Strictly Come Dancing

### Executive Producers

Karen Smith, Sam Donnelly, Moira Ross, Glenn Coomber, Andrea Hamilton, Louise Rainbow and Sarah James

### Original Release

May 15, 2004 - Present

**Strictly Come Dancing** is a British dance contest television series. The show premiered on May 15, 2004 and has aired twenty-one series.

In the show, celebrities partner with professional dancers in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually four judges.

## Development

Producer Richard Hopkins, who had produced the first UK series of Big Brother, unsuccessfully pitched the idea of a modern Come Dancing to the BBC under the title of Pro-Celebrity Dancing in 2003. Later, entertainment executive Fenia Vardanis also suggested reviving Come Dancing, so Jane Lush, the then head of BBC Entertainment, put Hopkins and Vardanis together to develop the show.

Hopkins then called in Karen Smith, who had just produced Comic Relief Does Fame Academy for BBC One and The Games for Channel 4, to help lead the development of the show and launch the series. Smith was the show-running Executive Producer of the first three series, and of sister show It Takes Two. She then took the role of Creative Director of BBC Entertainment whilst still overseeing series four and five.

Hopkins later took the format to America himself when the BBC dismissed the idea of selling it abroad, as they felt it was too British.

The title is an amalgamation of the titles of the 1992 Australian film Strictly Ballroom and Come Dancing.

## Format

From series one to eleven, Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly presented the pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition. From series eight to eleven, Forsyth only presented the main show and was replaced for the results show by Claudia Winkleman, at which point Daly assumed Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman assumed Daly's role as co-presenter. Winkleman has joined Daly as full-time co-presenter for series twelve following Forsyth's departure after the 2013 series. Through telephone voting, viewers vote for who they would like to be in the next round, the results of the poll being combined with the ranking of the judges. For example, with ten contestants left, the judges' favourite would receive ten points, second favourite nine points, and so on, and similarly with the viewers' rankings. The bottom ranked couple gets one point. The profits from the telephone lines were donated to Sport Relief in series one, to Children in Need from series two, until series eight when donations to charity stopped.

The show is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday evenings, and is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman (with Zoe Ball covering for Winkleman for a number of weeks in 2014). Sir Bruce Forsyth presented the live shows alongside Daly from 2004 to 2013, announcing his departure in 2014. He was to continue to present special editions of the show. For most of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Daly while she took maternity leave; Claudia Winkleman hosted the results show and editions that Forsyth had missed between 2010 and 2013. The judging panel initially consisted of Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood. Alesha Dixon took Phillips' place from series seven to nine, after which she left the programme to judge Britain's Got Talent which led retired ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell to replace her. Bussell remained a judge alongside Goodman (until he was replaced by Shirley Ballas in 2017), Tonioli and Horwood until 2018. Up until 2020, Tonioli commuted weekly between Hollywood and London to judge both the American and British versions of the show simultaneously, however, due the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, he could no longer juggle both the UK and US shows, he was not replaced for the 2020 series; but pro dancer Anton Du Beke took his place from the 2021 series, and has now replaced Bruno full-time on the panel. Each judge gives the performance a mark out of ten, giving an overall total out of forty. The voice-over announcer is Alan Dedicoat. During series four, an hour-long highlights show was shown on Sundays at 19:00pm on BBC Two, and during series five and six, the results show moved to Sunday evenings, although it was filmed on Saturday and then broadcast "as live" on the Sunday.

The singers on the show are Tommy Blaize, Hayley Sanderson, Lance Ellington, Andrea Grant and, formerly, the well-known British dance music vocalist Tara McDonald. The music director is David Arch. Tommy Blaize has been part of Strictly since its beginning. David Arch joined in the fourth series and Hayley Sanderson in the fifth. The original musical director from series one to three was Laurie Holloway. In the seventeenth series, the singers were joined by Mitchell.

The show was broadcast from a specially constructed set at BBC Television Centre (primarily in the largest studio, TC1) until its closure in 2013, with the show moving to Elstree Studios' George Lucas Stage 2 from 2013 onwards. However, in the first two series, shows were also filmed at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, where the original Come Dancing series was filmed in the 1970s.

