All bets are off the jinxed TV show Strictly Come Dancing after the arrest of the favourite, soap actor Ricky Whittle, for allegedly driving into a photographer after a late-night party.The incident in the early hours of today topped a series of accidents and withdrawals of contestants which have played havoc with punts on the final result.A BBC spokeswoman confirmed Whittle will compete in tomorrow's show, after his release on bail late this afternoon following questioning at a Liverpool police station. But bookmakers suspended betting after Whittle's pick-up truck was reported to have hit the photographer close to Liverpool's Parr Street Studios bar where Hollyoaks stars had been marking actor Zoe Lister's departure from the Channel 4 soap.

Whittle, 29, was allegedly driving his Dodge Ram at the time of the incident, which involved a "paparazzi" photographer named locally as Stephen Farrel. The 34-year-old, nicknamed "Postman Pap" because of his previous career with the Royal Mail, brought assault charges against footballer Paul Gascoigne in 2005 but later dropped them.Whittle, of Billinge, Greater Manchester, went to a police station at 5.30am, four hours after the incident. Paramedics were called to the scene but Farrel declined treatment. He was later treated at a hospital for minor injuries and discharged.

Strictly Come Dancing is also awaiting news of another fancied contender, Ali Bastian, who has been on crutches after an ankle injury earlier this week. Athlete Jade Johnson was forced to bow out after damaging her right knee during a dress rehearsal. Actress Laila Rouass had to stop in mid-dance because of a sprained ankle, but later rejoined the competition.Coral bookmakers had already taken betting on the showdown after Bastian's injury, and other firms followed suit following Whittle's arrest. "It's been a nightmare to bet on this year," said Gary Burton, spokesman for Coral, which had Whittle as 4-7 favourite before the shutdown.Cameron Acott, general manager at Parr Street Studios, said: "The Hollyoaks party left here at around 1am. They were all in a good mood and went without fuss, thanking staff for a great night. The first thing we knew about the incident was when police arrived at 3.40am and requested to see our CCTV footage.