Strictly Come Dancing

For the upcomimg series, see Strictly Come Dancing (series 13). For the South African series, see Strictly Come Dancing (South African TV series). For international versions, see Dancing with the Stars.
Strictly Come Dancing
Genre Talent show
Created by Fenia Vardanis[1]
Richard Hopkins[2]
Presented by
Judges
Voices of Alan Dedicoat
Theme music composer
  • Dan McGrath[3]
  • Josh Phillips[4]
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 12
No. of episodes 160 (as of 20 December 2014)
Production
Location(s)
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30–120 minutes
Distributor BBC Worldwide
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Picture format
Original run 15 May 2004 – present
Chronology
Related shows
External links
Website

Strictly Come Dancing (informally known as Strictly) 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 over 40 other countries (see Dancing with the Stars), and has also inspired a modern-dance themed spin-off Strictly Dance Fever. The show is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with former presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth continuing to front special episodes.

The show has run on BBC One since 15 May 2004, primarily on Saturday evenings with a following Sunday night results show (with certain exceptions). The twelfth series ended on 20 December 2014 and a further eleven stand-alone Christmas specials have also been produced, in consecutive years from 2004 to 2014. Nine charity specials have also been produced since 2008. Since the fourth series, the show has also been aired in high definition on BBC HD, and BBC One HD from series 8.

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.[6] 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.[6]

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.[7]

Format

From series 1 to 11, Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly presented the pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition. From series 8 to 11, 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 12 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.[8] 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 is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman (however Zoë Ball covered 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 will continue to present special editions of the show.[9] For some of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Daly while she took maternity leave, Claudia Winkelman has hosted the results show and editions that Forsyth had missed from 2010–2013. The judging panel initially consisted of Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood. Alesha Dixon took Phillips' place from series 7 to 9, after which she left the programme to judge Britain's Got Talent which led retired ballerina Darcey Bussell to replace Dixon and remains a judge alongside Tonioli, Goodman and Revel Horwood.[10] 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 19:00 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 UK 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 show was broadcast from a specially constructed set at the BBC Television Centre, moving to the Elstree Studios in 2013. 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.[11][12]

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.[13][14] In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems".[15] 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, the show did return to the Tower Ballroom, for series 7, where Blackpool-born Craig Kelly was eliminated. The episode was aired live on 7 November 2009.[16] Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010[17] and 2011 series.[18] Then after series 10 when Strictly Come Dancing didn't go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for series 11.[19]

Presenters

Key
     Presenter of Strictly Come Dancing
     Presenter of It Takes Two
Presenter Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Series 9 Series 10 Series 11 Series 12
Sir Bruce Forsyth1
Tess Daly2
Claudia Winkleman3
Zoë Ball4
Notes
^1 From series eight to 11, Sir Bruce Forsyth only hosted the main show.
^2 In series two, Tess Daly only appeared from week six onwards due to maternity leave. Natasha Kaplinsky served as a temporary replacement.
^3 From series 8 onwards, Claudia Winkleman presented the results show alongside Daly, and occasionally the main show, replacing Forsyth. Following Forsyth's departure after series 11, Daly took over Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman took over Daly's role as co-presenter.
^4 In series twelve, Zoë Ball co-presented weeks six, seven and eight of the main show with Daly, covering for Winkleman.

Other

Year(s) Series Presenter Show Notes
2004 1 Justin Lee Collins Strictly Come Dancing On Three
2004 2 Natasha Kaplinsky Main show Maternity cover for Tess Daly
2008 6 Fearne Cotton Children in Need special
2009 7 Ronnie Corbett Main show Guest host, Week 9
2014 12 Zoe Ball Main show Guest host, covering for Claudia Winkleman
2014 12 Sir Bruce Forsyth Children in Need and Christmas specials

Live Tour

Year(s) Presenter
2008–10, 2012–13 Kate Thornton
2010 Amanda Byram
2011, 2015– Zoë Ball
2014 Lisa Riley

Judging panel

Key
     Judging panel
     Guest judge(s)
     Contestent of Strictly Come Dancing
Judge Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Series 9 Series 10 Series 11 Series 12
Bruno Tonioli
Craig Revel Horwood
Len GoodmanA
Darcey BussellB
Arlene Phillips
Alesha Dixon
Jennifer GreyC
Donny OsmondD
Notes
^A Goodman is the head judge, but missed week six of series nine, so Revel Horwood served as temporary head judge
^B Bussell served as a guest judge throughout weeks twelve to fourteen for series seven
^C Grey served as a guest judge for Goodman during week six of series nine
^D Osmond served as a guest judge for week three of series twelve

