BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland makes 'underwhelmed' admission amid Blackpool 'hype'

Chris McCausland does seem to be on board with the Blackpool 'hype' like his Strictly Come Dancing co-stars as he prepares to perform in the show's annual special.

Every year, the hit BBC One dance show heads up north to the seaside town where the show is broadcast live from the famous Tower Ballroom. The live show on Saturday night (November 16), hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, will see the eight remaining couples perform on the legendary venue's spring floor.

It was confirmed during last Sunday night's (November 10) results show that Chris and Dianne had made it through to week nine of the competition after thei epic couple's choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.

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But this weekend, they'll be performing a an American Smooth to Jump by Paul Anka but Chris has shared how he didn't know much about the big Blackpool special.

Chris wrote in his latest 'Strictly diary' with The Telegraph: "I knew pretty much nothing about how Strictly worked when I entered into this show. There was lots of talk about “Blackpool” in the various meetings in the months preceding filming, and I was so clueless that I thought the whole show moved to Blackpool about eight or nine weeks in and then just stayed there until the final. It’s a lot of fuss for one week isn’t it.

"I went to Blackpool many times as a kid. My main memories are of the games arcades and the fairground, and of course going to see the illuminations back when I still had some sight. In all my visits, though, I don’t think I ever stepped foot inside the Tower Ballroom, so this will be a first for me. There is so much hype around Blackpool – and I get it. Blackpool is like the Wembley of ballroom dancing."

He added: "I’ve heard so much about this sprung dance-floor that I can only imagine that I will be massively underwhelmed by it. Unless I step on one side and immediately bounce straight off the other, this sprung dance floor will be nowhere near as springy-sprungy as I have been led to believe."

It comes after Chris, 47, said og performing at the venue, Chris: "It’s something that means a lot to the professional dancers. Strictly is a two-way relationship and they don’t get to dance there every year with a partner because they leave at different points of the competition each year."

He added: "To be able to get to Blackpool with Dianne and give her that opportunity to dance there again means more to me than me being able to go there myself."