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. Talking about his upcoming tour, Revelations, he said: "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.”.
The tour, which will start on April 4 and run until June 28 and will visit more than 50 theatres across the UK and can be traced back to his roots. The star, who turned 60 last month, has become a national treasure after starting out in musical theatre. His first ever job was West Side Story, after taking 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 them 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.
The BBC hit show made him a household name as a stringent rule-follower who has dished out more low scores of 'one' than any other judge. Becoming famous for catchphrases – 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'e 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. 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. It was a stunning collection of tunes that showcased a marvellous, emotive, pitch-perfect voice. 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 is understandably thrilled with the finished product. “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,” he laughed.
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 Stories, 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 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. Adele has proved how much emotion heartbreak can evoke, not just for singers, but for the audience, too.”.