Professional dancers and their partners

Professional Avg. Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Series 9 Series 10 Series 11 Series 12 Series 13
Kazakhstan Aliona Vilani
24.54
N/A
Rav Wilding
Matt Baker
Harry Judd
Injured
Tony Jacklin
Gregg Wallace
TBA
Slovenia Aljaž Skorjanec
30.10
N/A
Abbey Clancy
Alison Hammond
TBA
South Africa Andrew Cuerden
23.00
N/A
Jaye Jacobs
N/A
United Kingdom Anton du Beke
21.90
Lesley Garrett
Esther Rantzen
Patsy Palmer
Jan Ravens
Kate Garraway
Gillian Taylforth
Laila Rouass
Ann Widdecombe
Nancy Dell'Olio
Jerry Hall
Fiona Fullerton
Judy Murray
TBA
Russia Anya Garnis
32.62
N/A
Patrick Robinson
N/A
Russia Artem Chigvintsev
32.10
N/A
Kara Tointon
Holly Valance
Fern Britton
Natalie Gumede
N/A
New Zealand Brendan Cole
26.94
Natasha Kaplinsky
Sarah Manners
Fiona Phillips
Claire King
Kelly Brook
Lisa Snowdon
Jo Wood
Michelle Williams
Lulu
Victoria Pendleton
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sunetra Sarker
TBA
United States Brian Fortuna
29.45
N/A
Heather Small
Ali Bastian
N/A
Denmark Camilla Dallerup
27.68
David Dickinson
Roger Black
James Martin
Ray Fearon
Gethin Jones
Tom Chambers
N/A
United Kingdom Darren Bennett
26.54
N/A
Jill Halfpenny
Gloria Hunniford
Emma Bunton
Letitia Dean
Jessie Wallace
Lynda Bellingham
N/A
New Zealand Erin Boag
25.84
Martin Offiah
Julian Clary
Colin Jackson
Peter Schmeichel
Willie Thorne
Austin Healey
Ricky Groves
Peter Shilton
Rory Bremner
Richard Arnold
N/A
Italy Flavia Cacace
25.30
N/A
Jimmy Tarbuck
Matt Di Angelo
Phil Daniels
Craig Kelly
Jimi Mistry
Russell Grant
Louis Smith
N/A
Italy Giovanni Pernice
00.00
N/A
TBA
Russia Gleb Savchenko
00.00
N/A
TBA
Finland Hanna Haarala
26.17
N/A
Will Thorp
N/A
Finland Hanna Karttunen
20.08
Christopher Parker
N/A
New Zealand Hayley Holt
19.75
N/A
Mark Foster
N/A
United Kingdom Hazel Newberry
8.00
N/A
Quentin Willson
N/A
United Kingdom Ian Waite
29.32
N/A
Denise Lewis
Zoë Ball
Mica Paris
Penny Lancaster
Jodie Kidd
Jade Johnson
N/A
Lithuania Iveta Lukosiute
23.90
N/A
Johnny Ball
Mark Benton
Thom Evans
N/A
Poland Izabela Hannah
19.60
N/A
Dennis Taylor
N/A
United Kingdom James Jordan
29.30
N/A
Georgina Bouzova
Gabby Logan
Cherie Lunghi
Zöe Lucker
Pamela Stephenson
Alex Jones
Denise van Outen
Vanessa Feltz
N/A
United States Janette Manrara
26.42
N/A
Julien Macdonald
Jake Wood
TBA
United States Jared Murillo
26.75
N/A
Tina O'Brien
N/A
United Kingdom Joanne Clifton
18.17
N/A
Scott Mills
TBA
United Kingdom John Byrnes
30.00
Claire Sweeney
N/A
United Kingdom Karen Hardy
23.18
N/A
Bill Turnbull
Mark Ramprakash
Brian Capron
Gary Rhodes
N/A
Venezuela Karen Hauer
25.54
N/A
Nicky Byrne
Dave Myers
Mark Wright
TBA
Lithuania Katya Virshilas
25.45
N/A
Phil Tufnell
Gavin Henson
Dan Lobb
N/A
United Kingdom Kevin Clifton
34.47
N/A
Susanna Reid
Frankie Bridge
TBA
Russia Kristina Rihanoff
25.89
N/A
John Sergeant
Joe Calzaghe
Goldie
Jason Donovan
Colin Salmon
Ben Cohen
Simon Webbe
TBA
United Kingdom Kylie Jones
20.00
Jason Wood
N/A
Russia Lilia Kopylova
26.54
N/A
Aled Jones
Darren Gough
Matt Dawson
Dominic Littlewood
Don Warrington
Richard Dunwoody
N/A
United Kingdom Matthew Cutler
26.47
N/A
Siobhan Hayes
Carol Smillie
Alesha Dixon
Christine Bleakley
Martina Hingis
N/A
Australia Natalie Lowe
27.31
N/A
Ricky Whittle
Scott Maslen
Audley Harrison
Michael Vaughan
Injured
Tim Wonnacott
TBA
South Africa Nicole Cutler
18.30
N/A
Diarmuid Gavin
N/A
Nicholas Owen
John Barnes
N/A
Poland Ola Jordan
25.33
N/A
DJ Spoony
Kenny Logan
Andrew Castle
Chris Hollins
Paul Daniels
Robbie Savage
Sid Owen
Ashley Taylor Dawson
Steve Backshall
TBA
South Africa Otlile Mabuse
00.00
N/A
TBA
Russia Pasha Kovalev
32.60
N/A
Chelsee Healey
Kimberley Walsh
Rachel Riley
Caroline Flack
TBA
United Kingdom Paul Killick
23.50
Verona Joseph
Carol Vorderman
N/A
United Kingdom Robin Windsor
28.05
N/A
Patsy Kensit
Anita Dobson
Lisa Riley
Deborah Meaden
Injured
N/A
Australia Trent Whiddon
34.58
N/A
Pixie Lott
N/A
Republic of Ireland Tristan MacManus
18.33
N/A
Jennifer Gibney
TBA
Italy Vincent Simone
28.21
N/A
Louisa Lytton
Stephanie Beacham
Rachel Stevens
Natalie Cassidy
Felicity Kendal
Edwina Currie
Dani Harmer
N/A

