Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing logo
Format Talent show
Created by Fenia Vardanis
Developed by BBC
Presented by Tess Daly
Bruce Forsyth
Natasha Kaplinsky (2004)
Fearne Cotton (2008)
Judges Craig Revel Horwood
Arlene Phillips
Len Goodman
Bruno Tonioli
Opening theme Dan McGrath[1]
Josh Phillips[2]
Country of origin Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
No. of series 6
No. of episodes 72 (as of 29 November 2008)
Production
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 to 75 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Picture format 576i (SDTV),
1080i (HDTV)
Original run 15 May 2004 – present
Chronology
Related shows Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom. The format has been exported to 30 other countries (see Dancing with the Stars), and has also inspired a modern-dance themed spin-off Strictly Dance Fever.

The show has run on BBC One since 2004. A fifth series finished in December 2007, and there have been four stand-alone Christmas Specials - 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Series four was also shown as part of the BBC's line-up on its trial High Definition channel, BBC HD.

The final of the fourth and fifth series in December 2006 and December 2007 respectively attracted an audiences of over 12 million viewers.

Contents

Format

The show pairs a number of celebrities with professional ballroom dancers who each week compete against each other in a competition to impress a panel of judges and the viewing public in order to survive potential elimination. Through a telephone poll, viewers vote who they would like to stay, the results of the poll being combined with the ranking of the panel of judges. For example, with four contestants left, the judges' favourite would receive four points, second favourite three points, and so on, and similarly with the viewers' rankings.[3] The profits from the telephone lines were donated to Sport Relief in series 1, and to Children in Need from series 2 to 5.

The show is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday evenings, and it is presented by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. For some of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Tess Daly while she took maternity leave. The judging panel consists of Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood. Goodman and Tonioli commute weekly between Hollywood and London to judge both the American and British versions of the show simultaneously. 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 highlight show was shown on Sundays at 7pm on BBC Two, and during series five, the results show moved to Sunday evenings, although it is filmed on Saturday and then broadcast "as live" each Sunday.

The singers on the show are Priscilla Jones Campbell, Hayley Sanderson, Tommy Blaize and Lance Ellington. The music director is David Arch. Lance Ellington and Tommy Blaize have been part of the Strictly since its beginning. David Arch and Priscilla Jones Campbell joined in the fourth series, and Hayley Sanderson in the fifth.

The show is broadcast from a specially constructed set at the BBC Television Centre. 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.[4][5]

In the second series, two shows were filmed at the Tower Ballroom, show five and the Grand Final which was broadcast live on 11 December 2004.[6][7] In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems". [8] 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."[9]

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 and Jive. The Argentine Tango coaches in Series three were Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, both of whom have subsequently competed in the show.

Dance Off

From Series 5, a new system was introduced called the Dance Off. The Dance Off is performed by the two couples with the lowest scores following the judges' scores and public vote. After performing their dance again, the judges are asked one-by-one who they would like to save, and the couple with the most votes remains in the competition. If there is a tie, head judge Len Goodman has the deciding vote.

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 21:30. This was confirmed by the official BBC website in 2008:

"The Sunday show is recorded on Saturday night but no element involving the results of the vote will start recording until after lines are closed and votes counted and verified."[10]

Throughout the results show the presenters refer to 'last night' in reference to the main show, due to the air date of the Sunday programmme, and Tess Daly's dress is changed to present an illusion of a live broadcast.

Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

Main article: Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

During the run of Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two airs each week night on BBC Two, hosted by Claudia Winkleman. It features reviews of the performances during the previous Saturday 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 doing. It Takes Two replaces Strictly Come Dancing on Three, hosted by Justin Lee Collins, which ran on BBC Three during the first series. BBC Two Scotland airs the programme on four nights only, running their own Gaelic-language programming on Thursdays instead.

