EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has committed to airing tonight’s Wynne Evans series despite the Strictly Come Dancing star being forced to apologize over the weekend due to an inappropriate remark made while on the Strictly live tour.
Evans, who is best known in the UK as the opera singer from the Go Compare adverts, is hosting tonight’s Wynne & Joanna: All at Sea on BBC One at 8.30 p.m. GMT (12.30 p.m. PT), in which he and Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page sail along the Welsh coastline over six episodes.
The timing could be better for the BBC. Over the weekend, it was revealed that Evans had been reprimanded by the producers of the Strictly live tour after he was recorded using the term “spitroast,” which is slang for a three-person sexual position. The remark was allegedly directed towards professional dancer and television presenter Janette Manrara at the start of this month.
Evans has since said sorry. “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise,” he said in a statement.
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While Evans was reprimanded over the remark by the Strictly tour producers, the BBC has said it is pushing on with his new series, with a spokeswoman simply informing us that tonight’s schedule has not changed. Wales Online also reported that Evans has stepped back from his BBC Wales radio show for the time being, and the BBC confirmed this.
Evans had already attracted headlines for the wrong reasons while he was on Strictly late last year after being recorded having his hands pushed away from the midriff of his dance partner Katya Jones. The pair later apologized and said they were “messing around.” Strictly was under fire in 2024 due to the exit over alleged inappropriate behavior of two professional dancers.
The BBC has been in the spotlight for bad presenter behavior and lewd remarks due to the Gregg Wallace scandal. Late last year, the MasterChef host stepped aside over allegations from more than a dozen women of misconduct. Producer Banijay is investigating. Wallace denies he engaged in behavior of a “sexually harassing nature.”
Of Evans’ remark, a spokesperson for the Strictly live tour and BBC Studios said: “We were not previously aware of the remark and did not receive any complaints. We have made it very clear to Wynne that we do not tolerate such behaviour on the tour.”