Dancing With The Stars – as speculation mounts about the future, the show’s producer says ‘we have no say’

With full marks from TV viewers and a spicy mix of celebrities, RTE’s Dancing with the Stars could be back on the agenda next year.

hinAwil producer Larry Bass has responded to speculation that the show has performed its last tango in front of an audience. He said RTÉ has ​​not yet made a decision on the future of the programme.

“There’s a process going on, as there is every other year,” he told the Irish Independent.

“RTÉ has ​​been publicly promoting shows for this slot in January next year and I’m sure they’ve had a fair amount of submissions and it’s their decision. We don’t have a hand or say or participate in it.

“We love doing this show and Irish audiences love watching the show and as long as RTÉ wants to do the show we will too.”

On his chances of returning next year, Mr Bass said that “competition is the spice of life” when it comes to the coveted Sunday night slot.

The average viewership for the show was 525,000 in the first week and 511,000 in the second week.

His company submitted a submission to RTÉ for Dancing with the stars for the slot in January 2024, but it will be among a series of shows vying for the slot.

“You never take an assignment for granted and you never take your audience for granted, but I’d like to think a show is as strong as Dancing with the stars has earned the right to be considered in the future,” he said.

“I’m a perpetual optimist – you have to be in this business. Anyhow, we just want to continue to be a busy production company and provide great entertainment for the Irish public.”

With a reported budget of around €2 million per season, it’s not a cheap production for RTÉ.

But, Mr. Bass said, no quality TV show can be made on a tight budget.

“All television is an expensive business, whether it’s news or sports or drama or in this case entertainment. If you want to do the high-end versions of these shows, they’re expensive. But that’s a decision for RTÉ and its editorial team and board to decide where to spend the resources,” he said.

“We can only provide the concepts and ideas and the execution. Dancing with the stars is an expensive show, but what you get is amazing entertainment for the whole family, from six-year-olds to 80-year-olds. It works on a whole range of levels that other shows don’t have.

“So you have to consider the value you get with the money you spend on it. Those are the decisions that people at RTÉ get the big bucks for.”

This year, the show has a sense of “renewal” as Doireann Garrihy has joined as a new host alongside Jennifer Zamparelli.

“Dancing with the stars is just one of those shows that is only getting stronger around the world the longer it’s been around. That’s a case in point in the UK and US and it seems no different here in Ireland,” he said.

This weekend will see the first celebrity eliminated from the Sunday night show. Hot favorites so far include Panti Bliss, Suzanne Jackson and Brooke Scullion, with 2fm presenter Carl Mullen dubbed the “dark horse”.