Main series

Series Première date Winning couple Runner-up couple Other contestants (in order of elimination) Number of couples
1 15 May 2004 Natasha Kaplinsky & Brendan Cole Christopher Parker & Hanna Karttunen Jason Wood, David Dickinson, Verona Joseph, Claire Sweeney, Martin Offiah, Lesley Garrett. 8
2 23 October 2004 Jill Halfpenny & Darren Bennett Denise Lewis & Ian Waite Quentin Wilson, Carol Vorderman, Esther Rantzen, Diarmuid Gavin, Sarah Manners, Roger Black, Aled Jones, Julian Clary 10
3 15 October 2005 Darren Gough & Lilia Kopylova Colin Jackson & Erin Boag Siobhan Hayes, Jaye Jacobs, Gloria Hunniford, Fiona Philips, Dennis Taylor, Will Thorp, Bill Turnbull, Patsy Palmer, James Martin, Zoe Ball 12
4 7 October 2006 Mark Ramprakash & Karen Hardy Matt Dawson & Lilia Kopylova Nicolas Owen, Mica Paris, Jimmy Tarbuck (Withdrew), DJ Spoony, Georgina Bouzova, Jan Ravens, Ray Fearon, Peter Schmeichel, Claire King, Carol Smillie, Louisa Lytton, Emma Bunton 14
5 6 October 2007 Alesha Dixon & Matthew Cutler Matt Di Angelo & Flavia Cacace Brian Capron, Stephanie Beecham, Willie Thorne, Gabby Logan, Dominic Littlewood, Penny Lancaster-Stewart, Kate Garraway, John Barnes, Kelly Brook (Withdrew), Kenny Logan, Letitia Dean, Gethin Jones 14
6 20 September 2008 TBA TBA Phil Daniels, Gillian Taylforth, Gary Rhodes, Jessie Wallace, Don Warrington, Mark Foster, Andrew Castle, Heather Small, Cherie Lunghi, John Sergeant (Withdrew), Jodie Kidd , Christine Bleakley.

(Still competing) Austin Healey, Lisa Snowdon, Rachel Stevens, Tom Chambers

 16

Series 1

15 May to 3 July 2004, in order of elimination

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Jason Wood (Comedian) Kylie Jones Week 2
David Dickinson (Bargain Hunt presenter) Camilla Dallerup Week 3
Verona Joseph (Former Holby City Star) Paul Killick Week 4
Claire Sweeney (Actress/TV Presenter) John Byrnes Week 5
Martin Offiah (Former Rugby Player) Erin Boag Week 6
Lesley Garrett (Singer) Anton du Beke Week 7
Christopher Parker (Eastenders Actor) Hanna Karttunen Final (second place)
Natasha Kaplinsky (Newsreader) Brendan Cole Series winners

Judges' scoring summary

Bold scores indicate the highest for that week. Red indicates the lowest score. * indicates that this couple was in the bottom two.

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Final
Natasha/Brendan 27 31 26* 35 37 31+36=67 36+35=71 36+31+35=102
Christopher/Hanna 19 23 19 28 15 22+15=37 21+16=37* 24+17+22=63
Lesley/Anton 29 27 29 30* 27* 34+26=60* 33+29=62* Eliminated
Martin/Erin 25 21 21 24 22 24+24=48* Eliminated
Claire/John 27 26 34 31 32* Eliminated
Verona/Paul 27 24 24 24* Eliminated
David/Camilla 16 21* 20* Eliminated
Jason/Kylie 21 19* Eliminated

Average chart

Rank by
average		 Place Couple Total Number of
dances		 Average
1 1 Natasha & Brendan 396 12 33.0
2 5 Claire & John 150 5 30.0
3 3 Lesley & Anton 264 9 29.3
4 6 Verona & Paul 99 4 24.8
5 4 Martin & Erin 161 7 23.0
6 2 Christopher & Hanna 241 12 20.1
7 8 Jason & Kylie 40 2 20.0
8 7 David & Camilla 57 3 19.0

Dances performed

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Final
Natasha & Brendan Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Foxtrot Samba Tango, Rumba Waltz, Paso Doble Quickstep, Samba, Freestyle
Christopher & Hanna Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Foxtrot Samba Waltz, Paso Doble Tango, Rumba Waltz, Jive, Freestyle
Lesley & Anton Waltz Rumba Tango Paso Doble Samba Foxtrot, Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep, Jive
Martin & Erin Waltz Rumba Jive Foxtrot Samba Quickstep, Cha-Cha-Cha
Claire & John Waltz Rumba Tango Paso Doble Samba
Verona & Paul Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Paso Doble
David & Camilla Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango
Jason & Kylie Waltz Rumba

     Eliminated        Second place        Winner

The dances performed during Series 1 were as follows:

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:

Dance Best dancer(s) Best score Worst dancer(s) Worst score
Cha Cha Cha Natasha Kaplinsky/Verona Joseph 27 David Dickinson 16
Jive Lesley Garrett 29 Christopher Parker 17
Rumba Natasha Kaplinsky 36 Jason Wood 19
Paso doble Natasha Kaplinsky 35 Christopher Parker 15
Samba Natasha Kaplinsky 37 Christopher Parker 15
Waltz Natasha Kaplinsky 36 Jason Wood 21
Quickstep Natasha Kaplinsky 36 David Dickinson 21
Foxtrot Natasha Kaplinsky 35 Martin Offiah 24
Tango Claire Sweeney 34 David Dickinson 20

Series 2

23 October to 11 December 2004, in order of elimination

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Quentin Willson Hazel Newberry Week 1
Carol Vorderman Paul Killick Week 2
Esther Rantzen Anton du Beke Week 3
Diarmuid Gavin Nicole Cutler Week 4
Sarah Manners Brendan Cole Week 5
Roger Black Camilla Dallerup Week 6
Aled Jones Lilia Kopylova Week 7
Julian Clary Erin Boag Final (third place)
Denise Lewis Ian Waite Final (second place)
Jill Halfpenny Darren Bennett Series winners

Judges' scoring summary

Bold scores indicate the highest for that week. Red indicates the lowest score. * indicates they were in the bottom 2 couples.

