BBC Scotland’s political team have been kicked out of their regular studio for live coverage of the General Election – to allow former Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman to waltz in with his new show.
As the polls close on June 8 and the first results come, BBC Scotland will be reporting events from another studio called “The Street”. The team’s usual home in Studio 1 will be occupied by Goodman who will be recording his new early-evening family quiz programme Partners In Rhyme.
Theresa May’s snap election meant that the main studio at Pacific Quay was already booked out well in advance by Goodman, but BBC chiefs are refusing to change the arrangements and insiders are saying that this would never have happened in the London studio.
A BBC spokeswoman said: “On election night itself we will be using The Street and Len Goodman will be in Studio 1.
“I would stress that Len Goodman has been on the schedule for some time and we are confident we can handle both productions. We have used The Street before for elections. It is nothing new to us. It won’t make any different to the election night coverage at all.
“BBC Scotland News and current affairs will be using all areas of our headquarters at Pacific Quay to deliver programmes covering the General Election campaign.
“This is something we’ve always done since Pacific Quay opened in 2007. The building was designed and built to be a highly flexible facility able to respond quickly to a range of requirements including snap elections.”
An insider said: “If Len Goodman was booked into the big studio in London on a General Election night you can be rest assured he would be moved to another studio, but it’s Scotland and we don’t matter as much.”
Goodman retired from Strictly last year and is fronting his own show. TV presenter Matt Edmonson came up with the idea where contestants team up with celebrities to answer comedy questions based on rhyming clues.
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