Everything you need to know about South Shields comedian Chris Ramsey ahead of Strictly Come Dancing launch

South Shields comedian Chris Ramsey has been announced for Strictly Come Dancing.

As the celebrity announcements for this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing are coming in thick and fast, we have taken a closer look at one of our own contestants who will be taking to the floor.

South Shields comedian Chris Ramsey was one of the first to be confirmed for the show on Wednesday, July 31. He, footballer David James and actress Emma Barton were revealed on BBC’s The One Show by Stacey Dooley and Matt Baker, who have both starred in the series. Dooley is the reigning champion, while Baker finished in second place in 2010.

Now, here’s what you need to know about Chris!

Who is Chris Ramsey and where is he from?

Professional funny man Chris was born in South Shields and performed his first comedy gig (of sorts) at the Dog and Parrot in Newcastle.

He sold out a home-town show at the Utilitia Arena in 2018.

What is Chris Ramsey famous for?

Being a comedian, obviously! But if you’re wondering where you’ve seen him, he has hosted his own programmes The Chris Ramsey Show and Chris Ramsey's Stand Up Central as well as panel show Virtually Famous, which features reality star Vicky Pattinson and comedian Seann Walsh as team captains.

Chris now also hosts a weekly podcast with his wife Rosie Ramsey.

More recently, he’s launched a weekly podcast alongside his wife of five years, Rosie Ramsey, and announced a new comedy special for Amazon Prime Video, which will be released on Monday, August 19.

Last week, tickets for his new tour 20/20 went on sale with dates in Durham, Middlesbrough and Newcastle next year.

How does Chris feel about his chances on the show?

He’s not quite sure. When his Strictly place was announced, he posted a video to his social media followers saying he would either be good or ‘so rubbish it would be funny anyway’.

Will you be tuning in to this series of Strictly Come Dancing?

We’re hoping for the former!

Who else has been announced for the 2019 line-up so far?

Sports presenter Mike Bushell, Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley, YouTuber Saffron Barker, former England goalkeeper David James and Eastenders star Emma Barton have also been confirmed as taking part in this year’s series of Strictly.

We’re staying tuned to find out who else is going to be joining them.