Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Annabel Nugent

Strictly Come Dancing: Greg James fools fans – including Russell T Davies – with ‘announcement’

PA archive / BBC

Greg James has fooled fans with a joke Strictly Come Dancing announcement.

The BBC series is due to return in September for its 20th anniversary series presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Paralympian Ellie Simmonds is the latest celebrity to be announced as part of the line-up.

On Sunday (7 August), James posted on social media, jokingly announcing that he would be joining the stars on the show.

The Radio 1 Breakfast host shared a video accompanied by the Strictly theme song, together with the caption: “Guys, some news…”

Instead of showing James, however, the clip revealed the next contestant to be his dog, Labrador Barney.

Love Island host Laura Whitmore shared a series of laughing emojis, while the official account for BBC Radio 1 commented: “He’s got our vote.”

Russell T Davies, who is due to return as Doctor Who showrunner, said: “You fooled me for a second! Xx.”

Strictly presenter  AJ Odudu called Barney a “WINNER!”.

The first announcements for this year’s Strictly line-up were made on 4 August, with more names being revealed each day.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.