Key:

     Winner of the series
     Second place of the series
     Third place of the series
     First elimination of the series
     Withdrew in the series
     Elimination of the series (2nd to last)

Professional partners

As of September 2014, the professional pairs are:

Male Female
Trent Whiddon Aliona Vilani
Pasha Kovalev Ola Jordan
Tristan MacManus Kristina Rihanoff
Anton du Beke Iveta Lukosiute
Brendan Cole Natalie Lowe
Aljaž Skorjanec Janette Manrara
Kevin Clifton Karen Hauer

Many of the dancers form professional partnerships, dancing together competitively or on the show. Darren Bennet and Lilia Kopylova,[23] and James and Ola Jordan are married,[24] while Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced but still professional partners.[25][26] Anton du Beke and Erin Boag,[27] have danced as professional couples since 1997; Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are a former Argentine Tango world champion couple.[28] Brendan Cole and Katya Virshilas danced professionally for several years before parting in November 2009.[29][30][31] Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton were engaged when Kevin entered the show in 2013, Janette Manrara and Aljaž Skorjanec are also a couple. Joanne Clifton and Kevin Clifton are siblings.

Dances

On average dances last for approximately 90 seconds.[32]

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

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.[33]

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

For Series 7, the Sunday results show was axed and put back to Saturday nights as a result of a revamp of the show.[34] It was then put back on Sundays in Series 8.

Dance Off

In 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 more votes remains in the competition. If there is a tie, head judge Len Goodman has the deciding vote.

From Series 8, the Dance Off was axed with the public having 50% of the decision of who is to be eliminated, the other 50% coming from the judge's scores. In Series 10, the Dance Off was reintroduced and has continued since.

Strictly: It Takes Two

During the run of Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly: 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 has had to leave the series, and Zoë Ball took over from Series 9.[35]

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 doing. 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 their own Gaelic-language programming on Thursdays instead.

Main series results

Series Premiere date Finale date Number
of couples
Number
of weeks
Winners
Second place
Third place
1 15 May 2004 3 July 2004 8 8 Natasha Kaplinsky & Brendan Cole Christopher Parker & Hanna Karttunen Lesley Garrett & Anton du Beke
2 23 October 2004 11 December 2004 10 8 Jill Halfpenny & Darren Bennett Denise Lewis & Ian Waite Julian Clary & Erin Boag
3 15 October 2005 17 December 2005 12 10 Darren Gough & Lilia Kopylova Colin Jackson & Erin Boag Zoë Ball & Ian Waite
4 7 October 2006 23 December 2006 14 12 Mark Ramprakash & Karen Hardy Matt Dawson & Lilia Kopylova Emma Bunton & Darren Bennett
5 6 October 2007 22 December 2007 14 12 Alesha Dixon & Matthew Cutler Matt Di Angelo & Flavia Cacace Gethin Jones & Camilla Dallerup
6 20 September 2008 20 December 2008 16 14 Tom Chambers & Camilla Dallerup Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
7 18 September 2009 19 December 2009 16 14 Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna
8 1 October 2010 18 December 2010 14 12 Kara Tointon & Artem Chigvintsev Matt Baker & Aliona Vilani Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan
9 30 September 2011 17 December 2011 14 12 Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff
10 5 October 2012 22 December 2012 14 12 Louis Smith & Flavia Cacace Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev
Denise Van Outen & James Jordan
N/A
11 27 September 2013 21 December 2013 15 13 Abbey Clancy & Aljaž Skorjanec Natalie Gumede & Artem Chigvintsev
Susanna Reid & Kevin Clifton
12 26 September 2014 20 December 2014 15 13 Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton
Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff

Series 1 (2004)

In Spring 2004, Strictly Come Dancing commenced its first series. The professional dancers were: Brendan, Hanna, Anton, Erin, John, Paul, Camilla and Kylie. This is the only series that took place in the Spring/Summer months. From the second series onwards, the show takes place from September/October to December each year.

