When it began in 2004, it was imagined that Strictly would be a simple two-month competition (Picture: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing is metaphorically blowing out 20 candles this year as it celebrates two decades since its first-ever season.
When it began on May 15 2004, it was imagined that it would be a simple two-month competition between eight celebrities that would fill a Saturday night slot for the BBC. But it quickly became bigger than even its most loyal supporters could have predicted.
It is now one of the world’s most successful reality TV formats with versions in over 75 countries, including the USA, China and Brazil.
In the UK, spending cold weekends watching hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman support famous faces as they compete on the Bafta-winning show has become a part of our culture, but how did it all begin?
Metro.co.uk spoke to three very important people – Dame Arlene Phillips, Brendan Cole, and Jane Lush – who played pivotal roles in that first series…
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Jane Lush – Former Head of Entertainment and Comedy at BBC
‘We wanted a show for people who decided to stay in on Saturday nights’ (Picture: BBC)
With great entertainment ideas ‘thin on the ground’, Jane gathered her team to chuck around some ideas. If she hadn’t decided to hold a brainstorming meeting, Strictly would not exist.
‘We wanted a show for people who decided to stay in on Saturday nights, who felt slightly cheated about not going out. We used the phrase – great night in,’ she explained.
One of her colleagues suggested doing a celebrity version of Come Dancing (1960-1995) – a show which saw amateur Ballroom dancers compete against each other.
Instantly Jane got a vision of what this show could be. ‘I said, “Why don’t we do Pro Celebrity Dancing?” I had a clear picture of dancers teaching celebrities and judges holding paddles with numbers on them.’
Jane’s brainstorming meeting changed TV forever (Picture: Thomas Alexander/BAFTA via Getty Images)
While Jane was convinced, the same couldn’t be said for her peers. ‘Come Dancing was an old-fashioned failing show that was finally put out of its misery, so people in the industry thought I was nuts trying to bring back Ballroom dancing on a Saturday night,’ she shared.
Despite, the doubters, Jane and her team got to work convincing the Controller of BBC, Lorraine Heggessey, with the help of a dancer who spun around the room as they explained their idea. ‘It made people laugh,’ Jane recalled.
It got the go-ahead but the name …read more
Source:: Metro