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Final
Jill/Darren 27 32 35 34 35 32+36=68 29+37=66 34+40=74
Denise/Ian 31 32 25* 30 32 34+33=67 35+36=71* 38+33=71
Julian/Erin 19 27 27 20 24* 28+27=55* 24+21=45 29+23=52
Aled/Lilia 29 27 32 25 30 29+27=56 27+30=57* Eliminated
Roger/Camilla 25 22 25 29 23 22+19=41* Eliminated
Sarah/Brendan 28 23 31 29* 23* Eliminated
Diarmuid/Nicole 12 12 14 17* Eliminated
Esther/Anton 24 16* 16* Eliminated
Carol/Paul 22* 20* Eliminated
Quentin/Hazel 8* Eliminated

Average chart

Rank by
average		 Place Couple Total Number of
dances		 Average
1 1 Jill & Darren 371 11 33.7
2 2 Denise & Ian 359 11 32.6
3 4 Aled & Lilia 256 9 28.4
4 6 Sarah & Brendan 134 5 26.8
5 3 Julian & Erin 269 11 24.5
6 5 Roger & Camilla 165 7 23.6
7 9 Carol & Paul 42 2 21.0
8 8 Esther & Anton 56 3 18.7
9 7 Diarmuid & Nicole 55 4 13.8
10 10 Quentin & Hazel 8 1 8.0

Dances performed

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Final
Jill/Darren Waltz Rumba Jive Foxtrot Samba Quickstep, Cha-Cha-Cha Tango, Paso Doble Foxtrot, Jive
Denise/Ian Waltz Rumba Jive Foxtrot Samba Quickstep, Cha-Cha-Cha Tango, Paso Doble Quickstep, Samba
Julian/Erin Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble Samba Waltz, Rumba Foxtrot, Jive Quickstep, Samba
Aled/Lilia Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Foxtrot Samba Waltz, Rumba Tango, Paso Doble
Roger/Camilla Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Foxtrot Samba Waltz, Rumba
Sarah/Brendan Waltz Rumba Tango Paso Doble Samba
Diarmuid/Nicole Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble
Esther/Anton Waltz Rumba Tango
Carol/Paul Waltz Rumba
Quentin/Hazel Cha-Cha-Cha

     Eliminated        Third place        Second place        Winner

The dances performed during Series 2 were as follows:

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:

Dance Best dancer(s) Best score Worst dancer(s) Worst score
Cha Cha Cha Jill Halfpenny 36 Quentin Willson 8
Jive Jill Halfpenny 40 Julian Clary 21
Rumba Jill Halfpenny/Denise Lewis 32 Esther Rantzen 16
Paso doble Jill Halfpenny 37 Diarmuid Gavin 17
Samba Jill Halfpenny 35 Roger Black/Julian Clary/Sarah Manners 23
Waltz Denise Lewis 31 Carol Vorderman 22
Quickstep Denise Lewis 38 Diarmuid Gavin 12
Foxtrot Jill Halfpenny 34 Julian Clary 24
Tango Denise Lewis 35 Diarmuid Gavin 14

Series 3

15 October to 17 December 2005, in order of elimination

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Siobhan Hayes Matthew Cutler Week 1
Jaye Jacobs Andrew Cuerden Week 2
Gloria Hunniford Darren Bennett Week 3
Fiona Phillips Brendan Cole Week 4
Dennis Taylor Izabela Hannah Week 5
Will Thorp Hanna Haarala Week 6
Bill Turnbull Karen Hardy Week 7
Patsy Palmer Anton du Beke Week 8
James Martin Camilla Dallerup Week 9
Zoë Ball Ian Waite Final (third place)
Colin Jackson Erin Boag Final (second place)
Darren Gough Lilia Kopylova Series winners

Over five million votes were cast, approximately three million of which were for the eventual champions, Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova.[11] Over ten and a half million viewers tuned in to the final show, and the whole series raised £1.5 million for Children in Need.[12]

Judges' scoring summary

Bold scores indicate the highest for that week. Red indicates the lowest score. * indicates the couple was in the bottom two.

