CHRIS McCausland lands a new big deal as a contestant for Strictly Come Dancing.
Some know him for his appearance in various TV shows, but who is he?
What is Chris McCausland known for?
Chris McCausland is a British comedian and actor.
He was born in Liverpool on June 15, 1977 and is known for his roles in the CBeebies show Me Too!.
The TV star is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, which causes poor vision in dim light.
In 1996 he moved to Kingston for university to study an undergraduate degree in software engineering to become a web developer.
He lost his eye sight when he was 22 and recently said about losing his sight:” When it started happening it was scary and embarrassing.
“I got myself into bad situations because I didn’t want to ask for help.
“I will never be on a level playing field with everyone else.
“My eyesight was starting to get very bad at uni, and the technology back then wasn’t what it is now, so I had to get off that particular career path.”
After not being able to become a web developer he applied to the MI5.
He said: “I applied to MI5, and got down to the final 30 out of 3,000 applicants.
“They were excited at first, and said that this was new territory for them, but in the end they turned me down purely because of my eyesight.
“Fair enough, I suppose.”
Chris first broke onto the comedy circuit in 2003 after performing stand up in Balham, London.
He regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including The Comedy Store and also performed all over the world including Asia and the Middle East.
Chris had six stand-up shows at the Edinburgh Festival from 2005 to 2012 and received the Creative Diversity Award for comedy in 2011.
In February 2023, he was featured on BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity.
He returned the following year to the radio for their comedy show Room 101 hosted by Paul Merton.
Is Chris McCausland married and does he have children?
Chris is private when it comes to his personal life.
However, we do know he is married to wife Patricia.
The couple also have a daughter called Sophie.
What TV shows has Chris McCausland been in?
Chris has gone on to appear on a number of comedy shows including Would I Lie to You? and Have I Got News For You.
He will also be known to fans of CBeebies show Me Too! thanks to his role as Rudi.
Soap fans might recognise him from a guest appearance on EastEnders in 2018 when he played Karl, a blind man who took on Bernadette Taylor at chess.
Chris appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and scored highly.
This was even more impressive considering he was playing from memory alone, and at the end of the show, he got the Countdown Conundrum before anyone else.
It’s brilliant to see greater representation of people with disabilities on reality shows.
Spokeswoman of The Royal National Institute of Blind People
In 2021 Chris also appeared on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip alongside Rufus Hound in a bid to make as much money for charity as possible.
In 2023 he took part in Channel 4’s Scared of the Dark alongside stars including Paul Gascoigne and Scarlett Moffatt.
On Saturday June 1, 2024, it was announced that he is going to be a contestant at Strictly Come Dancing 2024.
A source told the Sun: “Strictly Come Dancing bosses are delighted by the signing and think Chris will be great on the show.
“He has a hilarious sense of humour and an infectious personality.
“Producers are really keen to showcase disability on TV and are conscious of how important it is.
“Chris loves working and doing TV so it’s the perfect project.
“Chris has spoken openly of his sight issues and is determined to show it won’t hold him back on the ballroom dance floor.”
Chris said in an interview about joining Strictly Come Dancing: “I’m blind but I don’t see black.
“I still see light and space, I still have an awareness of the space around me, not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether there might be something in front of me.
“It just gives you that awareness that you’re taking that away from me.
“I’m a slave to my iPhone like everybody else.
“So on paper you go, ‘Well, I should nail this,’ but in one area I should be more practically adjusted.”