ALISON BOSHOFF: She lost out in the ballroom, but Angela Scanlon is set to win Strictly's biggest prize

Angela Scanlon has foxtrotted to the front of the running to host Strictly Come Dancing, after top-secret tryouts throughout last week as the BBC seeks to replace departing presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Scanlon, 42, impressed producers at the filmed auditions for the Saturday night TV show, which is the Beeb's crown jewel.

Celebs on the shortlist to replace Winkleman and Daly include Tom Allen, Bradley Walsh, La Voix, Alex Jones, Emma Willis, Rylan Clark and Zoe Ball.

My man lurking behind the velvet curtain says that after a number of days, four clear front-runners emerged: Angela, Rylan, Emma and Zoe.

That's bad luck for in-demand Bradley Walsh, who up to now seems to have scooped every showbiz job going (The Chase, Gladiators, Blankety Blank).

No sign, by the way, of Paddy McGuinness, formerly of Top Gear and A Question Of Sport, who has been linked with the vacant presenting spots, but who was not spotted by my mole.

The celebrities all tried out in various combinations; and Rylan worked well with all three of the front-running girls.

The Zoe and Angela duo was felt to be a bit of a dud. But Ball played well with Emma Willis.

The BBC must make a decision fairly soon, because rehearsals for the next series start at the end of August; with filming from September to December.

A spokesman for the Corporation said: 'Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course.'

It's all change for the show, which is seeking a fresh look (and a clean slate) after two years of damaging scandals. There has been a major shake-up among the pros, with Nadiya Bychkova and Gorka Marquez among those departing.

For now, all I hear for sure is that Shirley Ballas, the head judge, will definitely return.

In broad terms, as reported here earlier this year, Strictly is having a TikTok-inspired makeover, with bosses mindful of how the short form social media completely revolutionised the US version of the show, Dancing With The Stars.

Celebrities and dancers will be selected, in part, for their ability to connect on TikTok; and there are likely to be some tweaks to the format, too.

While the laws of probability would suggest that a two-woman pairing is likely (again), it's possible that the BBC might need three presenters: with one filming TikTok friendly items from the rehearsal rooms at Elstree. That is apparently one option being considered.

I'm told: 'Angela was the surprise hit – she did really well. The BBC said that this had to be all about the chemistry between the presenters and their ability to react to live comments and situations – and she shone.

'She was good with everyone except for Zoe. And Rylan was good with everyone.'

Rylan and Emma Willis have proven chemistry, from their time working together on Big Brother and This Morning.

Those in the hunt have reportedly been required to sign non-disclosure agreements, to keep any details of the tryouts under wraps.

Scanlon has had a varied career including radio presenting, documentary making – and fronting home improvement and fashion shows.

She took part in Strictly in 2023 and (partnered with Carlos Gu) finished sixth. She lives in North London with her husband and two daughters.

Naomi: Playing Fonteyn is my ballerina dream

Trained dancer Naomi Watts is to face a serious challenge: she will play Margot Fonteyn, regarded as the greatest ballerina of all time, in a just-announced film called Margot & Rudi.

The movie, which will be sold at the Cannes film festival later this month and go into production in October, is to depict the intriguing bond between the prima ballerina and Rudolf Nureyev, the defecting Russian superstar, as a full-on love affair.

That will surprise – and probably outrage – some ballet historians, who have long believed their bond was balletic rather than physical. Nureyev was famously gay; and Fonteyn was 19 years his senior – and married.

But the teaming of the Royal Ballet star, then 42 and nearing retirement, with the electrifying young Russian made both into global superstars in the 1960s.

Watts will be partnered by Alexandr Trusch, 36, a Russian-speaking Ukrainian who is the principal dancer with the Hamburg ballet. The actress, 57, said: 'Dance was my first love, and I've long dreamed of making a dance film. I feel deeply honoured and excited to be playing Margot Fonteyn, one of the greatest dancers of all time.

'Her relationship with Rudolf Nureyev was extraordinary – both artistically and emotionally – and I'm thrilled to be exploring it with such sensitivity and imagination, under the direction of Anthony Fabian.'

Film-maker Fabian described the relationship as 'a love story like no other'.

'Sanitised' Jacko biopic cleans up at box office 

The drinks are on British film producer Graham King, who has hit the jackpot with the Jacko biopic Michael.

The picture, starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar, has taken $237 million (£175million) globally since it opened – smashing records for musicals and biopics.

The previous biggest musical was Bohemian Rhapsody – another King production – which launched with $124 million (£91million) in 2018.

