Richard Osman.<\/p>\n

Her Instagram post criticising the BBC show’s production practices comes as the broadcaster faces a significant transition period for the long-running dance competition.<\/p>\n

The programme has undergone substantial changes following the departure of its established presenting duo at the conclusion of last year’s series.<\/p>\n

Nine celebrities are currently being put through their paces in secret auditions to find replacements for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down following the 2025 series.<\/p>\n

\"Katy<\/p>\n

Ms Brand partnered with professional dancer Anton Du Beke for the Christmas Special<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

The contenders include Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, Angela Scanlon, Alex Jones, Alison Hammond, Bradley Walsh, La Voix, and Zoe Ball.<\/p>\n

BBC executives have summoned the shortlisted stars to a confidential London venue this week, where they will participate in full dress rehearsals complete with a judging panel and live band.<\/p>\n

Sources suggest producers are prioritising chemistry and humour, with various presenting combinations under consideration.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster is reportedly open to maintaining a female duo or potentially introducing a third host to refresh the format.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Comedian Katy Brand has revealed she refused to deliver scripted jokes handed to her by a Strictly Come…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,1576,480,134,142182,427],"class_list":{"0":"post-619381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-bbc","11":"tag-celebrity","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-strictly-come-dancing","14":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}