Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood will talk about keeping it real on his new tour, which calls in at The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds

Craig Revel Horwood, who turned 60 in January, started out in musical theatre.

His first ever job was in West Side Story, and he took singing lessons as a kid, in his native Australia.

“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,” he says.

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. A stringent rule-follower who has dished out more low scores of ‘1’ than any other judge, Craig is also famous for his catchphrases and unique locutions – from chah-chah-chah to fab-u-lous.

Singing is still a great love, so when the opportunity arose last year to record an album of songs with 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. 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 showcasing his emotive, pitch-perfect voice. His interpretations of such songs as Don’t Rain On My Parade cast him as a razzle-dazzle showman, while As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver! took on new meaning with Craig’s thoughtful tenderness.

“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.

“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 As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver! It just goes without saying, you know, that I'll never play Nancy.

“So, the record and the tour give me an opportunity to sing songs 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.

“There's emotion behind each one of the songs that I sing, which I think is good, you know, and there's also a lot of fun in there, because, of course, I have nothing really to do with Disney, The Lion King!”

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 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.”

And, of course, there’ll be plenty of tales about Strictly, from the other side of the dancefloor.

“It’s been fab-u-lous to have been there since the start.

“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 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.”

Craig Revel Horwood, May 1, 7.30pm. The Apex, Bury St Edmunds. See theapex.co.uk or call 01284 758000.