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Jason Wood Kylie Jones Week 2
David Dickinson Camilla Dallerup Week 3
Verona Joseph Paul Killick Week 4
Claire Sweeney John Byrnes Week 5
Martin Offiah Erin Boag Week 6
Lesley Garrett Anton du Beke Third place
Christopher Parker Hanna Karttunen Runners up
Natasha Kaplinsky Brendan Cole Series winners

Series 2 (2004)

In Autumn 2004, the second series commenced. 5 of the 8 professionals returned. These professionals were: Brendan, Anton, Erin, Paul and Camilla. There were 5 new professionals who are: Darren, Ian, Lilia, Nicole and Hazel. Hazel only participated in this series while the other professionals competed in following series.

A new spin-off show called Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two presented by Claudia Winkleman was created this series and has continued to air alongside each following series, now hosted by Zoe Ball on BBC Two.

Celebrity Professional Result (week 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 Third place
Denise Lewis Ian Waite Runners up
Jill Halfpenny Darren Bennett Series winners

Series 3 (2005)

In 2005, the third series commenced. Brendan, Anton, Erin, Camilla, Darren, Ian and Lilia returned from last series. Nicole, Paul and Hazel did not return. They were replaced by Karen, Hanna, Izabela, Andrew and Matthew.

The celebrities that took part in this series were as follows:

Celebrity Professional Result (week eliminated)
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 Third place
Colin Jackson Erin Boag Runners up
Darren Gough Lilia Kopylova Series winners

Series 4 (2006)

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 into the final show of series four to see Mark and Karen crowned 2006 Strictly Come Dancing champions.

This series introduced four new professional dancers – Flavia Cacace, James Jordan, Ola Jordan and Vincent Simone. Andrew Cuerden, Hanna Haarala and Izabela Hannah did not return to the series. This series also saw the return of Nicole Cutler, who had taken part in Series 2 but not in Series 3.

The couples in order of elimination:

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Nicholas Owen Nicole Cutler Week 1
Jimmy Tarbuck Flavia Cacace Withdrew
Mica Paris Ian Waite Week 2
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 Third place
Matt Dawson Lilia Kopylova Runners-up
Mark Ramprakash Karen Hardy Series winners

Series 5 (2007)

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 and only 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.[36]

Celebrity Professional Result (week 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[37]
Kenny Logan Ola Jordan Week 9
Letitia Dean Darren Bennett Week 10
Gethin Jones Camilla Dallerup Third place
Matt Di Angelo Flavia Cacace Runners up
Alesha Dixon Matthew Cutler Series winners

Series 6 (2008)

A sixth series of the show was confirmed after the dancers' pay dispute was called off in late June 2008.[38] The series lasted for 14 weeks, which is the longest series so far.[38] The series involved three new professional dancers, Brian Fortuna, Hayley Holt and Kristina Rihanoff.[39] Nicole Cutler did not return to the series.

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.[40]

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.[41]

On 19 November 2008, John Sergeant announced that he would be leaving the show because he believed he may "win it".[42]

Celebrity Professional Result (week 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[42]
Jodie Kidd Ian Waite Week 10
Christine Bleakley Matthew Cutler Week 11
Austin Healey Erin Boag Week 12
Lisa Snowdon Brendan Cole Third place
Rachel Stevens Vincent Simone Runners up
Tom Chambers Camilla Dallerup Series winners

Series 7 (2009)

The seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing ran from 18 September until 19 December 2009.[43] Tess Daly signed a two-year deal to continue presenting the programme for at least the 2009 and 2010 series'.[44]

On 9 July 2009, former competitor Alesha Dixon was confirmed to be joining the judging panel for this series, and that Darcey Bussell would be a guest judge towards the end of the series run. Dixon replaced Arlene Phillips who moved to The One Show as a Strictly Come Dancing expert.[43] It has been reported in the media that many of the show's professional dancers are furious at Phillips being replaced by Dixon. They apparently feel that they "will be judged by someone who knows less than they do about dancing".[45] The BBC were also accused of sexism, as none of the male judges on the show had been replaced. The BBC received over 5,000 complaints. Dixon's fans were also unhappy as she had to cancel a number of dates on her autumn tour in order to do the programme.[46]

The official line-up was revealed on 25 August 2009 and the winner was BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins:[47]

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Martina Hingis Matthew Cutler Week 1
Richard Dunwoody Lilia Kopylova Week 2
Rav Wilding Aliona Vilani Week 3
Lynda Bellingham Darren Bennett Week 4
Joe Calzaghe Kristina Rihanoff Week 5
Jo Wood Brendan Cole Week 6
Zöe Lucker James Jordan Week 7
Craig Kelly Flavia Cacace Week 8
Phil Tufnell Katya Virshilas Week 9
Jade Johnson Ian Waite Withdrew
Ricky Groves Erin Boag Week 10
Natalie Cassidy Vincent Simone Week 11
Laila Rouass Anton du Beke Week 12
Ali Bastian Brian Fortuna Third place
Ricky Whittle Natalie Lowe Runners-up
Chris Hollins Ola Jordan Series winners

Series 8 (2010)