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10
Final
Darren/Lilia 19 30 33 34 28 30 34 32+30=62 35+29=64 36+36=72
Colin/Erin 32 36 26 31 32 32 34 37+36=73 37+30=67 39+36=75
Zoe/Ian 35 32 29 36 35 36 38 36+32=68* 36+33=69* 38+38=76
James/Camilla 22 29 28 29 29 20 32 28+20=48 33+22=55* Eliminated
Patsy/Anton 19 26 34 31 26 31* 24* 31+27=58* Eliminated
Bill/Karen 29 23 20 25 27 17 25* Eliminated
Will/Hanna 18* 29 25* 34 23* 28* Eliminated
Dennis/Izabela 20 18 22 15* 23* Eliminated
Fiona/Brendan 11 13 16 20* Eliminated
Gloria/Darren 22 17* 19* Eliminated
Jaye/Andrew 25 21* Eliminated
Siobhan/Matthew 15* Eliminated

Average chart

Rank by
average		 Place Couple Total Number of
dances		 Average
1 3 Zoe & Ian 454 13 34.9
2 2 Colin & Erin 438 13 33.7
3 1 Darren & Lilia 406 13 31.2
4 5 Patsy & Anton 249 9 27.7
5 4 James & Camilla 292 11 26.5
6 7 Will & Hanna 157 6 26.2
7 6 Bill & Karen 166 7 23.7
8 11 Jaye & Andrew 46 2 23.0
9 8 Dennis & Izabela 98 5 19.6
10 10 Gloria & Darren 58 3 19.3
11 9 Fiona & Brendan 60 4 15.0
11 12 Siobhan & Matthew 15 1 15.0

Dances performed

Each couple performed one of two prescribed dances in each of the first five weeks. After that, the dances performed were as follows:

Team Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10
Final
Darren & Lilia Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble Viennese Waltz Jive Foxtrot American Smooth, Rumba Waltz, Samba Foxtrot, Paso Doble
Colin & Erin Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble Samba Foxtrot Viennese Waltz American Smooth, Rumba Waltz, Jive Quickstep, Rumba
Zoe & Ian Waltz Rumba Jive Foxtrot Samba Quickstep Tango American Smooth, Cha-Cha-Cha Viennese Waltz, Paso Doble Tango, Samba
James & Camilla Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble Viennese Waltz Jive Waltz American Smooth, Samba Foxtrot, Rumba
Patsy & Anton Waltz Rumba Tango Foxtrot Samba Quickstep Cha-Cha-Cha American Smooth, Jive
Bill & Karen Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Tango Paso Doble Viennese Waltz Rumba Waltz
Will & Hanna Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Foxtrot Viennese Waltz Tango
Dennis & Izabela Cha-Cha-Cha Quickstep Jive Paso Doble Samba
Fiona & Brendan Waltz Rumba Jive Foxtrot
Gloria & Darren Waltz Rumba Jive
Jaye & Andrew Waltz Rumba
Siobhan & Matthew Waltz

     Eliminated        Third place        Second place        Winner

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:

Dance Best dancer(s) Best score Worst dancer(s) Worst score
Cha Cha Cha Zoe Ball/Colin Jackson 32 Will Thorp 18
Jive Darren Gough/Colin Jackson 30 Fiona Phillips 16
Rumba Colin Jackson 36 Fiona Phillips 13
Paso doble Darren Gough 36 Dennis Taylor 15
Samba Zoe Ball 38 James Martin 20
Waltz Colin Jackson 37 Fiona Phillips 11
Quickstep Colin Jackson 39 Dennis Taylor 18
Foxtrot Zoe Ball/Darren Gough 36 Fiona Phillips 20
Tango Zoe Ball 38 Bill Turnbull 20
Viennese Waltz Zoe Ball 36 Will Thorp 23
American Smooth Colin Jackson 37 James Martin 28

Series 4

Main article: Strictly Come Dancing (Series 4)

The show ran from 7 October to 23 December 2006. Over 12 million votes were cast, raising £1.5 million for Children in Need. A peak of 13 million viewers tuned in to the final show of series four to see Mark and Karen crowned 2006 Strictly Come Dancing champions.

The couples in order of elimination:

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Nicholas Owen Nicole Cutler Week 1
Mica Paris Ian Waite Week 2
Jimmy Tarbuck Flavia Cacace Forced to withdraw for health reasons[13]
DJ Spoony Ola Jordan Week 3
Georgina Bouzova James Jordan Week 4
Jan Ravens Anton du Beke Week 5
Ray Fearon Camilla Dallerup Week 6
Peter Schmeichel Erin Boag Week 7
Claire King Brendan Cole Week 8
Carol Smillie Matthew Cutler Week 9
Louisa Lytton Vincent Simone Week 10
Emma Bunton Darren Bennett Week 11 (third place)
Matt Dawson Lilia Kopylova Final (second place)
Mark Ramprakash Karen Hardy Series winners