In the second series, two shows were filmed at the Tower Ballroom, show five and the Grand Final, which was broadcast live on December 11, 2004. In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems". In October 2008, Craig Revel Horwood called for the series to return to the Tower Ballroom, saying, "The atmosphere was electric. It's huge and has so much history. The Tower Ballroom puts a lot of pressure on the professionals and the celebrities to perform to the best of their potential. What a wonderful place to go live to 12 million people. We have got to get the BBC to bring Strictly Come Dancing back to Blackpool." Eventually, for series seven, the show did return to the Tower Ballroom, where Blackpool-born Craig Kelly was eliminated. The episode was aired live on November 7, 2009. Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010 and 2011 series. After series ten, when Strictly Come Dancing did not go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for series eleven.

## Presentation

### Dances

On average, dances last for approximately 90 seconds. Musical accompaniment is provided by The Strictly Come Dancing Band.

* The Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep, Rumba, Tango, Jive, Foxtrot, Paso Doble and Samba have all been danced since series one.
* The American Smooth and Viennese Waltz were added in series three.
* The Salsa and Argentine Tango were added in series four.
* No more dances were added until series seven, in week 11, when couples performed either a Charleston (which winner Chris Hollins chose to perform again in the final) or a Rock N' Roll routine. The final also featured a head-to-head Lindyhop. Of these dances, only the Charleston was retained for subsequent series, although elements of the Lindyhop have often featured in Showdances.
* Series eight introduced the Swing-a-thon, where all remaining couples danced Swing simultaneously and were voted off the dancefloor one by one by the judges until only one couple remained. This returned in series nine and eleven.
* The tenth series featured a "Dance Fusion", in which the couples attempted to perform two dances consecutively in one routine.
* The twelfth series introduced the Waltz-a-thon, which used the same manner as the Swing-a-thon: all remaining couples danced the Waltz on the dance floor at the same time. Afterwards, the results were revealed by the judges.
* The thirteenth series introduced a Quickstep-a-thon, in which all seven remaining couples simultaneously danced the Quickstep. The judges then ranked them from one to seven and gave points accordingly.
* The fourteenth series saw the Cha-Cha-Challenge introduced, in which all six remaining couples simultaneously danced the Cha-Cha-Cha. The judges then ranked them from one to six and gave points accordingly.
* The fifteenth series saw the Paso Doble-thon introduced, in which all seven remaining couples simultaneously performed a Paso Doble. The judges then ranked them one to seven and gave points accordingly.
* The sixteenth series saw the Lindy-Hop-a-thon introduced, in which all seven remaining couples simultaneously performed the Lindy Hop. The judges then ranked them from one to seven and gave points accordingly.
* The sixteenth series introduced Contemporary, Jazz, and Street/Commercial dances as part of a "couples' choice" category.
* A Showdance (Freestyle) has always been performed in the series final as a last chance for couples to impress the public. From series two to seven, the Showdance was not scored by the judges. From series eight to series eighteen, and again in series twenty, the Showdance was performed as each couple's second dance in the final.

Prior to series ten, the dances performed in the early weeks were switched between one Ballroom and one Latin, and were divided as evenly as possible depending on the number of contestants left. As the competition progressed further, this system was abandoned and many styles, not just two, could be performed in one week by each of the remaining contestants. From series four to seven, the remaining contestants who made it to the semi-final were granted to perform the semi-final-exclusive Argentine Tango. As of series ten, the contestants are now allowed to perform any of the chosen dances in any week, though the Argentine Tango remains generally reserved for the later stages of the competition. The Showdance, however, continues to only be performed in the final.

### Coaching

As of series four, coaches are Jaclyn Spencer and Chris Marques (aka Cuban Groove) for Salsa and Mambo, and Jenny Thomas and Ryan Francois for Swing, Jive, Rock N’ Roll and The Charleston. The Argentine Tango coaches in series three were Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, both of whom have subsequently competed in the show.

### Results Show

From series one to four, the results show was shown live on Saturday night one hour after the performances.

As of series five, the results show is recorded on the Saturday night directly after the live show and incorporates the result of the viewers' votes, which are completed by 21:30pm.

Throughout the Sunday results show, the presenters refer to 'Saturday night' in reference to the main show due to the timing of the Sunday programme, and the outfits of Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman and the judges are changed to present an illusion of a second live broadcast.

For series seven, the Sunday results show was axed and put back to Saturday nights as a result of a revamp of the show. It then reverted to Sundays from series eight.

### Dance-off

A new system called the Dance-off, which takes place in the results show, was introduced in series five. It continued until series seven, but did not return in series eight. It was then reinstated in series ten and has remained a feature of the show ever since.

