Former Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman has said that he will be "devastated" if the show is unable to make it to air this year.
The coronavirus pandemic has cast doubt over whether the dance contest can return this autumn, although the BBC is said to be working on multiple ways of adapting the format to make the production safe.
Among the ideas under consideration are outdoor performances, limited live audiences and couples performing routines with each other from a safe distance.
"We need Strictly. I'd be devastated if it didn't go ahead because it's such a fantastic show," Goodman told the Radio Times.
"I was talking to Craig Revel Horwood last week, we quite often have a chat, and we're both convinced that Strictly will go ahead. It may not be in the exact format we've had in the past, maybe there won't be a huge studio audience.
"I know on the German version the judges had perspex screens between them, I would have loved that because I wouldn't have had Bruno (Tonioli) smacking me in the face all the time!"
Strictly pro Neil Jones yesterday revealed that he is confident the show will go ahead but expressed concerns over whether distanced dancing would work.
Neil Wilkes
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