The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a launch show on 11 September 2010, then three weeks later the live shows started on 1 October 2010.[48] Three new professional dancers have been announced,[49] The celebrities were revealed on 8 September 2010[50] and the professional partners were revealed during the launch show.[51][52]

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Goldie Kristina Rihanoff Week 2
Paul Daniels Ola Jordan Week 3
Peter Shilton Erin Boag Week 4
Tina O'Brien Jared Murillo Week 5
Jimi Mistry Flavia Cacace Week 6
Michelle Williams Brendan Cole
Ian Waite (Week 4)
Week 7
Felicity Kendal Vincent Simone Week 8
Patsy Kensit Robin Windsor Week 9
Ann Widdecombe Anton du Beke Week 10
Gavin Henson Katya Virshilas Week 11
Scott Maslen Natalie Lowe Week 11
Pamela Stephenson James Jordan Third place
Matt Baker Aliona Vilani Runners-up
Kara Tointon Artem Chigvintsev Series winners

Series 9 (2011)

Strictly returned with a launch show on 10 September 2011, with the final in December at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to front the main show, and Claudia Winkleman presented the Sunday night results show along with Daly.

For Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, a new presenter joined the team. Winkleman had to pull out of the 2011 series as it would be difficult to do a daily programme so soon after giving birth and was replaced by Zoë Ball.

All of series eight's judges returned to the show. Jennifer Grey served as a cover judge for Len Goodman during week six due to his break from the show. This was the last series to feature Alesha Dixon as a judge after she left the show after the final to become a judge on Britain's Got Talent

The professional line-up was announced on 15 June 2011 with most of the Series 8 professionals returning, except for Jared Murillo who was replaced by Siberian dancer Pasha Kovalev.[53] The celebrity line-up was announced on 6 September 2011 on The One Show and the couples were paired up for the first time on the launch show.

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Edwina Currie Vincent Simone Week 2
Dan Lobb Katya Virshilas Week 3
Rory Bremner Erin Boag Week 4
Nancy Dell'Olio Anton du Beke Week 5
Lulu Brendan Cole Week 6
Audley Harrison Natalie Lowe Week 7
Russell Grant Flavia Cacace Week 8
Anita Dobson Robin Windsor
Brendan Cole (Week 9)
Week 9
Robbie Savage Ola Jordan Week 10
Alex Jones James Jordan Week 11
Holly Valance Artem Chigvintsev
Brendan Cole (Week 7)
Week 11
Jason Donovan Kristina Rihanoff Third place
Chelsee Healey Pasha Kovalev Runners-up
Harry Judd Aliona Vilani Series winners

Series 10 (2012)

The tenth series began on 15 September 2012 with a launch show to reveal the celebrity/professional partnerships, and the live shows began on 5 October.

On 25 April 2012, it was confirmed that Darcey Bussell would be joining the judging panel, replacing Alesha Dixon who left the show to be a judge on Britain's Got Talent.[54]

Katya Virshilas was the only professional dancer not returning to this series, and she was replaced by "Burn the Floor"'s Karen Hauer.[55] The full line-up was revealed on 10 September during The One Show.[56]

Aliona Vilani was originally Johnny Ball's partner, but injury resulted in her being replaced by Iveta Lukosiute.[20][57]

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Johnny Ball Iveta Lukosiute Week 2
Jerry Hall Anton du Beke Week 3
Sid Owen Ola Jordan Week 4
Colin Salmon Kristina Rihanoff Week 5
Fern Britton Artem Chigvintsev Week 6
Richard Arnold Erin Boag Week 7
Victoria Pendleton Brendan Cole Week 8
Michael Vaughan Natalie Lowe Week 9
Nicky Byrne Karen Hauer Week 10
Lisa Riley Robin Windsor Week 11
Dani Harmer Vincent Simone Week 12
Denise van Outen James Jordan Runners-up
Kimberley Walsh Pasha Kovalev Runners-up
Louis Smith Flavia Cacace Series winners

Series 11 (2013)

Strictly Come Dancing returned with the launch show on 7 September 2013 and its live shows on 27 September 2013 for its eleventh series.[58] Rod Stewart and Jessie J performed on the premiere show.[59]

On 1 June 2013, it was announced that Aliona Vilani, Vincent Simone, Flavia Cacace, and Erin Boag would all leave this series. Aljaž Skorjanec, Emma Slater, Janette Manrara and Iveta Lukosiute, who partnered Johnny Ball in the first few weeks of series 10, would all join the cast.[60][61][62] However, it was confirmed on 22 August 2013 that Anya Garnis and Kevin Clifton would join the series, replacing Slater.[63] On 2 September 2013, it was announced that a foot fracture injury meant Natalie Lowe would not be able to participate this series, and she has been replaced by returning professional Vilani.[21]

