Expectations are high for new Saturday night entertainment series The Greatest Dancer

EXPECTATIONS are high for new big-budget Saturday night entertainment series, The Greatest Dancer, which launches next weekend.

It’s the first made for the BBC by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, who are behind The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. But while the pressure is on, presenter Jordan Banjo says Cowell will be the coolest man around.

“This is Simon Cowell, I don’t think the man is capable of feeling pressure,” laughed Jordan, 25, who knows the media mogul from his days with dance troupe Diversity on BGT.

“But what sets this apart is that it’s the audience who are in control.

“Generally, when you watch a show like this they are playing to the judges or, in this case, the Dance Captains.

“But here it’s the studio audience that are the boss and some of them are savage.”

The basic premise is that talented individuals and groups from across the world of dance – ballet to jazz, hip hop to Bollywood – try to wow the audience to have a mirror open and be put through to the next stage.

The Dance Captains, Cheryl, Strictly favourite Oti Mabuse and Glee star Matthew Morrison, then whittle them down as the series heads towards the live shows.

There had been rumours of tensions between Cheryl and Oti, but Jordan insists that definitely wasn’t the case.

“That report is crazy, I don’t know where it came from,” said Jordan.

“We shared a green room backstage and were together all the time.

“We were all laughing and joking and having fun. It was like being with Diversity – only prettier!”

Jordan admitted he was anxious about meeting Cheryl because of her high profile but says she was a delight to work with.

And although she has judging panel experience from her days on X Factor, he reckons that gives her just a marginal advantage as to selecting acts and knowing how talent shows work.

The show’s all-star line-up is completed by Jordan’s co-presenter Alesha Dixon, BGT judge and former Strictly winner.

As they both know what the hopefuls are going through, they were the ones on hand with congratulations or a consoling hug for the acts.

“We would make a point of going to chat to them if they didn’t get through,” confirmed Jordan.

“And if they did get the mirror to open Alesha and myself were screaming and jumping up and down like we were at a festival.”

The key for the hopefuls is both being skilled and bringing an entertainment factor, having a way of connecting with the audience and getting them onside.

“Sometimes they were technically good but just didn’t have that knack of hitting you in the gut.

“As Alesha and I have both danced, we know how hard they have worked and how much it means to them.

“From my own audition experience, which was really just BGT, I remember being nervous enough.

“But for them, standing there knowing that if the mirror didn’t open then the audience just didn’t like you, that was so scary. I was so nervous for them as they walked into that studio. You could feel the tension.”

And Jordan says the pressure got to some of the acts, resulting in their dreams being cruelly dashed. “The dance world is quite small so you tend to know everyone – I was rooting for people because I knew what they were capable of. In a show like this you either rise to the pressure or you fold. I was disappointed in some acts because they got out there and just crumbled.”

This weekend also sees the return of ITV’s big winter blockbuster Dancing On Ice. Jordan worked on that last year as a backstage correspondent but he has no qualms about making the cross-channel switch.

“It’s been a natural progression for me after Dancing On Ice,” he added. “The Greatest Dancer came along at the perfect time.”

The winner of The Greatest Dancer will pick up a £50,000 prize and a guest spot on Strictly.

The Greatest Dancer, BBC1, Saturday, 8pm