Series 5

Main article: Strictly Come Dancing (Series 5)

The fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing began on BBC One on 29 September 2007, with Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returning as presenters. For the first time, the line up of professionals was unchanged from the previous series. The first programme was a catch-up show and preview to the new series, before the start of the competition on 6 October, which ran for 12 weeks. The show featured 14 new celebrities, who were paired with 14 professional dancers. In a change to the previous format, the results show was recorded on Saturday and broadcast on Sunday, rather than shown live later on Saturday. In addition to this, the two couples who were at the bottom of the table after the viewers' vote were subject to a dance-off, where they reprised their routine, for the judges to decide who left. Head Judge Len Goodman had the casting vote in case of a tie. The series raised just over a million pounds for Children in Need [14]

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Brian Capron Karen Hardy Week 1
Stephanie Beacham Vincent Simone Week 2
Willie Thorne Erin Boag Week 3
Gabby Logan James Jordan Week 4
Dominic Littlewood Lilia Kopylova Week 5
Penny Lancaster Stewart Ian Waite Week 6
Kate Garraway Anton du Beke Week 7
John Barnes Nicole Cutler Week 8
Kelly Brook Brendan Cole Withdrew due to bereavement[15]
Kenny Logan Ola Jordan Week 9
Letitia Dean Darren Bennett Week 10
Gethin Jones Camilla Dallerup Week 11 (third place)
Matt Di Angelo Flavia Cacace Week 12 (second place)
Alesha Dixon Matthew Cutler Series winners

Series 6

Main article: Strictly Come Dancing (Series 6)

A sixth series of the show was confirmed after the dancers' pay dispute was called off in late June 2008. [16] The series will last for 14 weeks, which is the longest series so far.[16] The new series will involve three new professional dancers, Brian Fortuna, Hayley Holt and Kristina Rihanoff.[17]

In July 2008 it was reported that current EastEnders cast members were banned from taking part in the competition due to the length of the series. [18]

On 19 November 2008, John Sergeant announced that he would be leaving the show because he believed he may "win it".[19]

The sixth series began on 13 September with a behind-the-scenes look at the new series, followed by the first live show on 20 September.[20]

Celebrity Professional Voted out
Phil Daniels Flavia Cacace Week 1
Gillian Taylforth Anton du Beke Week 2
Gary Rhodes Karen Hardy Week 3
Jessie Wallace Darren Bennett Week 4
Don Warrington Lilia Kopylova Week 5
Mark Foster Hayley Holt Week 6
Andrew Castle Ola Jordan Week 7
Heather Small Brian Fortuna Week 8
Cherie Lunghi James Jordan Week 9
John Sergeant Kristina Rihanoff Withdrew[19]
Jodie Kidd Ian Waite Week 10
Christine Bleakley Matthew Cutler Week 11
Austin Healey Erin Boag
Lisa Snowdon Brendan Cole
Rachel Stevens Vincent Simone
Tom Chambers Camilla Dallerup

Specials

2004 Christmas Special

This Christmas special was broadcast live on 22 December 2004, featuring top couples from both of the first two series (with the exception of Christopher Parker and Julian Clary, who were not able to appear). The show was won by Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett.

In order of judges' placing

Celebrity Professional Place Judges' scores Dance
Martin Offiah Erin Boag 6th 6+6+7+7=26 Jive
Aled Jones Lilia Kopylova 5th 7+7+8+8=30 Samba
Lesley Garrett Anton du Beke 4th 7+8+8+8=31 Waltz
Natasha Kaplinsky Brendan Cole 3rd 7+8+9+9=33 Foxtrot
Denise Lewis Ian Waite 2nd 9+9+9+10=37 Quickstep
Jill Halfpenny Darren Bennett 1st 9+9+9+9=36 Jive

2005 Christmas Special

The Christmas special in 2005 featured the top four couples (Gough/Kopylova, Jackson/Boag, Ball/Waite, Martin/Dallerup) from the 2005 series competing against two competitors from the US version, Dancing with the Stars, who danced with two professionals from the British series. The two competitors from the US series were Rachel Hunter, who was teamed with Brendan Cole, and Evander Holyfield, who danced with Karen Hardy. Season 2 winner Jill Halfpenny was scheduled to appear with her partner Darren Bennett, but pulled out due to a break down in fee negotiations.

24 December 2005, in order of elimination

Celebrity Professional Place Judges' scores Dance
Evander Holyfield Karen Hardy 6th 3+5+7+7=22 Jive
Rachel Hunter Brendan Cole 5th 9+9+9+9=36 Rumba
Colin Jackson Erin Boag 4th 9+8+9+9=35 Cha-Cha-Cha
James Martin Camilla Dallerup 3rd 8+10+10+9=37 Foxtrot
Zoe Ball Ian Waite 2nd 9+9+10+10=38 Foxtrot
Darren Gough Lilia Kopylova 1st 10+10+10+10=40 Quickstep

As well as winning the 2005 series, Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova won this Christmas Special, after receiving the full 40 marks from the judges.

