Brian Cox on why he turned down Strictly Come Dancing offer

Dec 18, 2023

Brian Cox says he turned down an offer to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, saying: “I don’t know if I want to go down that road.”

The 77-year-old actor said he was “getting too old” to be a contestant on the BBC’s dancing competition, but suggested he declined the opportunity because there’s a “joke element” to the show.

Asked about the show while on BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the Succession star said: “I’ve actually been asked to be on it.”

Asked if he said yes to an appearance, he responded: “No, I declined. Well… I mean, I like dancing, don’t get me wrong… I don’t know why but I just, I always see that there’s a sort of joke element in it.

“You know, there’s almost a character that’s going to be getting the elbow… and I just thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to go down that road’.

“I’m getting too old for it anyway.”

The conversation came following Saturday’s final of Strictly Come Dancing 2023, with the glitterball trophy awarded to soap star Ellie Leach and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola.

The final of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 was watched by an average of 8.8 million viewers, according to ratings.

Average ratings have fallen since last year, when the show’s final drew in 9.2 million viewers.

The peak viewings were the same, however, with the 2022 and 2023 final both drawing in a ratings peak of 9.7 million views.

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Despite his comments about his age, Cox’s career has showed no signs of slowing down in recent years.

He’s been nominated for three BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his role as media tycoon Logan Roy in Succession, and most recently hosted a new action gameshow based on the James Bond franchise.

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