STRICTLY Come Dancing champ Hamza Yassin is to front an epic new BBC show – and it’s worlds away from the ballroom.
The 33-year-old lifted the Strictly glitterball trophy at the end of the 2022 series with his pro partner Jowita Przystal.
However, the wildlife cameraman is returning to his first passion with a new one-hour documentary called Hamza’s Birds of Prey.
Beginning on the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands and travelling the length and breadth of the UK, Hamza will try and film his “top 10”, including his personal favourite the golden eagle, as he is joined by camera operator and presenter Simon King.
Hamza said: “All my life I have had a passion for birds of prey, so this documentary film is a dream come true for me.
“It’s an opportunity to share more of the joy I experienced on Wild Isles whilst I film my top ten of Britain’s birds of prey.”
Hamza’s programme was one of a number of new commissions announced on Thursday by BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore.
She said: “The new commissions that I’m announcing today are quintessentially BBC, I believe they are shows that only we would make.
“We’re at our best when we follow passions, when we tell stories that haven’t been told before – and we have an immensely powerful story to tell.
“You only have to look at the successes of the last year and the announcements I’m making today which demonstrate the range of world class content in every genre to see the BBC is punching way above its weight – setting the creative bar high in this country and making programmes that really matter and feel relevant to people living in Britain.”
Other programmes confirmed included the first TV adaptation of classic novel, Lord of the Flies, as well as a new thriller called The Rapture, which will be lead by Ruth Madeley.
The BBC is also marking the 400-year anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio with a gripping new three-part boxset for BBC Two and iPlayer.
To accompany the series, BBC Four will be showing a star-studded selection of performances of his plays and there will also be a collection of resources for primary and secondary schools on BBC Teach.