2006 Christmas Special

The Christmas special in 2006 featured stars from the third and fourth series going head to head to perform their highest-scoring dances. The theme of the programme was black and white, so whether it was wintry white gowns, the little black dress or top hat and tails, the dancers and the dance floor were decked in black and white, setting the stage for some show-stopping performances.

It was a pre-recorded show shown on Christmas Day on BBC One. The couples who took part were:

Celebrity Professional Place Judges' Scores Dance
Emma Bunton Darren Bennett - 9+9+9+9=36 Samba
Louisa Lytton Vincent Simone - 9+9+9+9=36 Jive
Mark Ramprakash Karen Hardy - 9+9+9+9=36 Salsa
Matt Dawson Lilia Kopylova - 9+9+10+9=37 Waltz
Zoe Ball Ian Waite 2nd 9+10+9+10=38 Rumba
Colin Jackson Erin Boag 1st 10+10+10+10=40 Quickstep

After the combined scores of the judges' marks and the votes of the studio audience, Colin Jackson and Erin Boag won the competition, after getting the full 40 marks from the judges, with Zoe Ball and Ian Waite being runners up. The final places of the bottom four couples was not announced - they were eliminated from the competition in a random order.

2007 Christmas Special

The 2007 Christmas Special featured the top four couples from Series Five (Alesha Dixon, Matt Di Angelo, Gethin Jones and Letitia Dean), as well as Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash (champions of Series Three and Four respectively). The winner was Series Three champion Darren Gough, who received a perfect 40 for his American Smooth, and had the highest score overall when the judges' points were combined with the studio audience vote. Series Five semi-finalist Gethin Jones, who also received a perfect 40 for his Waltz, was runner up. The final place of the bottom four couples was not announced.

It was broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day (25 December 2007).

Celebrity Professional Place Judges' score Dance
Letitia Dean Darren Bennett - 9+9+9+9=36 Foxtrot
Alesha Dixon Matthew Cutler - 9+9+9+9=36 Cha-Cha-Cha
Mark Ramprakash Karen Hardy - 9+9+10+10=38 Jive
Matt Di Angelo Flavia Cacace - 9+10+10+10=39 Rumba
Gethin Jones Camilla Dallerup 2nd 10+10+10+10=40 Waltz
Darren Gough Lilia Kopylova 1st 10+10+10+10=40 American Smooth

2008 Christmas Special

The 2008 Christmas Special will air on 25 December 2008. The final three from series six will take on former contestants Jill Halfpenny, Alesha Dixon and Kelly Brook. Russell Watson will make a special guest appearance.[21]

The Strictly Come Dancing Story

The Strictly Come Dancing Story was shown on 28 December 2007. While looking back at the last five series of Strictly Come Dancing, it also explained how it came about, showed clips of the original Come Dancing show, highlights from the series one to five, and how the show has transferred to other countries around the world.

Strictly Ice Dancing

Strictly Ice Dancing was broadcast as a one-off special on 26 December 2004; with Carol Smillie, Jessica Taylor, Scarlett Johnson, Marcus Patric, David Seaman, and Rowland Rivron paired with professional skaters. This was won by David Seaman (who was a late replacement for Paul Gascoigne) and his partner Zoia Birmingham.

In order of elimination, the competitors were:

Celebrity Professional
Rowland Rivron Charlotte Clements
Marcus Patric Leigh Mack
Carol Smillie Oula Jääskeläinen
Scarlett Johnson Daniel Whiston
Jessica Taylor Robert Burgerman
David Seaman Zoia Birmingham

Strictly Ice Dancing was identical to the Granada format Dancing On Ice, although details of Dancing on Ice were revealed before Strictly Ice Dancing was commissioned.

Strictly African Dancing

A further one-off special was broadcast on BBC One on 9 July 2005 as part of the BBC's Africa Lives season. It featured six celebrities of African descent performing traditional African dances with a professional troupe. The contestants were Tunde Baiyewu, Tupele Dorgu, Robbie Earle, Antonia Okonma, Louis Emerick, and Tessa Sanderson. The programme was presented by Natasha Kaplinsky and Martin Offiah, and the winner was Robbie Earle. Professional dancers Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, who have appeared on Strictly Come Dancing since the second series, also appeared on this special to perform a traditional African Samba. Ironically, the winner was of Jamaican, not African, descent.

