The Welsh opera singer, 53, was criticized earlier this week for making an “inappropriate and unacceptable” statement during the Strictly Live tour kickoff in Birmingham. According to The Mail On Sunday, Evans made a lewd statement to Janette Manrara on a video captured during the event on January 16.
The singer’s new six-part series All At Sea with Gavin and Stacey, starring Joanna Page, 47, and depicting the pals touring the Welsh coast, premiered on Monday night amid the uproar. Enraged fans chastised the BBC for pushing on with the show’s launch and questioned why it wasn’t postponed. “Why are we being forced to endure Wynne Evans?” someone said on X. “Everyone dislikes the Go Compare adverts, but the BBC appears determined to make him a thing. “Whoever runs their old white man department deserves a gentle chat.”
Someone else tweeted: “Just a thought, BBC, but maybe this Wynne Evans #AllAtSea prime time claptrap could have been postponed for a while?” A third person wrote, “Wynne Evans…get him off my b****y telly.” The Standard has contacted representatives from Evans and the BBC for comment. Evans, who appeared in insurance advertisements, apologized for his Strict statement on Sunday, adding, “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologize.” It is reported that tour producers warned him about the comments.
According to a spokesperson for the Strictly Live tour and BBC Studios, “We have made it very clear to Wynne that we do not tolerate such behavior on tour.” The BBC announced on Monday that he will take a break from hosting his BBC Radio Wales show. The broadcaster declined to say if Evans had taken a voluntary vacation from his show on Monday or had been ordered not to appear. He didn’t dance on the Strictly tour in Glasgow on Saturday because of an ankle problem, but he did sing. Evans and his professional dance partner Katya Jones previously had to apologize for a “joke” in which she moved Evans’ hand off her waist at the BBC event last year. Jones also seemed unwilling to high-five her celebrity boyfriend, which they described as “a running joke”. Chaperones have been placed at Strictly rehearsals after the BBC began a study last year in response to contestants’ complaints regarding training behavior.
