Strictly Come Dancing bosses are torn between Bradley Walsh, Rylan Clark or Johannes Radebe to present the show.
The trio are in the running to be one of the people to replace departed co-presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the BBC One dance show as TV bosses are keen to have a male presenter for the first time since Sir Bruce Forsyth.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Bradley and Rylan have been tipped for the gig, but Johannes is a new contender.
“All are very keen to land the role and offer a different perspective.
“The intention would be to team the chosen man up with a female. It will be a return to the years when Tess co-hosted with Bruce, which was a very popular format.
“The show’s executive producers feel Bradley has a similar style to Bruce — he can tell jokes, sing and has lots of charisma.
“Rylan has a massive fanbase and used to host Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, while Johannes offers expertise.”
Show bosses are said to be preparing to replace Claudia and Tess with three presenters, one male and two female.
One of the roles is tipped to go to either Zoe Ball or Emma Willis, with comedian Mel Giedroyc in the running for the final slot.
The source said: “It’s a straight shoot-out between Zoe, who is the front-runner, and Emma. Only one will get it, not both.
“The senior execs want a traditional presenter working alongside a more left-field person, a female stand-up comedian.
“It’s felt the humour Claudia brought to the show, particularly in her ‘Claudatorium’, needs to carry on.”
Screen tests and chemistry tests for the new hosts are set to take place in April, and after Holly Willoughby, Alan Carr and Amanda Holden ruled themselves out of the job.
A source previously told The Sun: “It’s likely a decision on whether it’s two hosts or three, and who will get the roles, won’t be decided until summer.
“The BBC are making a lot of changes to the pro dancer line-up and now that is out of the way, they can get to work on who is the best fit.”
The BBC’s Chief Content Officer, Kate Phillips, has admitted she has been “inundated” with enquiries about the Strictly hosting jobs.
She told The Rest Is Entertainment podcast: “Yes – my inbox has been inundated.
“I can’t say names obviously but it is one of the best gigs in television so we have had so many people who are keen to be considered which is great. We’ll think carefully about next steps on it.”
Kate noted that whoever takes over from Tess and Claudia have a high bar to meet.
She said: “They are brilliant, brilliant hosts of that show and they have sparkly high heels that are going to be hard to fill definitely.”