4 days Ago
Craig Revel Horwood comes straight to the point about his new one-man shows which opens next month and will visit more than 50 venues around the country. Revelations will be heading to both Blackpool and Craig revealed: “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.
” Craig Revel Horwood (Picture: Blackpool Grant) 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 pronunciations – 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,” he said.
“ 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. No one had mobile phones and all of that malarkey back then.
Now everything is recorded, no matter what you do, I walk out the hotel room, and it’s recorded by someone.” Craig went into the studio and recorded Revelations – Songs Boys Don’t Sing, a collection of tunes that showcased his emotive, pitch-perfect voice. He said: “Singing is such a liberating experience.
Each song on the album means something to me. You know, the first ever musical that my mum went to see with the kids was Jesus Christ Superstar, so I’ve recorded I Don’t Know How To Love Him. “Waltzing Matilda is in there because I was born in Australia and when we grew up it was like a national anthem.
” 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 about life 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 and in my life.
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. “That’s what drives my life and it’s just so nice to be able to get up there and sing and entertain people really because that’s what I was born to do.
” Many of the songs will be familiar to Craig’s fans – and will have a special place in their heart, just as they do in Craig’s. “I wanted to do Memory, from Cats, because I was in that show, but I’d never get to sing that song because I’d obviously never get the part of Grizabella. It’s the same with I Don’t Know How To Love Him, from Oliver! It just goes without saying, you know, that I’ll never play Nancy.
“So the record, and the tour, gives me an opportunity to sing songs that I know and love. The show will be about my love for the music and how it’s affected my life. It’ll be about relationships, too, because we all go through the same emotions in relationships.
“I’ll be talking about that, and heartbreak, and where it can lead. You know, Adele has proved proved how much emotion heartbreak can evoke, not just for singers, but for the audience, too.” Craig Revel Horwood (Picture: Blackpool Grand) Craig will be joined on stage by musician, Ben Goddard, who fans will recall from their double-act on Celebrity Gogglebox.
He can’t wait to hang out with one of his best mates, and is expecting plenty of laughter along the way. “The tour will be the opportunity to have a good time along with Ben, who I love. I’ve worked with him quite a lot, either directing with him or we did a one-man show together, which was hilarious.
“For me, this is about the real Craig Revel Horwood, not the judge Craig Revel Horwood. It’s about my life before I became a judge, and then my life after being a judge, because that, of course, is the only thing that I’m famous for.” There will be other tributes during the show, including to The Vivienne and Paul O’Grady, artists Craig knew and admired.
And, of course, there’ll be plenty of Strictly. “It’s been Fab-U-Lous to have been there since the start,” he said. “None of us could ever have believed it would become the phenomenon that it did.
It’s been a huge part of my life and the reason that people know me. So yes, of course, I’ll be talking about Strictly – I don’t think people would forgive me if I didn’t.” It’s no mean fate at the age of 60 to be releasing a debut album.
At a time in life when many are slowing down, or reaching a happy and stable plateau, Craig is continuing to chase his dreams. And recording a debut record was foremost among them. He had to find his voice, in a sense, and work out how he wanted to deliver songs.
Having worked in musical theatre, where the objective is often to be loud and proud, he found the greatest moments were in a hush, where he lowered his voice to a more personal level. Now it’s time to hit the road, Craig can hardly wait. “The reason I love touring is that it takes me to the people and I get to see the country,” he said.
“It’s about that as much as meeting people and learning because, you know, in certain areas, you’ll get different audiences.” Craig Revel Horwood brings Revelations to Blackpool Grand Theatre on Sunday, May 4. Details from www.
blackpoolgrand.co.uk.