Michael also surpassed the $180 million (£133million) taken by 2024's Oscar-winning biopic Oppenheimer – despite a pasting from critics, who described it as presenting a 'sanitised' version of the radioactive pop star. King was paid $10million (£7.4million) to produce the movie by the Jacko estate – and then extracted the same again to oversee 22 days of reshoots, which were necessary to remove all references to the Jordy Chandler child abuse allegations.

The estate only realised after the script was written and filmed that there was a non-disclosure agreement with Chandler and his family which meant it could not be mentioned.

King now stands to make more money from a sequel; although it's not known how (or if) that might deal with the allegations which dogged Jackson's final years and have also erupted posthumously.

Director Antoine Fuqua also got rich from Michael – but he's not going back. Apparently Fuqua didn't care for the atmosphere on set, where Jackson family members and lawyers for the estate were in evidence.

One report suggests he spent time directing from his van – and was known as 'Vantoine' as a result. He also got $6million (£4.4million) to do reshoots, although it's not clear whether he had anything further to do with the picture.

I still love my stalker, says Reindeer's Richard Gadd

The wild success of the 2024 Netflix drama Baby Reindeer made actor, writer and director Richard Gadd's career.

But it's still something of a surprise to hear him say that Martha, the character he based on his real-life alleged stalker Fiona Harvey, is one of his favourite creations.

Publicising his new BBC show Half Man, in which he plays angry alpha male Ruben, Gadd said he had a special place in his heart for Ruben's mum Lori... alongside Martha.

'I think out of all the characters I've written, Lori's probably one of my favourites,' he said, before adding: 'Maybe second only to Martha.'

Baby Reindeer has been at the centre of a £125million lawsuit since June 2024, when Harvey, who said she had been easily identified as the stalker, filed a lawsuit accusing Netflix of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right of publicity.

In the drama – which the streaming giant prefaced on screen with the words 'This is a true story' – Martha was accused of sending Donny (Gadd's character) 41,000 emails, 350 hours of voice messages, 744 tweets, 48 Facebook messages, and 106 letters. It also depicted Martha being twice convicted of stalking, something which Fiona Harvey says never happened to her.

Gadd argued that the show was 'emotionally true'; and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said: 'That is Richard's true story. The fact that you're watching on television says that parts of it were certainly fictionalised and dramatised.' Harvey's claims of negligence and gross negligence, and a bid for punitive damages, were thrown out in September 2024. But the judge allowed the defamation case to go ahead.

Meanwhile, Jeff Pope, the doyen of true-life drama, said this week that the Baby Reindeer lawsuit had not deterred him, nor would it deter others in his field. Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London, Pope – the man behind Little Boy Blue (about the murder of Liverpool boy Rhys James) – said: 'I don't think the Baby Reindeer case will have that effect.

'I think what happened was avoidable. If it hadn't been avoidable, then there would be a fear for everyone – but it was avoidable.'

His next project, Believe Me, is about the victims of the 'Black Cab Rapist' John Worboys. It goes out on Sunday, May 10, at 9pm on ITV1.

Mister Millie is promoted... 

Nice work if you can get it! Millie Bobby Brown's husband Jake Bongiovi, model and actor son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, has quietly been added as an executive producer of the forthcoming Netflix film Enola Holmes 3 – in which his wife plays the title character. The appointment, which comes with a salary, appears to reflect MBB's clout at the streamer, which made her a star with the smash hit series Stranger Things.

Netflix continues to pay Millie huge sums to star in their made-for-TV films.

Lady Colin Campbell, who lives in a castle near Worthing which she also runs as a wedding venue, had words of warning for TV presenter Alan Carr – who recently bought a castle in the Scottish borders where he plans to do the same. 'Castles are very expensive,' Campbell, 76, sniffed. 'If Alan can afford it, I think "great". '

She added that Carr might discover the hospitality industry has been hobbled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. 'Having a wedding venue is often very joyous,' she said. 'But not always.'

Robson Green has long been the patron saint of the North-East on television – and he's staying close to home in his next role, which will be a sort of Geordie Inspector Morse. Fresh out of cosy crime drama Grantchester, Green is leading the cast of The Northumbria Mysteries, which is about to start filming in Northumberland and County Durham.

Meanwhile, in the same neck of the woods – Hartlepool – Big Talk are shooting the remake of The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾.

Don't hold your breath for the 'red carpet official' moment for Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala Ball on Monday – I hear that the Formula 1 star is swerving the event this year. It follows hard on the heels of the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, so at least he has a good excuse.