Celebrity Professional Result (week voted out)
Tony Jacklin Aliona Vilani Week 2
Vanessa Feltz James Jordan Week 3
Julien Macdonald Janette Manrara Week 4
Deborah Meaden Robin Windsor Week 5
Rachel Riley Pasha Kovalev Week 6
Dave Myers Karen Hauer Week 7
Fiona Fullerton Anton du Beke Week 8
Ben Cohen Kristina Rihanoff Week 9
Mark Benton Iveta Lukosiute Week 10
Ashley Taylor Dawson Ola Jordan Week 11
Patrick Robinson Anya Garnis Week 12
Sophie Ellis-Bextor Brendan Cole Week 12
Susanna Reid Kevin Clifton Runners-up
Natalie Gumede Artem Chigvintsev Runners-up
Abbey Clancy Aljaž Skorjanec Series winners

Series 12 (2014)

The series started on 7 September 2014 with a launch show,[64] followed by the live shows starting on 26 and 27 September.[65] This series was the first not to be presented by Sir Bruce Forsyth after announcing his departure from the live shows on 4 April. However, Forsyth will continue to present special editions of the show, such as Children in Need and Christmas specials.[66] It was announced on 9 May that Claudia Winkleman would join the main show as co-presenter and the duties would mirror the existing result show format, with Tess Daly taking over Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman taking Daly's role as co-presenter.[67]

It was announced on 1 June 2014 that professional dancers Artem Chigvintsev, James Jordan and Anya Garnis would not be returning for the new series, although Garnis would remain on the show's choreography team. It was also announced that Tristan MacManus and Joanne Clifton would be joining the show's professional line-up.[68] It was then announced in August that Robin Windsor had pulled out of the competition due to back injury. Windsor will be replaced by new professional Trent Whiddon.[69] In the third week entertainer Donny Osmond joined the four regular judges, making the maximum score that week 50 points.[70] Due to Winkleman's absence in weeks 6, 7, and 8, It Takes Two presenter Zoë Ball co-presented with Daly.

Celebrity Professional Result
(week voted out)
Gregg Wallace Aliona Vilani Week 2
Jennifer Gibney Tristan MacManus Week 3
Tim Wonnacott Natalie Lowe Week 4
Thom Evans Iveta Lukosiute Week 5
Scott Mills Joanne Clifton Week 6
Alison Hammond Aljaž Skorjanec Week 7
Judy Murray Anton du Beke Week 8
Steve Backshall Ola Jordan Week 9
Sunetra Sarker Brendan Cole Week 10
Pixie Lott Trent Whiddon Week 11
Jake Wood Janette Manrara Week 12
Mark Wright Karen Hauer Week 13
Simon Webbe Kristina Rihanoff Runners-up
Frankie Bridge Kevin Clifton Runners-up
Caroline Flack Pasha Kovalev Series winners

Specials

Christmas specials

The Christmas specials have been broadcast each year since 2004. The first special was broadcast the week before Christmas 2004, in 2005 it was broadcast on Christmas Eve and from 2006 have been broadcast on Christmas Day. Every Christmas Special has been hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly and Forsyth will continue to host these editions from 2014 after he left the live shows.

Strictly Ice Dancing

Strictly Ice Dancing was broadcast as a one-off special on 26 December 2004; with Carol Smillie, Jessica Taylor, Scarlett Alice 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 Score
Rowland Rivron Charlotte Clements 10
Marcus Patric Leigh Mack 12
Carol Smillie Oula Jääskeläinen 21
Scarlett Alice Johnson Daniel Whiston 22
Jessica Taylor Robert Burgerman 34
David Seaman Zoia Birmingham 33

Strictly Ice Dancing was identical to the ITV 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.

In order of elimination:

Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing

2008

A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Sport Relief was broadcast on 14 March 2008, with Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman judging. Five former Strictly contestants related to sport partnered a new celebrity.[71]

The results were as follows:

Contestant Celebrity 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 8+9+8=25 Tango
Mark Ramprakash Kara Tointon 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."

2010

Celebrity Professional Judges' scores Dance
Peter Jones Natalie Lowe 4+7+5=16 Tango
Duncan Bannatyne Lilia Kopylova 2+5+3=10 Cha Cha Cha

2012

Strictly Come Dancing did an underwater special for Sport Relief 2012. The contestants were Strictly Come Dancing 2011 champion Harry Judd and runner-up Chelsee Healey. The judges were Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Mark Foster. It was presented by Claudia Winkleman.

Celebrity Professional Judges' scores
Harry Judd Aliona Vilani 9+8+8+10=35
Chelsee Healey Pasha Kovalev 8+8+9+10=35

After the initial scores resulted in a draw, Len (as Head Judge) had the deciding vote. He chose Chelsee and Pasha therefore they won the contest.

2014

Strictly Come Dancing did a Paralympian's special for Sport Relief 2014. The contestants were David Clarke, Hannah Cockroft, Nathan Stephens and Martine Wright. The judges were Goodman, Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and Lee Pearson, however no scores were given. It was presented by Tess Daly.

