Iain Lee chats 'Let's Dance'!

Let's Dance for Comic Relief is back on our screens tonight, with another batch of celebs preparing to dazzle us with their moves! In this week's instalment, the contestants include comics Adrian Edmondson and Marcus Brigstocke, TV hosts Caroline Flack and Joe Swash, and an '80s supergroup composed of Clare Grogan, Toyah Willcox, Limahl and the one and only Chesney Hawkes. During a break from rehearsals, we caught up with their competition, comedian and presenter Iain Lee, to chat about his sexually-charged routine and the perils of dancing in your sleep!

Are you nervous about performing on Let's Dance?
"Yeah, I'm terrified. I'm absolutely terrified. I've about 28 hours until the show and I'm very nervous about the whole thing."

You haven't had as much rehearsal time as some of the others, have you?
"No, I got a call last Thursday night asking if I would do it. I was away that weekend and didn't get back till Monday night, so I only started rehearsing on Tuesday. I think they should flash that up on the screen! They should make everyone aware that the reason I'm not very good is because I've not been doing it for very long!"

Does that lack of preparation add to the pressure?
"Yeah, it does! I'm genuinely terrified by it. I was quite calm yesterday and then today I've had friends and other people wishing me luck and saying they'll be tuning in. Suddenly it's all become very real and it's not just me and a choreographer in a dance room. I think it got something like 8.7m viewers or something ridiculous last week, so that's terrifying!"

You've mentioned in the past that you're not a great dancer, so what was it that made you want to take part?
"I'm a terrible dancer! What made me want to take part is, first of all, it's for Comic Relief. When you're asked to do something for Comic Relief, it's always an honour. I've done small things [before] but this is the biggest thing I've done for them. It's an honour and you would be rude and churlish if you turned something down. But also, a tiny part of my ego thought, 'Do you know what? I think I can probably do this quite well. I think I might be a secret dancer'. Then, after five hours on Tuesday sweating away in front of a mirror, it dawned on me, 'Man, I can't dance'. I look like a dad dancing at a wedding! It's embarrassing!"

How seriously would you say you're taking the show?
"Well, it's such a tough one. My ego wants me to do really well, and it wants people to vote for me. Part of me wants to get through to the final. But my head is kind of saying 'Don't get through to the final', because this has been such a tough week and it would mean more of the same. I want to do the best I can. I want to make my choreographer Stephanie proud, I want to make my family proud, and I'm going to give it everything I've got. I'm not going in there half-arsed, with a lazy attitude, thinking it doesn't really matter. What you see on Saturday night will literally be the best I can do!"

Have you seen any of the other contestants rehearsing?
"Yes, I've seen Joe Swash rehearsing. He's a fine mover. I'm also watching the '80s popstars rehearsing on a monitor now. Obviously I can't say too much, but everybody's very good. I was surprised by Swash! Swash can move! Who'd have thought it? You see him on TV and he blunders about, but he's got some good moves up his sleeve."

Who do you think is going to be your biggest competition?
"I am very nervous about Ade Edmondson. I've not seen Ade doing his routine, but I have heard on the grapevine that he is very good."

And is there anyone that you're confident you can beat?
"No! I suspect no! I'm trying to be diplomatic here. Oh no, Swash, I'll beat Swash! He may have some moves, but God damn it, I can beat Swash! I've got a few sexy little moves. I've got to be careful because when I do dance, I've got to tone down the sexiness. There are young people watching and it's inappropriate, so I've got to just bring myself down a bit!"

Can you give any hints about your routine?
"Well, the performer is one of my favourite performers of all time. I'm being very non-gender specific here! You're going to see quite a cool side to me that perhaps has not been conveyed on radio or television before."

Have you picked up any injuries or mishaps during rehearsals?
"I haven't, but there have been a couple of close calls where some things nearly went wrong. But the other night I was really tired after rehearsing all day. I got to Absolute, where I do a radio show, and had a little doze for an hour. I woke up later, and somehow during that doze I'd managed to put a massive gash on my forehead! I don't know how I've done it. It looks like a poor man's Harry Potter scar. I'm hoping that the make-up department have got some pretty strong stuff, because it looks awful! What I genuinely think has happened, because my wife has noticed I've been doing this in bed, is I've been doing the moves in my sleep! I've heard the song that I'm doing a million times now, so it's kind of automatic. I've been flailing my arms and legs around in my sleep, which must be me sleep-rehearsing! I think I was getting a little bit too involved. So the training has indirectly caused me an injury!"

Do you have any favourite performances from this series so far?
"Yeah, I really liked Jarred's Madonna dance. It was repulsive to look at, but I thought it was wonderful. I think Noel Fielding is also a pretty good favourite to win with his Kate Bush. That was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful!"

Why should people tune in to watch your dance?
"Why should you tune in for my dance? It's very rare that you're going to see something as ridiculous as this on your TV screens on a Saturday night. It's two minutes of pure nonsense!"

Let's Dance For Comic Relief airs tonight at 6.40pm on BBC One.

Are you looking forward to this week's edition of Let's Dance? Leave your comments below!