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Alan Carr is reportedly out of the running to become the new Strictly Come Dancing host as his 2027 tour dates clash with when the show will be.
The comedian, 49, is said to have been one the BBC’s top choices to fill in for Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who stepped down earlier this month.
Alan became a TV sensation during his stint of Celebrity Traitors earlier this year and the broadcaster are ‘gutted’ they can’t capitalise on his huge popularity.
The BBC are now said to be eyeing up former It Takes Two host Rylan Clark as a potential host for the show.
‘Alan is out of the Golden Ten possible hosts and won’t be taking part in the tests the BBC are gutted. He was their favourite to take on one of the positions but he’s spoken with the BBC and basically he cannot move his tour,’ a source told The Sun.
‘The dates which are scheduled for 2027 are not able to be rearranged and Alan has had to choose. The BBC understand his position but they are hugely disappointed.
‘They thought Alan would be such a great choice for the job. Rylan has now replaced Alan as one of their top choices, it will come down to how Rylan gets on in the chemistry tests.’
Daily Mail has contacted the BBC and Alan’s representatives for comment.
Alan will be touring the UK and Ireland extensively in 2027 with his new show, Have I Said Too Much? – with 90 dates in total.
The second leg of the tour begins in September and runs right the way through to November, which clashes with Strictly.
Alan was one of three names who were the frontrunners, with Bradley Walsh and Alex Jones also favourites.
According to reports, contenders will be put through a series of partner-swap chemistry tests, with BBC executives keen to find the perfect on-screen pairing.
A source told The Sun previously: ‘Replacing Claudia and Tess is a mammoth task but the BBC have whittled down the talent to ten people.
‘As well as Bradley, Alex and Alan, Rylan Clark, Rob Rinder, Zoe Ball, and Holly Willoughby will be at the chemistry day.
‘Amanda Holden, Alison Hammond, and Angela Scanlon have made the cut too.’
The insider added that the stars will be brought into a studio and placed into different pairings to see who has the strongest on-screen connection.
They explained that pairings could consist of two women, two men, or a mixed partnership, as Strictly bosses look to ‘mix things up’ and find a combination that hasn’t been tried before.
In a statement announcing their departure in October, Tess and Claudia said: ‘We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.
‘We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.
‘We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.’
