Strictly Come Dancing bosses are bringing back Bruce Forsyth for one night only to pay tribute to Tess Daly, 56, from beyond the grave. The legendary entertainer, who was the original host of the BBC Saturday night flagship show alongside Tess, died in August 2017 at the age of 89. But reportedly, researchers have found archive footage of the iconic star in which he raves about Tess, and it is planned to use it as part of a "best bits" segment during the show's finale on Saturday, December 20. This will mark Tess and co-host, 53-year-old Claudia Winkleman's final show. Although they will be seen on Christmas Day, presenting the festive special that was actually pre-recorded on Tuesday, December 9.

"It wouldn't be a proper send-off for the pair without a few words from Strictly icon Bruce. Researchers have found some classic archive footage showing Tess and Bruce in action in the early days of the show and Bruce gushing about her behind-the-scenes," a source said.

"He was such a huge part of Tess' journey, it feels important to use his tribute," they told The Sun.

However they insisted the tribute will be a modest one as neither Tess nor Claudia wants to steal the spotlight from the show's finalsits who will be vying to lift the coveted glitterball trophy.

"The duo want the finale to focus on the contestants and celebrate the winner. They have no intention of hogging the spotlight," the source said.

Tess and Claudia announced their departure from the show in October in a joint video statement on Instagram.

Speculation has been rife about who will replace the duo but bookies have now suspended betting on their successor after Zoe Ball confirmed she has quit her Saturday afternoon BBC Radio 2 show.

She made the announcement on her show on Saturday, December 13, just hours before the latest episode of Strictly went live.

Zoe had been a favourite to take over the coveted BBC job on Strictly with odds at 4/1 but her departure from her radio show, which she only began presenting in May this year, suggests the job is hers.

"It's looking increasingly likely Zoe Ball has already figured out her next move and we've pulled the plug on the Strictly presenter market as a result," Alex Apati of Ladbrokes exclusively told Express.co.uk.