Strictly Come Dancing star Aston Merrygold confused outgoing star Brian Conley with actor Bradley Walsh as he told how much he would miss his friend.

The pair filmed a light-hearted video clip together after this weekend’s show, in which Conley and partner Amy Dowden were given the boot from the BBC One contest.

Competition frontrunner Merrygold explained: “I love this man, Brian you are a legend. My favourite.

“He taught me splits moonwalk. I already miss you. Go on Bradley Walsh. I mean…”

The pair, who have shared their “bromance” throughout the show via social media posts including them singing together, broke down in giggles.

The mix-up was a timely one, coinciding with the announcement of Walsh as the next Doctor Who companion, who will make his debut on the much-loved sci-fi series alongside new Time Lord, Jodie Whittaker.

Television entertainer Conley, 56, left the show with a comical bang, cracking quips about the quality of the Strictly studio toilets and labelling judge Darcey Bussell as the “horny one”.

According to The Sun newspaper, he branded the venue a “s***hole”, and added: “They only spend £25 on the toilet.”

His comments, though meant as a joke, were not broadcast on Sunday night’s episode.

Bradley Walsh new album
Bradley Walsh will be well away from the dancefloor on Doctor Who (Philip Toscano/PA)

A source from the show said: “Brian was clearly joking and he has a really cheeky sense of humour which everyone in the studio saw. All the judges were crying with laughter.”

The programme has been going from strength to strength this series, drawing in more viewers every week.

Conley’s final performance on Sunday, where he faced the dreaded dance-off against Simon Rimmer and Karen Clifton, was watched by an average audience of 9.1 million viewers, with a peak of 9.7 million viewers.