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with Gordon and Crossroads. She said: “It’s still about lots of things that happen now. It’s a story of betrayal. You don’t need to have been familiar with the show for it to resonate with you thematically. I think for the older audiences, they’ll love to be reminded of these characters that they had huge affection for and hopefully watching it will create a nostalgic bubble of happy in them.”

The series also stars Mark Gatiss (Dr Who, Game of Thrones) as Gordon’s close friend Larry Grayson.

Gatiss said: “To me, the most powerful thing about it is that it’s the story of a queen losing her crown. I don’t think you actually need to know the detail of Crossroads to get the pathos of it, really. And I think that’s the great joy of Russell’s script. It’s very moving and very funny.

“I loved him [Grayson] when I was younger, particularly from The Generation Game, and it was a real privilege to do this role.

“There’s very little to his act really, he’s just sort of filthy and looks down the camera slightly down his nose. But he had an amazing quality to communicate with people, and everyone loved him.

“He had this extraordinary overnight success after 35 years of hard work, had 10 years at the absolute top, and then it just stopped. And that was it. It was a real joy to reacquaint myself with him.” l Nolly is on the ITVX streaming service. Go to: itv.com for more information.

STRICTLY COME Dancing stars Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez are back to set the stage alight with their sizzling routines in a new version of their hit show Firedance

The couple will be turning up the heat when their tour starts at Peterborough’s New Theatre on February 23, culminating on April 1 at Sheffield City Hall.

The show, soundtracked by a live band, will feature routines inspired by the timeless movie blockbusters Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Carmen and West Side Story

Karen said: “I am so excited to be reuniting with Gorka to bring you Firedance: Reignite in 2023. Creating and performing this incredible show has been a career highlight and we are taking things to another level with original dances, new music and a lot more fire.”

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Born in Venezuela and having grown up in New York from the age of 10, she is the longest-serving professional dancer on the BBC’s Strictly, since 2012. Gorka said: “Karen and I are so excited to dance up a storm for you in 2023. Expect favourite moments and lots of new songs, dance, heat, fire and passion.” l Go to: firedancelive.co.uk for further details.

Gorka’s flair for dancing started from a very young age. Originally from Bilbao, Spain, aged 11 he attended Ballroom and Latin dance classes, where he quickly excelled and became one of the top dancers representing Spain, performing across the globe. Best known for his appearances on Strictly, he reached the final of the 2020 season with EastEnders actress Maisie Smith.