In order of elimination:

The Live Tour! 2008

Strictly Come Dancing went on tour at the beginning of 2008 for the first time.[22] The tour was hosted by Kate Thornton, and judged by Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, & Len Goodman.[23] Bruno Tonioli was not a judge in this competition[22] due to him being in Los Angeles.[24] The tour began on 18 January 2008 in Glasgow and finished on 19 February 2008 in Birmingham.[25]

Celebrity dancers taking place were:[26]

The results of the tour are as follows:[29]

Couple Series Number of times as winners Number of times as runners up
Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace 5 16 10
Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone 4 10 3
Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova 3 8 10
Zoe Ball and Ian Waite 3 5 14
Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett 5 1 2

Denise Lewis, Christopher Parker, James Martin and Martin Offiah were not winners or runners up at any stage of the tour .[29]

The Live Tour! 2009

The Strictly Come Dancing Tour will return in January and February 2009.[30] Kate Thornton will return to host and the judges will be:

The first four celebrities to confirm they are part of the tour are Julian Clary and Jill Halfpenny from series two (third place and winner respectively), and from series five Kenny Logan and Gethin Jones (fifth and third place respectively).[31] Cherie Lunghi and Tom Chambers, eight placer and current competitor of the sixth series, have also signed up.[32] On November 21, 2008 Jodie Kidd and Rachel Stevens, sixth placer and top four competitor of series six, have joined the tour line-up.[33]

Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing

A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Sport Relief aired on 14 March 2008, with Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips and Craig Revel Horwood judging.[34]

The results were as follows:

Ex-Strictly Contestant Celebrity Place Judges' scores Dance
Denise Lewis David Ginola - 7+7+7=21 Waltz
Roger Black Jade Johnson - 8+6+8=22 Cha Cha Cha
Darren Gough Gemma Bissix - 7+7+8=22 American Smooth
Matt Dawson Elaine Paige 2nd 8+9+8=25 Tango
Mark Ramprakash Kara Tointon 1st 9+9+9=27 Samba

The ranking of the bottom three couples was not announced - they were eliminated from the competition in a random order.

A BBC spokesperson commented: "Sport Relief features Strictly Come Dancing with a difference."

Children In Need Special 2008

A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Children In Need aired on 14 November 2008, with Fearne Cotton presenting and Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips and Craig Revel Horwood judging.

The results were as follows:

Professional Dancer Children In Need Host Place Judges' scores[35] Dance
Anton Du Beke Tess Daly 1st 9+9+9+9=36 American Smooth
Flavia Cacace Terry Wogan 2nd 7+8+7+7=29 Waltz

Statistics

Winners

There are two titles to win during a series of Strictly Come Dancing, the main series title and the Christmas title:

Highest judges' scores

Lowest judges' scores

Highest and lowest scoring performances

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:

Dance Best dancer(s) Best score Worst dancer(s) Worst score
Cha Cha Cha Alesha Dixon 39 Quentin Wilson 8
Jive Jill Halfpenny 40 Fiona Phillips 16
Rumba Matt Di Angelo/Rachel Stevens 39 Fiona Phillips 13
Paso doble Austin Healey 38 Dennis Taylor/Christopher Parker 15
Samba Zoe Ball 38 Christopher Parker 15
Waltz Matt Di Angelo/Gethin Jones 40 Fiona Phillips 11
Quickstep Darren Gough/Colin Jackson 40 Diarmuid Gavin 12
Foxtrot Rachel Stevens 40 Fiona Phillips/John Sergeant 20
Tango Rachel Stevens 39 Diarmuid Gavin 14
Viennese Waltz Alesha Dixon 38 Will Thorp 23
American Smooth Darren Gough 40 Andrew Castle 17
Salsa Mark Ramprakash 40 Kate Garraway 18
Argentine Tango Mark Ramprakash 39 Matt Dawson 30

Perfect tens

In addition to the eight perfect scores listed above, judges have awarded perfect tens on a number of other occasions. Alesha Dixon and her partner Matthew Cutler hold the record for the most tens received, with a total of 19:

Ratings

Series Series Premiere Series Finale
Date Viewers Date Viewers
1 15 May 2004 4.61m[36] 3 July 2004 9.28m[37]
2 23 October 2004 6.54m[38] 11 December 2004 11.60m[39]
3 15 October 2005 7.23m[40] 17 December 2005 10.55m[41]
4 7 October 2006 9.23m[42] 23 December 2006 12.11m[43]
5 6 October 2007 7.68m[44] 22 December 2007 12.09m[45]
6 20 September 2008 8.48m[46] 20 December 2008 TBA

Awards

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', beating The X Factor in both instances. It has also received three BAFTA nominations.

