Craig Revel Horwood at The Cresset: It's Strictly about the music!
He’s known and loved by millions for getting to the point. And midway through our conversation, Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood, does just that.
Craig, who lives just outside Peterborough, is talking about his new tour – Revelations – which comes to The Cresset on May 7 – when he says: “This show is unlike anything I’ve ever done. People aren’t going to see ‘The Judge, Craig’. They’re going to see the real Craig. It’s about my life, it’s who I am. It’s the most personal tour I’ve ever done.”
Who Craig is can be traced back to his roots. The man who turned 60 in January and who has become a national treasure started out in musical theatre. His first ever job was West Side Story, and he took singing lessons as a kid, in his native Australia.
Music was in his life throughout his schooling. “It just seemed to be a very natural journey for me to go into musicals. I just loved performing in musicals until I was 30. People don’t really know me as a singer because I’ve been in the background doing it, I suppose.”
Other areas of his life took over. He became one of the UK’s best and most influential directors and choreographers, winning Laurence Olivier Award nominations for Spend Spend Spend and My One and Only. He directed the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and was invited to join the judging panel for BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2004. As of 2025, he’s Strictly’s only original judge.
Strictly made him a household name as a stringent rule-follower who has dished out more low scores of ‘1’ than any other judge. Becoming famous for catchphrases and unique locutions – from chah-chah-chah to fab-u-lous – Craig has outlasted everyone.
And yet there are many more strings to his diamante-encrusted bow, and singing is foremost among them. So when the opportunity arose last year to record an album of songs with the UK’s leading musical theatre record label, Westway, he jumped at the chance.
“I thought: ‘Come on, you’re 60. Do it.’ My mum’s always told me to get an album together, and do something. So I thought: ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ I grew up in the era before things were recorded – so there are no recordings of my earlier performances in theatre. ”
Craig went into the studio and recorded Revelations – Songs Boys Don’t Sing. It was a stunning collection of tunes. His interpretations of such songs as Memory showed a discombobulating degree of warmth and empathy, Don’t Rain On My Parade cast him as the ultimate razzle-dazzle showman, while As Long As He Needs Me, from Oliver!, became a song that took on new meaning with Craig’s thoughtful tenderness.
Craig’s show will be about much more than his favourite songs, of course. He’ll also tell stories about the part they’ve played in his life – and, yes, spoiler alert, there’ll be plenty of tales from the other side of the dancefloor.
“I want to talk about the songs that I love and the reasons they are still with me. I know I’ve written three autobiographies, but my autobiographies were always about how I got Strictly. This show, for me, is strictly about music and my passion and love for it.