Celebrity Professional
David Clarke Karen Hauer
Hannah Cockroft Pasha Kovalev
Nathan Stephens Iveta Lukosiute
Martine Wright Ian Waite

Children in Need

2008

A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Children in Need was broadcast 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:

Children in Need host Professional Judges' scores[72] Dance
Tess Daly Anton du Beke 9+9+9+9=36 American Smooth
Terry Wogan Flavia Cacace 7+8+7+7=29 Waltz

2009

The dancers performed alongside Alesha Dixon singing The Boy Does Nothing at the start of the show and also Ricky Whittle was seen backstage, supporting the Hollyoaks cast who performed and Alesha told him to go back to rehearsals. The presenters and judges didn't appear in this unlike the previous year when judges rated Terry's performance.

2010

A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Children in Need was broadcast on 19 November 2010, with Tess Daly presenting the show and Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Terry Wogan and Pudsey Bear judging.

The results were as follows:

Pop star Professional Judges' scores[72] Dance Music
Harry Judd Ola Jordan 35 (9,9,7,10) Paso Doble "Ego"—The Saturdays
Rochelle Wiseman Ian Waite 33 (6,9,8,10) American Smooth "All About You"—McFly

2011

In November 2011, BBC newsreaders Sian Williams, Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Emily Maitlis performed a group dance to Katy Perry's "Firework". Susanna and Robin won with three of the judges' votes. Angela Rippon also made an appearance in the dance, alongside the women. Susanna then went on to compete as a contestant in the eleventh series of the show in 2013.

Newsreader Professional Judges' votes Dance Music Result
Susanna Reid Robin Windsor Sian, Susanna, Susanna, Susanna Cha-Cha-Cha "Firework"—Katy Perry Winner (3 votes)
Sian Williams Vincent Simone Loser (1 vote)
Sophie Raworth Ian Waite Loser
Emily Maitlis Pasha Kovalev Loser

2012

A one-off special for Children in Need 2012 was broadcast on 16 November 2012 with Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly hosting, and judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli. Fan favourites Ann Widdecombe and Russell Grant made a special appearance in a parody of The Queen's Olympic opening ceremony scene with Daniel Craig as James Bond, and danced an "Angels and Demons" routine with their partners Anton du Beke and Flavia Cacace.[73] Bruno voted for Ann and Anton, but Craig, Darcey, and Len all chose Russell and Flavia, who took home the Pudsey-on-a-glitter-ball trophy.

Strictly fan favourite Professional Judges' votes Dance Music Result
Russell Grant Flavia Cacace Russell, Russell, Russell, Ann Medley "Hernando’s Hideaway"/"Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel"/"Better the Devil You Know"/"Boogie Wonderland" Winner (3 votes)
Ann Widdecombe Anton Du Beke Loser (1 vote)

2013

A one-off special was broadcast for Children in Need 2013 on 15 November 2013. Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly hosted the show, and was judged by Len Goodman, Darcey Bussell and Bruno Tonioli. The show featured professional ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who were partnered with James Jordan and Aliona Vilani. Bussell voted for Chris and Aliona, but Tonioli and Goodman voted for Jayne and James, who won the show and took home the Pudsey-on-a-glitter-ball trophy.[74]

2014

The judges were: Revel Horwood, Bussell, Goodman & Tonioli. There were two teams with one children couple and one of the shows professional as a couple, Team Glitter's pros were Natalie Lowe & Anton Du Beke and Team Sparkle's pros were Aliona Vilani & Tristan MacManus. Team Glitter took home the trophy.

The People's Strictly for Comic Relief

On 11 September 2014, the BBC announced that a special non-celebrity version of the show would air for Comic Relief 2015.[75] It featured six inspirational heroes who underwent four weeks of training before performing live in the studio.

The series began airing on 25 February 2015 over four pre-recorded episodes, the first two episodes introduced the contestants, the third episode on 5 March followed their training and preparation for the show. The fourth episode on 11 March saw the couples take to the dance floor, with the winner decided via an online public vote and announced live on Red Nose Day 2015 on 13 March.[76]

The series was hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, and judged by Bussell, Tonioli and Goodman alongside guest judge Anton du Beke. Craig Revel Horwood didn't take part as a judge due to prior commitments. The judges' scores were for guidance only.

Inspirational hero Professional Judges' scores Dance Music
Philip Barnett Janette Manrara (40) 10, 10, 10, 10 American Smooth "Big Spender"
Trishna Bharadia Aljaž Skorjanec (35) 9, 9, 9, 8 Jive "Runaround Sue"
Anna Kennedy OBE Robin Windsor (40) 10, 10, 10, 10 Charleston "Charleston"
Cassidy Little Natalie Lowe (40) 10, 10, 10, 10 Paso doble "O Fortuna"
Heather Parsons Ian Waite (36) 9, 9, 9, 9 Viennese Waltz "She's Always a Woman"
Michael Pattie Aliona Vilani (33) 8, 8, 9, 8 Tango "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"

The Weakest Link Special 2008

On 27 December 2008, a special episode of The Weakest Link was broadcast on BBC One featuring participants of Strictly Come Dancing. The game was won by series 6 celebrity Mark Foster, who beat professional dancer Anton du Beke in the final. Participants in order of elimination were:

Strictly Come Dancing Live!

