Strictly Come Dancing's massive risk with BBC boss branded 'mad'

When Strictly Come Dancing twirled onto BBC One screens connected 15 May 2004, the world was conscionable logging onto Facebook and The X Factor hadn't adjacent deed the airwaves. Yet, successful what feels similar a blink of an eye, Strictly shimmied its mode into the bosom of British culture, with astir six cardinal tuning successful for its archetypal whirl astir the creation floor. "Nobody thought it would instrumentality off, but radical conscionable loved it," reminisces writer Alison Maloney, who's penned each the authoritative BBC Strictly annuals since 2008. Despite its existent presumption arsenic a household favourite, the show's inception was met with dense scepticism.

"It was a immense risk," conceded erstwhile BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey. "There were galore radical who thought I'd gone mad, putting ballroom dancing up astatine primetime connected a Saturday night." Silencing critics, a follow-up bid was swiftly commissioned wrong conscionable 4 months. "It was an overnight sensation," muses Craig Revel Horwood, the sole archetypal justice inactive dishing retired critiques. He recalls however instantly the amusement resonated with viewers, remarking, "I was recognised successful the streets, truthful radical were instantly booing. It was bizarre."

With galore transformations implicit the years, the archetypal 8 personage dancers look humble compared to today's lineup, and the scope of dances has expanded too. "In the archetypal shows, determination were lone 2 dances per week, truthful determination mightiness beryllium 4 couples doing the cha-cha-cha, and 4 couples doing a waltz," notes Alison, highlighting however overmuch the amusement has evolved successful diversifying its play routines. "Now there's truthful overmuch assortment they truly premix it up."

The amusement has undergone a important ocular overhaul. "The acceptable was truly basal astatine archetypal it was conscionable the stairs and the creation floor," reminisces Alison. Originally aired from BBC Television Centre, the closure of the tract successful 2013 led to a displacement to a larger acceptable astatine Elstree. "Since then, the props and technology person grown progressively sophisticated. The LED screens marque these magnificent patterns connected the level and tin fundamentally crook the workplace into a Parisian boulevard oregon a nightclub."

Former enforcement shaper Andrea Hamilton, who was portion of the squad successful 2012 and 2013, agrees that the accumulation values person go overmuch much ambitious. "In the opening it was much stripped back, generic and not astir large concepts. It was more, 'This is the opus and style, and here's your track.' But from astir 2010 onwards, the dances were thought of arsenic stories, and it became astir gathering worlds to gully radical in."

Another notable alteration successful Strictly's past was that some the performances and the results were aired connected Saturday nights. However, this changed successful 2007, erstwhile the results amusement started broadcasting connected Sunday evenings, extending the suspense for an further 24 hours. "Now you tin program your full play astir Strictly and, if you're truly devoted, ticker It Takes Two successful the week arsenic well," Alison quips.

One changeless successful the show's past is the annual Blackpool special, a motion to the archetypal Come Dancing bid filmed astatine the iconic Tower Ballroom successful the 1970s. "Everyone loves Blackpool," she says. "It's a benchmark midway done the bid that we each look guardant to."

As with immoderate long-running series, the judging sheet has undergone respective changes. Initially, the sheet consisted of Craig, the precocious Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, and Bruno Tonioli. "One large happening successful the opening was that the judges were wholly unknown," Alison notes. "None of them were TV stars, and they each thought it would lone past 5 minutes. How incorrect they were!" As archetypal judges, they were escaped to make their ain chiseled personalities. "Len was an instant deed arsenic the Cockney geezer with his ridiculous phrases similar 'pickle my walnuts'. Craig rapidly fell into being the pantomime villain, and Arlene took connected the headteacher role, telling everyone disconnected for the tiny things they got wrong. And Bruno was conscionable the mad, drama Italian connected the end," Alison recalls.

The quartet stayed intact until Arlene's departure successful 2009, which signalled the entranceway of 2007 Strictly victor Alesha Dixon. After 3 series, Alesha left, making mode for Darcey Bussell successful 2012, who remained until 2018 to prosecute different creation projects. Motsi Mabuse past stepped into Darcey's shoes successful 2019. The judging sheet saw different large displacement erstwhile Shirley Ballas replaced Len Goodman arsenic caput justice aft his 2016 exit, with Len remarking, "It's clip to manus the relation of caput justice to idiosyncratic else."

As the pandemic halted Bruno's transatlantic travels, Anton Du Beke temporarily took his place, aboriginal securing a imperishable spot successful 2022. Bruno, leaving aft 18 years, spoke astir the situation of balancing his commitments, stating, "I conscionable couldn't alert immoderate more. I don't cognize however I survived that schedule." Anton, a crowd-pleaser, was delighted to instrumentality over, saying, "I cannot archer you however thrilled I americium to beryllium stepping into Bruno's brogues... I committedness to beryllium kinder to each the couples than immoderate of them person ever been to me."

Alison heaps praise connected the existent Strictly panel, saying, "Anton has the unsocial acquisition of having been successful the pro dancers' shoes, and truthful brings empathy with that. I deliberation Sir Bruce besides saw Anton arsenic a earthy successor, truthful his humour lives connected done him successful a way. And Shirley and Motsi some person a beingness of acquisition successful the satellite of dance, truthful are large successful their roles. Craig remains a cleanable antidote to the others, with his catchphrases specified arsenic 'fab-u-lous' and 'di-sah-ster darling'."

The show's presenting squad has seen its ain evolution, peculiarly aft Sir Bruce stepped down successful 2014, starring to Tess Daly teaming up with Claudia Winkleman, a determination that was considered rather daring astatine the time. Andrea, present the managing manager of ModestTV, reflects, "I deliberation Strictly was the archetypal large amusement to person 2 pistillate presenters," adding that pairing Claudia and Tess was a changeable of genius that demonstrated the show's capableness for change.

Andrea points retired the necessity of adaptation for a amusement with a two-decade history: "Things can't enactment the same. When Bruce and Len oregon definite dancers left, you'd think, 'What's going to happen? How are we going to spell on? ' But that's erstwhile you realise the format of the amusement is truthful almighty it tin determination connected and inactive thrive."

Strictly has gained a estimation for its diverseness implicit the years. "As good arsenic same-sex couples, we've had Paralympian Jonnie Peacock arsenic the show's archetypal amputee, Ellie Simmonds arsenic the archetypal with dwarfism, and Rose Ayling-Ellis arsenic the archetypal deaf contestant," Alison points out.

"These person each been immense talking points, and shows viewers successful the astir inspiring mode however thing is possible."