The Dance-off consists of the two couples who received the lowest totals that week from the combined judges' scores and public vote. The aim of the dance-off is for the couples to convince the judges that they deserve to go through to the following week's competition. Before they attempt their dance a second time, the couples sometimes get advice from the judges. The judges then decide which couple remains in the competition based on the dance-off performances. If three of the judges agree that one of the couples should be saved, that couple is through to the following week's competition and the Head Judge's vote is not counted. If one couple has two votes and the other couple has one vote, then the deciding vote is cast by the Head Judge, originally Len Goodman and currently Shirley Ballas. Afterwards, the eliminated couple perform one final dance, sometimes known as "waltzing out of the ballroom". The Monday after their elimination, they appear on It Takes Two to discuss their time on the programme.

On two occasions, the dance-off was cancelled; firstly, in series fourteen, in which one of the celebrity contestants, Anastacia, sustained an injury and was unable to compete in the Dance-off as a result. Under the rules of the show, the couple with the lowest combined total was eliminated. The second occasion in which the Dance-off was cancelled was in Series twenty, again due to an injury sustained by Tony Adams. Tess Daly announced on the results show that Adams had decided to withdraw from the competition as a result of being unable to compete in the Dance-off.

### It Takes Two

See Also: Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

During the run of Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two is broadcast each weeknight on BBC Two. The series was previously hosted by Claudia Winkleman but, due to her pregnancy in 2011, she had to leave the series, and was replaced by Zoe Ball, who hosted the show from Series nine to eighteen. Rylan Clark-Neal joined as co-host in series seventeen. In May 2021, it was announced that Ball was to leave the show after 10 years, and on June 10, 2021, her replacement was confirmed to be former professional Janette Manrara.

The show features reviews of the performances during the previous Saturday's show and interviews with, and training footage of, the couples preparing for the next show. The judges and other celebrities also provide their opinions on how the couples are progressing. It Takes Two replaced Strictly Come Dancing on Three, hosted by Justin Lee Collins, which ran on BBC Three during the first series. Prior to 2010, BBC Two Scotland aired the programme on four nights only, running its own Gaelic-language programming on Thursdays instead.

## Series Overview

### Specials

See Also: List of Strictly Come Dancing Specials

Since the inception of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, several special editions of the show have been transmitted by the BBC each year. These have included seasonal specials, charity specials, and variations of the Strictly Come Dancing format.

## Strictly Come Dancing Live!

Strictly Come Dancing Live! is a nationwide arena tour staged every year since 2008.

## Controversies

### Phone Voting

On December 13, 2008, Strictly Come Dancing became the subject of press attention and viewer complaints about an error in the voting system during the semi-final of series six. In the show, three couples remained in the competition. After all three had performed and the judges had given their scores, two of the couples were in joint-first position on the leaderboard, while the third, Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup, were in last place. This meant that, no matter how many public votes were cast in their favour, it was mathematically impossible for the third-placed couple to avoid the dance-off. This oversight was initially unnoticed by producers until after the public vote became live and viewers were invited to call in and save their favourites at a cost of 15p per vote. Once the mistake was finally realised and the public vote was closed, it was announced that all three couples would be put through to the final, all the votes already cast would count towards the final result of the competition, and viewers could apply for a refund if they wished.

The BBC received 1800 complaints about the incident, while media regulator Ofcom received 297. Jon Beazley, the BBC's Head of Entertainment Production, was interviewed on Strictly's spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on December 15. He apologised for the oversight, referring to it as an "unprecedented situation". On the same day, the BBC posted a statement on its website, which clarified that an independent adjudicator had been consulted to reach a solution that would offer "fairness to the viewers who voted and the contestants themselves". The BBC also stated that, following the mistake, "the voting and judging mechanisms used in all BBC voting programmes had been thoroughly examined".

After conducting an investigation, Ofcom concluded that "the mistake had resulted from an oversight, rather than any shortcomings in the technical arrangements for voting or in the handling of votes received", and that they were "satisfied that appropriate steps were taken by the BBC and the disadvantage to viewers minimised". Ofcom also opined that "the BBC had been open and transparent with viewers about the mistake it made and the solution adopted".

