I was delighted to be invited to join the BBC TV Strictly band on Saturday 27th September for the 2nd episode of the 15th series. It has been awhile since I last worked with them. With a no-depping policy in the band, these occasions rarely come up. But the opportunity arose and it was a wonderful experience to work with this amazing band and Musical Director, Dave Arch. The sheer professionalism of them all is a delight and the sound is amazing. With rehearsals on the Friday evening at Elstree Studios and a 10am start on the Saturday morning, not leaving until 11.30pm that night, it’s very long day. Stamina and concentration are paramount needless to say. My upmost respect goes to them all for being able to sustain that level of intensity week after week.

I was also happy to say hello to Brendan Cole and Aljaz and Janette, who I’ll be touring with in 2018. Great to see them working in this environment for a change rather than on their touring shows.