Strictly Come Dancing semi-finalist George Clarke has shared candid behind-the-scenes insights about the BBC studio on The Useless Hotline podcast
Maria Letícia Gomes GAU Writer
21:01, 13 Dec 2025
The star admitted the Strictly studio is smaller than it looks on TV(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
Strictly Come Dancing semi-finalist George Clarke has lifted the lid on the reality behind the glittering BBC ballroom, disclosing just how compact and transformed the studio appears compared with its television portrayal.
Speaking on The Useless Hotline podcast alongside co-host Max Balegde, George shared his initial reaction upon entering the famous set.
“It was really interesting because I’ve seen it live before in Blackpool, which is obviously a much bigger place. The studio is quite small,” he revealed.
Reflecting on the moment, Max quipped: “I thought that when I first saw the studio. I was like, ‘Oh, this is s**t’.”
George was quick to defend it, replying: “Oh, it’s not s**t. It’s just smaller. You’re just like, ‘Oh… this is what it is,’” reports Wales Online.
George Clarke is performing in this year’s edition alongside dancer Alexis Warr(Image: PA)
Having made it through to the semi-finals of the long-running dance show, George went on to explain how television production techniques make the space appear far grander for viewers at home.
“The dance floor itself looks so much bigger on TV than it does in real life,” he said. “It looks like two different rooms to what I’m seeing.”
The presenter also revealed that even celebrities rely on strategically placed monitors around the studio to understand how their performances translate on screen.
“They have little tiny TVs up in the rafters so you can watch what it would look like on the camera,” Clarke explained. “I’d look up there occasionally and be like, ‘It looks like two different rooms.’”
George also heaped praise on the judging panel, highlighting just how physically demanding their roles are behind the scenes.
“It is very interesting how good the judges are at the job,” he said. “From where they’re sat, they physically have to move out of the way and look around at everything. What you don’t see on TV is that they’re actually on the floor doing laps around us. They’re doing so much exercise.”
“Shirley [Ballas] was doing cartwheels,” he joked. “I was like, ‘Calm down, love.’”
Elsewhere during the conversation, George shared an amusing moment that unexpectedly made it into the live broadcast.
While seated on the sidelines, he suddenly spotted himself on camera during a segment with host Tess Daly.
George Clarke is a semi-finalist, competing against Amber Davies, Balvinder Sopal and Karen Carney(Image: PA)
“I could see the camera from where I was sitting,” he explained. “I saw myself just slotted in at the end, and you see the moment where I realise I’m on camera and I start mewing down the camera.”
“I didn’t think they’d actually put it in,” he added. “I thought they might crop me out a little bit.”
George Clarke, who has built a significant online following through comedy and podcasting, is competing in the 23rd series of strictly-come-dancing>Strictly Come Dancing alongside professional partner Alexis Warr.
He is now battling for a place in the grand finale against fellow semi-finalists Amber Davies, Balvinder Sopal and Karen Carney.
