14:55pm 17th April 2005
America snaps up Come Dancing ... but Bruce isn't strictly welcome
By ELIZABETH SANDERSON,
Mail on Sunday
America is set to go Strictly Come Dancing mad after the BBC struck a £6 million deal for a spectacular Statesside version of the show.
Filming starts next month for the series, which has the working title Dance With The Stars, and will be shown on the giant ABC television network.
But Bruce Forsyth, 77, who hosted the UK version, stunned TV bosses by flying to Los Angeles last week with his business manager Ian Wilson "for talks with TV producers".
A British production team is now in Hollywood for the series of six hour-long shows. As with the UK version, eight celebrities will be paired with professional ballroom dancers and compete for judges' marks and viewers' votes in a live dance contest.
The line-up of TV and film stars is to be announced in two weeks but it had already been confirmed and fellow British show presenter Natasha Kaplinsky would have no role in the American version.
A spokesman for the BBC said: "We are looking for a US presenter. Bruce Forsyth has nothing to do with the show and his arrival in LA is a coincidence."
A production insider said: "They couldn't believe it when he showed up in Hollywood. Everyone's horrified - and pretty embarrassed by the whole thing. But Brucie thinks he's on a roll.
"He wants to be big again and so he seems to be trying to capitalise on the success of Strictly Come Dancing. He's always wanted to crack America. He wants to be a respected song and dance man Sammy Davis Junior and he sees this as his way to do it."
The BBC asked him to host last year's Strictly Come Dancing after seeing his one-off guest appearance on the satirical news show Have I Got News For You?
The show has revitalised Forsyth's career with British audiences, but American success is what the comedian most wants. On Saturday night, Forsyth was on his way to his second home in Puerto Rico for a three-week holiday. His business manager Ian Wilson was unavailable for comment.
