Chris McCausland will not be taking part in the upcoming Strictly tour due to a clash with his own comedy tour.
The comedian, 47, has left BBC bosses with a huge headache as he is the bookmakers’ favorite to win the show.
The Strictly live tour was first launched in January 2009 with 2008 winner Tom Chambers among the line-up. All the winners since then have participated.
But his stand-up show, Yonks, has dates throughout January and February that directly clash with Strictly’s live theater show.
An additional 100 dates were added to their tour last month, which will run from January 2025 to April 2026.
Yonks’ tour was postponed due to Chris’ involvement with Strictly, so he is adamant he won’t change dates for a second time.
Chris McCausland will not be taking part in the upcoming Strictly tour due to a clash with his own comedy tour.
The comedian, 47, has left BBC officials with a big headache by being the bookmakers’ favorite to win the show.
A spokesman for Chris said The mirror: ‘Chris already changed his tour dates to do Strictly and that wasn’t an easy thing to do. There were a lot of disappointed people and it was stressful – we received a lot of messages. So I couldn’t move them again, at all.
“Everyone has been very clear about this throughout the entire process. It’s a big shame, because he would love to do the tour, but Chris is not available. He said at the time of signing up that he was not going to be able to do it, that it was not going to be possible, it was always clear.
“The good thing is that no one could have predicted how well he would do on Strictly. No one thought he would make it this far. But since he already changed his tour dates once to accommodate the show, he can’t do it again.”
They added that Chris’s own tour was already in the diary and it wouldn’t be fair to the fans to move it a second time.
MailOnline has contacted Chris’s representative for comment.
The comedian is listed at just 1/5 (an implied probability of 83%) of winning the show, having maintained favoritism since the second week.
Sarah Hadland is considered the most likely threat to Chris’s march to glory, but is still very much adrift in the betting at 9/2, with Tasha Ghouri completing the top three at 10/1.
William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said: “There’s nothing stopping Chris McCausland in the strictly absolute market and the comedian appears to already have a hand in the Glitterball Trophy.”
“Despite four weeks remaining, Chris is trading at just 1/5 to win this year’s series, giving her a big breathing room in the betting ahead of Sarah Hadland (9/2) and Tasha Ghouri (10/ 1)”.
The pair scored a staggering 37 out of 40 points from the judges after their American Smooth on Saturday.
Strictly Come Dancing has announced that Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas (left) and actress Sarah Hadland (right) will join the UK live tour in 2025.
Shayne Ward will also join the lineup after his time in the competition came to an end earlier this month.
Last Saturday in Blackpool, Chris and his partner Dianne Buswell, 35, achieved a an astonishing 37 out of 40 points from the judges after their American Smooth.
Dianne’s parents have flown in from Australia to see the pair in action at the upcoming show on Saturday.
Strictly announced are the first three celebrities joining the UK tour which will tour the country from January 17 to February 9.
Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas and actress Sarah Hadland have been confirmed for the tour alongside singer Shayne Ward.
They will be joined by Strictly judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and, for the first time on the tour, Motsi Mabuse.
Meanwhile, It Takes Two’s Janette Manrara also returns to host the tour once again.
Craig stated: “Fans are in for a real treat on the live tour – it will be bigger and better than ever.”
‘Audiences will be able to enjoy all the glitz and glamor of the television show and see their favorite celebrities and dancers up close and personal. And with Motsi joining us for the first time, it’s going to be even more FABULOUS!’