The show won the award of Most Popular Talent Show at the 2008 National Television Awards, beating Britain's Got Talent, Dancing on Ice and The X Factor.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cannon Studios - History". Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  2. ↑ "Blaze Music - TV credits". Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  3. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing - How to vote". BBC. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  4. ↑ "David Dickinson - Strictly Come Dancing". David Dickinson Online (2004). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  5. ↑ "Fliming locations for "Strictly Come Dancing" (2004)". Internet Movie Database (2004). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  6. ↑ "Strictly a sellout for return of TV classic". Blackpool Gazette (2004-11-18). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  7. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing wins ratings war". Irish Examiner (2004-12-12). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  8. ↑ "Strictly not dancing". Blackpool Gazette (2005-10-29). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  9. ↑ Bennett, Julia (2008-10-18). "Strictly star wants show back in Blackpool". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
  10. ↑ Strictly Come Dancing Vote BBC. Accessed 18 October 2008.
  11. ↑ Gough, Darren (2006). Dazzler on the Dance Floor. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 9780340932827. 
  12. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing facts and figures". BBC Press Office (2006-09-29). Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  13. ↑ "Tarbuck Bows Out". BBC (2006-10-20). Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  14. ↑ "Children in Need proceeds". Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
  15. ↑ "Brook pulls out of dancing show", BBC News (2007-11-30). 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alex Fletcher (2008-06-26). "'Strictly' dancers end pay row", Digital Spy. Retrieved on 2008-07-01. 
  17. ↑ "Brian Fortuna's Page". Ballroom Dance Channel. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
  18. ↑ Sara Nathan (2008-07-24). "Strictly No Dancing", The Sun. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Sergeant to pull out of Strictly". BBC News. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
  20. ↑ "Programme Information Network TV Week 38 Saturday 13 September 2008". BBC Press Office. Retrieved on 2008-08-31.
  21. ↑ "Network TV Programme Information BBC One Weeks 52/53". BBC Press Office (2007-10-12). Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "BBC Dancing show to hit the road". BBC News Online (2007-10-12). Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  23. ↑ "Judges & Host". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  24. ↑ Tim Teeman (2008-01-19). "Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour!". The Times Online. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  25. ↑ "Tour 2008". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  26. ↑ "Celebrity Dancers". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Strictly Come Dancing: 'It is a fairy tale come true'". Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  28. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing hits the road". Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Previous Winners". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  30. ↑ "Live Tour 2009". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
  31. ↑ "The Show". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved on 2008-10-21.
  32. ↑ "Stars sign up to Strictly Come Dancing tour", This Is Nottingham (2008-10-31). Retrieved on 2008-11-01. 
  33. ↑ http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/television/strictly-come-dancing-rachel-stevens-jodie-kidd-unite-for-tour.html
  34. ↑ "Strictly Sport Relief". BBC (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  35. ↑ "Children In Need defies the crunch with £21m haul as BBC newswomen don bellbottoms and platforms for Abba tribute", Daily Mail (2008-11-15). Retrieved on 2008-11-27. 
  36. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 16/05/04". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  37. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 04/07/04". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  38. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 24/10/04". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  39. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 12/12/04". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  40. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 16/10/05". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  41. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 18/12/05". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  42. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 8/10/06". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  43. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 24/12/06". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  44. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 07/10/07". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  45. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 23/12/07". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  46. ↑ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary - W/E 21/09/2008". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.

External links

Strictly Come Dancing
Series
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6
Hosts
Bruce Forsyth • Tess Daly • Claudia Winkleman • Natasha Kaplinsky (2004) • Justin Lee Collins (2004) • Fearne Cotton (Children In Need Special, 2008)
Judges
Craig Revel Horwood • Arlene Phillips • Len Goodman • Bruno Tonioli
Celebrity Winners
Natasha Kaplinsky • Jill Halfpenny • Darren Gough • Mark Ramprakash • Alesha Dixon
Professional Winners
Brendan Cole • Darren Bennett • Lilia Kopylova • Karen Hardy • Matthew Cutler
Celebrity Runners-Up
Christopher Parker • Denise Lewis • Colin Jackson • Matt Dawson • Matt Di Angelo
Professional Runners-Up
Hanna Karttunen • Ian Waite • Erin Boag • Lilia Kopylova • Flavia Cacace
Specials Winners
David Seaman (Strictly Ice Dancing) • Robbie Earle (Strictly African Dancing) • Kara Tointon (Sport Relief, 2008) • Tess Daly (Children In Need Special, 2008)
Specials Runners-Up
Jessica Taylor (Strictly Ice Dancing) • Antonia Okonma (Strictly African Dancing) • Elaine Paige (Sport Relief, 2008) • Terry Wogan (Children In Need Special, 2008)
Related
Portal • It Takes Two • Dancing with the Stars (US version) • Dancing with the Stars (International versions)