Strictly Come Dancing judges Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood have reflected on how views around masculinity have changed ahead of their new TV series together.
The duo will be swapping the dancefloor for the driving seat in a new six-part ITV series, Craig And Bruno’s Great British Road Trips, which will see them taking on six of the best driving routes, in locations varying from Cornwall to the Cotswolds.
Italian dancer and choreographer Tonioli revealed his background in cars came from his father who used to repair bodywork and the Strictly judge also admitted he took the Tube in London until he could afford to buy a Porsche because he is that particular about cars.
Speaking to the Radio Times about their new show, Australian Revel Horwood said: “You can be a drag queen like myself, and still like fiddling with cars and saying, “I like a V8 engine”.
The pair were interviewed by former Strictly contestant and Labour MP Ed Balls for the July 10-16 issue of the magazine.
Balls took part in Strictly in 2016, partnered with Katya Jones. Although they were eliminated in week 10, their dance to Gangnam Style was nominated for the Must-See Moment Award at the 2017 Bafta awards.
Speaking about how “being a petrolhead is traditionally seen as a macho pastime”, Revel Horwood said: “It’s not what people would think of me, definitely. Doing ballet, you know, doesn’t exactly go with “petrolhead”, does it? And it’s what people don’t know about us. I think people will get to know us a lot better in this show.”
Tonioli added: “People are not one-dimensional. We all have different aspects of ourselves”.
Revel Horwood and Tonioli have both been on the judging panel since Strictly Come Dancing began in 2004, but this year Tonioli, who also judges Dancing With The Stars in the US, will be replaced by dancefloor favourite Anton Du Beke, due to uncertainty over international travel restrictions as a result of Covid-19.
The full interview is in this week’s edition of the Radio Times magazine.