He is known as the ‘bad boy’ of Strictly Come Dancing, and now Brendan Cole is getting audiences hot under the collar with his show Licence To Thrill.

One of the BBC dance contest’s most charismatic choreographers and performers, Brendan, 36, is touring the country with a James Bond-themed evening of ballroom magic and Latin excitement.

It is his second solo show following the success of 2010 production Live and Unjudged, and although the 32-date tour means time away from wife Zoe and their baby Aurelia, who arrived on Christmas Day, he is looking forward to it.

He said: “Live and Unjudged was my debut theatre show. I loved every second of it and was very proud of all that we achieved. When initially thinking about ideas for the new tour I knew I wanted to stage a sophisticated show and the inspiration came from Bond’s classy persona.

“A couple of the big music tracks associated with Bond are being used and the lighting and costumes will be reflecting that as well. One of the big songs is Gladys Knight’s Licence to Kill and there will be a dance-off between the male dancers done with capes to Live and Let Die which I’m really excited about.”

The New Zealander will be joined on stage by five other dancers and 14 musicians for the two hour extravaganza.

He said: “With the musical selection I wanted to make sure that there was something to suit everyone’s taste, so from Nat King Cole to Kylie Minogue to Michael Buble there is a real mix of artists and style. Dancing to a live band is really special.

“It is going to be our best show yet, full of drama, passion, fantastic music and dancing and, hopefully, a lot of fun.”

Brendan Cole: Licence To Thrill is at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, on Saturday, March 2. Tickets from £28, call 01227 787787.

Brendan Cole isn’t the only Strictly Come dancing professional twirling his way into Kent in the coming weeks.

Pasha Kovalev and Katya Vishilasstar will be appearing in From Hollywood to the Ballroom, at the Central Theatre, Chatham on Wednesday, March 27. Tickets from £18, call 01634 338338.

The pair will also be at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, May 4. Tickets £22.50, call 01892 530613.

Then, Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace will be coming to Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre with Midnight Tango from Monday, July 15 to Saturday, July 20.

Performing to live music, Vincent and Flavia promise a night of mesmerising choreography and fiery chemistry. Tickets from £18. Call 01227 787787.