Strictly’s Wynne Evans shouldn’t be punished tonight for a horrible joke

Wynne Evans has all the ingredients to win Strictly Come Dancing.

He’s relatable, extremely likable, a much better dancer than anyone expected, and he’s very funny.

Or at least he can be.

Alongside Chris McCausland, Wynne looked a dead set for the Strictly finale until he familiarly put his arm around on-camera partner Katya Jones’s waist and shocked viewers, already eagerly on the lookout for a slip-up, were rightly horrified.

Wynne and Katya quickly apologized, emphasizing that he was telling an “inside joke.”

I’m so far from being a comedian, but even I could tell you that the point of inside jokes is that no one else finds them funny.

A lesson they soon learned when none of the 7 million viewers who watched Strictly last Saturday night thought it was funny.

I really like Wynne.

I love that he’s an unexpected standout on this year’s Strictly, when generally the mixed reaction to him being in the line-up has been: ‘As in… the Go Compare Man?’

He perfectly captures everything that is magical about Strictly and, should he survive this weekend’s fourth elimination, I have no doubt that his extremely strange joke will eventually be forgotten.

But joking about being too familiar with co-stars is clearly the last thing Strictly Come Dancing needs after a year plagued by controversy.

Richard Madeley told the obvious joke on Good Morning Britain, even though it was deeply unfunny.

Poking fun at the show’s increasingly irritating “keep dancing” slogan, he quipped, “Keep groping.”

Susanna Reid’s eye roll said it all.

Going into this series, Strictly has lost two of its most popular professional dancers. An investigation into Giovanni Pernice’s behavior during training with Amanda Abbington was resolved last month, with his complaints of bullying and harassment upheld.

In July, Graziano Di Prima was sacked after footage of him training with Zara McDermott showed him kicking the former Love Island star during rehearsals last year.

I was one of the many who had doubts that this series of Strictly should continue into 2024. It was only a few months ago that the show’s reputation seemed completely tarnished and it would need at least a few months away for long-time fans to recover and trust your happy reputation is not just an act.

One of the main concerns surrounding the two Strictly Come Dancing exposés was that there was a toxic culture surrounding the show behind the scenes that we weren’t aware of.

Therefore, what has been called an ‘inside joke’ does little to build confidence that there is no misogynistic element among the stars when they are off camera.

Granted, I can’t imagine Wynne being anything to worry about.

He’s become one of the most popular students in the class of 2024 because he’s clearly a genuine guy who can’t believe his luck, appearing on the UK’s most-watched TV series as part of showbiz’s most coveted lineup.

So I like to hope that the question marks surrounding Wynne now pass and that everyone stands up for him for capturing everything Strictly is about. He got carried away, gravely misjudged a terrible joke and, as the wince-inducing slogan goes, we’ll all ‘keep dancing’.

As far as dark sexist jokes go, unfortunately people get away with much worse.

But the moment couldn’t be more unfortunate. The BBC has been accused of being too slow to act when it receives complaints so often that it becomes increasingly difficult to defend them.

Amanda Abbington wasn’t the first contestant to complain about her Strictly partner’s behavior, but she was the first we heard about.

Katya pleaded with the audience during It Takes Two, saying she is heartbroken ‘sitting here watching this man be portrayed as someone he is not’.

She emphasized: “Even the idea that this made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is utter nonsense. Those who have doubts, you are mistaken.

Regardless, Wynne fell out of favor among bookmakers. After emerging as one of the favorites to take top spot, he is now in danger of being eliminated this Sunday, with only Morning Live doctor Punam Krishnan and clumsy footballer Paul Merson ahead of him.

Now Wynne is clearly not a monster and any suggestion that he is is completely overblown.

His joke is, however, yet another punch in the gut for the BBC hoping to re-establish Strictly Come Dancing as the countryest, happiest and, most importantly, safest show on television.

Strictly hasn’t – rightly – been afraid to turn up the temperature on the dancefloor when routines call for those moments of romance and passion; Strictly Come Dancing must be able to push its limits for the sake of an unforgettable performance.

Off the dance floor it’s a different story.

I know impressionable young people who watch Strictly and if there was ever a show to tell such a nasty joke (which there isn’t), Strictly would be at the bottom of the list.

Katya has repeatedly insisted that she has never felt uncomfortable, but that’s beside the point when there is a very real threat against women in the workplace every day.

Should Wynne be reprimanded by the BBC? I think the Glitterball trophy is probably out of reach now and having to spend the next week crawling for votes is probably punishment enough. The outrage may be extreme, but it is also justified.

It’s unfortunate, to say the least. Wynne possibly ruined his chances of joining the likes of Rose Ayling-Ellis, Bill Bailey and Stacey Dooley as Strictly winner because he thought groping his partner on national television was funny.

His judging will be open to the public this weekend, when it will be decided whether he deserves his place in the competition. I hope the jury decides so, otherwise Strictly Come Dancing will lose one of its most exciting contestants – even though he is also clearly one of its silliest.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.25pm ​​on BBC One.

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