HAVING already lost hosts Fleur East and Janette Manrara, Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two is getting another big overhaul.
When it returns in September, it will be in the form of a vodcast, similar to that of The Traitors: Uncloaked and The Apprentice: You’re Fired.
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Strictly spin-off It Takes Two is set for a major shake-up as it returns as a Traitors-style vodcast after losing hosts Fleur East and Janette Manrara Credit: BBC
The move comes as the BBC dance contest is undergoing top-to-toe changes, with new pros as well as new presenters to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
A TV insider said: “There is definitely a creative renewal on the table for It Takes Two, and they are poised to sign off on the radical option of a vodcast.
“But Beeb bosses have seen it embraced on other huge BBC One shows, particularly The Traitors, where the Uncloaked aftershow got millions tuning in.
“More and more people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy podcasts and vodcasts so, despite being quite a departure, it’s actually quite a shrewd move.”
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It Takes Two hasn’t seen many changes since it launched during the second series of the main show in autumn 2004.
Claudia Winkleman was the show’s first host, and just one of a long line of presenters who’ve gone on to bigger things Credit: PA
Its first presenter was Claudia, and after producers saw her potential as host for the main show, it helped propel her into the star she is today.
Zoe Ball took over the reins and then bagged a big job as host of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
Rylan Clark, who hosted with Zoe, also got a boost from the Strictly spin-off gig.
Now both he and Zoe might take over the big presenting gig.
So expect a stampede to front the new It Takes Two vodcast.
We’ll live like monks
Party lads will swap boozy nights for Fridays with monks in new reality show Trading Places
Also appearing will be three fashionistas going back to basics at a hippie commune Credit: CopyRighted image
Drop some tech-obsessed youngsters into a hippie commune with no phones and what do you get?
A riveting new reality show from Channel 5.
In the ultimate fish-out-of-water social experiment, Trading Places sees a group of youngsters pushed out of their comfort zone and plunged into a totally different life for a week.
In the first of four episodes, three image-obsessed, brand-loving shopaholics step back in time to a 1960s-inspired, off-grid community that rejects all forms of consumerism.
How will they cope without social media?
Later in the series, three party animals live like monks, swapping £800 boozy nights out for the calm of an ancient religious brotherhood.
Their wild escapades extend to ten-pin bowling with 80-year-old friars on a Friday.
Following the success of life swap shows such as Channel 4’s Handcuffed, fronted by Jonathan Ross, and 5’s Rich House, Poor House, I expect this one will also do a roaring trade.
Rylan Clark will be the next celeb in The Assembly hotseat.
He faces the toughest interview of his life from the autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled panel on the ITV show.
Following the likes of Sir Stephen Fry and Anna Maxwell Martin, his episode airs next month.
Chicken to Mo…
Mo Gilligan is heading from London to New York in a new documentary exploring our obsession with chicken Credit: Getty
Comic Mo Gilligan will show a more serious side in a documentary about our mass consumption of chicken.
He will travel from London to New York – two cities where huge amounts are eaten – while looking at what drives our love of the food.
In the Netflix show, which could air later this year, he will also examine its impact on our health and planet.
Allen’s homing in on Al
Tom Allen has another show coming up this summer, which sees him compete directly with Alan Carr’s Interior Design Masters on the BBC Credit: Getty
Not sure he’d thank us for saying it, but Tom Allen is popping up our TVs as often as Alan Carr.
After starting off at Channel 4 with shows including Bake Off: An Extra Slice, he went onto ITV to front Cooking With The Stars alongside Emma Willis.
Then he did The Apprentice: You’re Fired! on BBC Two and, rumour has it, he’s also in the frame to host Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One.
But I can reveal Tom has another show coming up this summer, which sees him compete directly with Alan’s Interior Design Masters on the Beeb.
He’s fronting a new C4 contest called Home For The Weekend, which also has echoes of Changing Rooms where two families compete against each other with a £10,000 budget to transform their homes.
Here’s hoping he’s wrapped up by September, in case he gets that Strictly gig.
Grey’s Anatomy star Kevin McKidd goes from medic to murderer as the lead in a new ITV thriller.
He plays Alex, whose world will implode if the body he buried 30 years earlier is discovered.
Based on Louise Candlish’s acclaimed book, filming on The Only Suspect has just begun.
BGT gets Burke’s X Factor
Alexandra Burke will perform as Chaka Khan on Britain’s Got Talent ahead of the live semi-finals Credit: Goff
Britain’s Got Talent is bringing the X Factor ahead of the live semi-finals with a special performance by Alexandra Burke.
She will sing as Queen of Funk Chaka Khan, who she is playing in a new stage show coming to London this summer.
Alexandra, who won The X Factor in 2008, went on to have a string of top ten hits as well as starring in West End musicals.
She will reunite with music mogul Simon Cowell as the live semi-finals kick off on Saturday night on ITV.
Last week Simon got emotional when X Factor alumni Lloyd Macey appeared on BGT with his Glantaf Boys’ Choir.