### Arlene Phillips and Alesha Dixon

In June 2009, tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that the then 66-year-old judge Arlene Phillips, who had judged the show since its inception in 2004, was to be replaced by series five winner Alesha Dixon, then aged 30. This was later confirmed by the BBC in July of that year. Subsequently, the BBC was accused of ageism and sexism by several sources, an accusation the corporation has faced before over the removal of several older female presenters, including Moira Stuart, Juliet Morris, Miriam O'Reilly, Michaela Strachan, Charlotte Smith and Anna Ford. The BBC denied the allegations that the decision to remove Phillips was due to her age.

Furthermore, Dixon herself was criticised after the debut episode of the seventh series, the first to feature her as a judge. A total of 272 complaints were received by the BBC , bringing the total number about Dixon joining the programme to over 4000, along with over 5000 comments on Strictly Come Dancing's internet message board. Dixon was compared unfavourably to Phillips, with claims that the former was "unsuitable", "unqualified" and lacked "knowledge, experience and talent". However, Dixon was praised and defended from her critics by the BBC, by fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood and by Phillips herself.

### Race Row

In 2009, during the seventh series, professional dancer Anton Du Beke issued a public apology for his use of a racial slur during a conversation with his dance partner Laila Rouass. Du Beke claimed that the comment, which was never broadcast, was a joke referring to Rouass' spray-tan, in which he said that she "looked like a Paki". Over 600 complaints were received by the BBC, including those about comments Bruce Forsyth, then host of Strictly Come Dancing, made about the controversy on a Talksport radio programme, in which he suggested that Britain "used to have a sense of humour" about such incidents, and that Du Beke's apology should be accepted.

### Same-sex Couples

In 2015, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, Egghead CJ de Mooi said that he was turned down for the show because he had wanted to dance with a same-sex partner. The BBC denied that de Mooi had ever been under consideration for the show, and also declared that "Strictly is a family show and we have chosen the traditional format of mixed-sex couples". The press has reported on the issue on numerous occasions when gay celebrities have appeared on the show, including Will Young, Susan Calman, Robert Rinder, Richard Coles and Ranj Singh. Strictly Come Dancing judges Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood have both expressed their support for introducing same-sex couples.

Same-sex partnerships have been featured on several international versions of the show, including Austria (2011), Italy (2015), Australia (2019) and Germany (2019). On 3 November 2019, Johannes Radebe and fellow professional Graziano Di Prima performed together to Emeli Sande's "Shine" on the Sunday results episode, the show's first individual same-sex dance. On September 2, 2020, it was announced that boxer Nicola Adams would feature in the show's first same-sex couple for its eighteenth series. She was partnered with professional dancer Katya Jones. In 2021, it was announced that John Whaite would feature in the first all-male same-sex couple with Johannes Radebe for the nineteenth series. The United States version of the show would also have a same-sex couple that same year, with JoJo Siwa & Jenna Johnson. Series twenty also included same-sex partnerships with Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice in an all-male partnership and Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer in an all-female partnership.

### Strictly Curse

The so-called "Strictly curse" has been blamed for the number of affairs and relationship break-ups that have occurred during or soon after taking part in the show. The first such incident was the suggested affair between dancer Brendan Cole and newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky during the initial series: they both denied the affair, but the surrounding controversy resulted in the ending of both their long-term relationships.

### COVID Vaccinations

In September 2021, The Sun reported that at least three unnamed professional dancers had allegedly refused to get a COVID vaccine. A report in The Times claimed The Mail on Sunday had attempted to name some of the unvaccinated dancers but was met with "strong pushback" from their lawyers. Amy Dowden, Oti Mabuse, and Giovanni Pernice have all publicly confirmed that they are vaccinated.

Judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood are all vaccinated.

## Ratings

An example of Strictly Come Dancing's popularity is that, after episodes, electricity use in the United Kingdom rises significantly as viewers who have waited for the show to end begin boiling water for tea, a phenomenon known as TV pick-up. National Grid personnel watch the show to know when closing credits begin so they can prepare for the surge.

## Awards and Nominations

The show has won a highly prestigious Rose D'Or award for 'Best Variety Show', beating off competition from reality shows from twelve other different countries. It has also won two awards for 'Best Reality Show' at the TRIC Awards and two at the TV Quick Awards for 'Best Talent Show'. It has also received four BAFTA Award nominations.

The show won the award of 'Most Popular Talent Show' at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 edition, the format of Strictly Come Dancing was named the most successful television show with the format being sold to more than 38 countries worldwide.