Paddy McGuinness has been put forward to replace Claudia Winkleman as host of Strictly Come Dancing, following her announcement that she will be stepping down from her role.
According to BBC sources, Suzy Lamb, managing director of BBC Studios, who previously worked with McGuinness on ITV’s dating show Take Me Out, believes he would be the “perfect fit” for interviewing contestants.
Ms Lamb is said to think McGuinness’s light-hearted style during the Take Me Out quiz rounds could translate well to conversations with stars and their dance partners, according to the Daily Mail.
Take Me Out saw a man try to impress a panel of around 30 women in order to try and win a date in Tenerife.
During the show, women could turn off the light on their podiums if they were not attracted to a bachelor, with McGuinness famously quipping: “No likey, no lighty.”
The show was cancelled in 2019 after 11 years due to declining viewership ratings and a feeling that the show had “run its course” after a decade.
It comes following the announcement Winkleman and Tess Daly would be stepping down as hosts at the end of the current series.
Daly has fronted Strictly since it launched in 2004 with Sir Bruce Forsyth, while Winkleman then became her full-time co-host in 2014 after first hosting the spin-off series the same year it began.
The suggestion that McGuinness could take over Strictly has sparked criticism among some of Ms Lamb’s colleagues, with reports that they are concerned about associating the BBC show with the ITV programme, which has been criticised for its innuendos and perceived casual sexism.
A BBC source told the Daily Mail: “Suzy put Paddy forward in a meeting. She really, really got behind him. She clearly thinks he's great.
“He hardly has the track record to be doing such a role. Neither Top Gear or Question of Sport is with us any more. He isn't a fit for Strictly, and there have been some very vocal people shouting it down.
“As if you would base Strictly on a show like Take Me Out. Strictly is a national treasure.”
A BBC Studios spokesman, however, denied that any conversation had taken place.
Alan Carr, Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby and Hannah Waddingham have also been named as possible replacements.
