Lenny Henry addresses his Strictly Come Dancing future

Sir Lenny Henry has set the record straight on whether fans will ever see him compete in Strictly Come Dancing. The comedy legend admits it's highly unlikely, despite being approached to join the BBC dance show.

Lenny made the revelation while promoting his new drama Missing You, which premieres on New Year's Day. The series, written by Harlan Coben, sees Lenny playing Clint Donovan, a character who appears in flashback scenes after being killed.

Speaking about the show, Lenny mentioned a particular scene that cemented his decision to avoid Strictly. He explained: "There is a legendary dancing scene in the show. Every wedding and birthday, people get up to do the candy dance, right? Well, I can't dance at all."

The 65-year-old joked that his lack of rhythm would disappoint a lot of people. "They keep asking me to do Strictly but I would let every Black person in Britain down," he said, adding: "At the end of the take, we got the crew to join in too. There's even a video of it!"

Lenny on his role in Missing You

In the five-part series, Lenny plays Clint, a loving father whose death drives the show's central mystery. His daughter, Detective Kat Donovan (played by Rosalind Eleazar), reopens the case into his murder while navigating other challenges in her life.

Despite his character's grim backstory, Lenny describes the series as having a mix of emotional depth and excitement. "It's a twisty, turny procedural drama with a big, big heart," he said. "And can I just say, Ros, oh my god, she's like Clint Eastwood with an afro—she's legendary as Kat!"

Rosalind Eleazar steps into the spotlight

Rosalind leads the cast as Detective Kat Donovan. Her role follows the massive success of Harlan Coben's Fool Me Once, which aired on New Year's Day 2024 and drew in nearly 100 million viewers.

Despite the high expectations, Rosalind said she felt little pressure stepping into the lead role. "Hilariously, I got this job before Fool Me Once even came out," she said. "When it aired and became such a huge success, I did have a moment of 'oh no,' but that quickly passed. Missing You is a completely different story. It feels smaller in scale but more intense."

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Action-packed scenes and emotional depth

Rosalind's character is shown as brave and determined, even demonstrating her physical prowess in the opening scene. "There's a lot of fighting and sprinting," Rosalind revealed. "In the first scene, I'm on a date with Matt Willis, and I end up in a fight while wearing six-inch heels with sprinklers going off. It was exhausting, but I loved it!"

The show's emotional core lies in Kat's relationship with her late father, played by Lenny. His flashback scenes provide key insights into the mystery while also showcasing his deep connection to his daughter.

Lenny's legacy

Although fans might never see Lenny twirling on the Strictly dancefloor, his work continues to make an impact. With Missing You, he takes on a powerful role in what's set to be another New Year's Day hit for Harlan Coben.

"I'm just grateful to be part of such a fantastic project," Lenny said. "Rosalind is phenomenal, and the whole cast has been incredible to work with. I think audiences will love it."

Missing You airs on New Year's Day on Netflix.