Sir Ian McKellen has teased an unexpected new role on Strictly Come Dancing, revealing that viewers can expect to hear his unmistakable voice on the BBC dance competition in the coming weeks.

The 87-year-old actor, best known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Magneto in the X-Men films, shared the news during an exclusive red-carpet interview with The Hook at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival.

But anyone hoping to see the legendary performer attempt a tango may be getting ahead of themselves. McKellen's announcement concerns a voice appearance, rather than a confirmed place among the celebrity contestants.

What will Ian McKellen do on Strictly Come Dancing?

Speaking to The Hook, McKellen revealed that he is set to contribute his voice to Strictly Come Dancing within the next few weeks, although the precise nature of his involvement remains unclear.

The original interview announcement shared by The Hook does not identify a specific episode or explain whether his contribution will involve narration, a recorded introduction or another role.

McKellen's appearance would come during a season of considerable change for the BBC programme. The 2026 series introduced Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe as its new presenting trio, replacing long-serving hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

His involvement, however, appears to be a separate guest contribution rather than another change to the presenting line-up.

McKellen has a surprising history of pop music appearances

For an actor celebrated for Shakespeare, fantasy blockbusters and decades of theatre work, McKellen has developed a remarkably entertaining second career making unexpected appearances alongside musicians.

In June 2025, he joined the Scissor Sisters on stage at Glastonbury Festival to perform his spoken-word contribution to their song Invisible Light, originally released in 2010.

The moment became one of the band's memorable festival surprises, with McKellen delivering his dramatic monologue to the crowd. The performance was captured in footage published by BBC Music.

His musical adventures go back much further. In 1988, McKellen portrayed Dracula in the Pet Shop Boys' music video for Heart, a single that reached number one in the UK.

More than two decades later, he appeared alongside George Ezra in the 2014 video for Listen to the Man, playfully upstaging the singer by lip-syncing and dancing through the performance.

Those appearances help explain why the actor lending his voice to a programme built around music and theatrical spectacle is not quite as unlikely as it first sounds.

What else is Ian McKellen working on?

McKellen's latest television revelation came during the London Film Festival, where his new film Frank and Percy is featured in the 2026 programme.

The film reunites him with Roger Allam in an adaptation of the stage production about two older men who meet while walking their dogs on Hampstead Heath and develop a relationship that grows beyond friendship.

Directed by Sean Mathias, the film also features Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Derek Jacobi and Ncuti Gatwa, according to the BFI's official festival listing.

For now, the remaining question is exactly when McKellen's voice will make its Strictly appearance, and what viewers will hear him doing when it does.