The Live Tour! 2008

Strictly Come Dancing went on tour at the beginning of 2008 for the first time.[77] The tour was hosted by Kate Thornton, and judged by Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, and Len Goodman.[78] Bruno Tonioli was not a judge in this competition[77] due to him being in Los Angeles.[79] The tour began on 18 January 2008 in Glasgow and finished on 19 February 2008 in Birmingham.[80]

Celebrity dancers taking part were:[81]

The results of the tour are as follows:[84]

Couple Series Number
of wins
Number
of 2nd places
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
Zoë Ball and Ian Waite 3 5 14
Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett 5 1 2

Denise Lewis, Christopher Parker or James Martin were not winners or runners up at any stage of the tour.[84]

The Live Tour! 2009

The Strictly Come Dancing Tour returned in January and February 2009.[85] Kate Thornton returned to host, and all four judges from the TV series took part.

The couples and results of the tour were as follows:[86]

Couple Series Number
of wins
Number
of 2nd places
Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone 6 26 14
Gethin Jones and Flavia Cacace 5 6 6
Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan 5 6 0
Julian Clary and Lilia Kopylova 2 3 13
Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett 2 3 9
Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup 6 1 2
Cherie Lunghi and James Jordan 6 0 1
Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite 6 0 0

Gethin Jones and Julian Clary were paired with new professional partners – Jones' partner Camilla Dallerup danced with her series six celebrity Tom Chambers, whilst Clary's partner (Erin Boag) did not take part in the tour, as she and her professional partner Anton du Beke were on their own Cheek To Cheek tour of the UK.

Strictly Come Dancing professionals Matthew Cutler and Kristina Rihanoff also performed a routine together.

The DVD was released on 9 November 2009.

The Live Tour! 2010

The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour took place in January and February 2010. Amanda Byram and Kate Thornton hosted on different nights.

The judging panel consisted of four members:

The following celebrities and professional dancers starred in the tour:

Two other pro dancers danced on the tour:

Couple Series Number
of wins
Austin Healey and Lilia Kopylova 6 23
Mark Ramprakash and Kristina Rihanoff 4 20
Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna 7 2

Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals Tour 2010

Ten professional show dancers took part in the first Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals Tour between April to July 2010.[87] It featured:

The Live Tour! 2011

The Strictly Come Dancing 2011 UK tour returned to UK arenas during January and February 2011. Zoë Ball joined as host. Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. The celebrities and professionals who participated were:

Also making a guest appearance in the tour was Fever Dance Company and their amazing formation team.

The Live Tour! 2012

The Strictly Come Dancing 2012 UK tour began its run on 20 January and finished on 26 February. The venues hosting the tour were:[88]

Kate Thornton returned as host. Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. Horwood directed the tour for the second year.

The celebrities and professionals who participated were:

Ian Waite performed with Natalie on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity.

Couple Series Number
of wins
Times as
runner-up
Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani 9 30 11
Robbie Savage and Katya Virshilas 9 6 1
Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev 9 3 15
Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff 9 2 13
Anita Dobson and Robin Windsor 9 0 1
Mark Foster and Natalie Lowe 6 0 0
Nancy Dell'Olio and Artem Chigvintsev 9 0 0

The Live Tour! 2013

The Strictly Come Dancing 2013 UK tour began its run on 18 January 2013.[89] The confirmed line-up of celebrities and professionals for the tour is as follows:[90][91]

Kate Thornton returned as host; Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. Iveta Lukosiute also performed on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity. Louis Smith and Ola Jordan were the overall champions of the tour, with the most wins.

The Live Tour! 2014

The Strictly Come Dancing 2014 UK Tour begun on 17 January 2014 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and ended at The O2 Arena on 7 February. The tour was hosted by former contestant Lisa Riley, and Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Len Goodman returned as judges.[92][93]

The following celebrities and professionals took part:

Natalie Lowe also featured on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity.

This is the first series of The Live Tour! in which all of the celebrities danced with their original partners.

The Live Tour! 2015

The Strictly Come Dancing 2015 UK Tour began on 16 January 2015 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and concluded at The O2 Arena on 8 February 2015. The tour was hosted by former contestant and It Takes Two host Zoë Ball for the second time. Craig Revel Horwood returned as judge, but Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli did not take part due to other commitments including Dancing with the Stars in the United States, so they were replaced by Series 6 champion Tom Chambers and his professional partner Camilla Dallerup.[94] Anton du Beke was also a judge in the Echo Arena, Liverpool and Wembley Arena, London.[95] Len Goodman was a judge just for the O2 show on 8 February and on that same show the presenter was Lisa Riley.[96]

The following celebrities and professionals took part:[97][98]

Trent Whiddon also featured on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity. Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff are the overall champions of the tour, with the most wins.

Couple Number
of wins
Times as
runner-up
Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff 16 1
Caroline Flack and Tristan MacManus 5 1
Rachel Stevens and Kevin Clifton 3 1
Thom Evans and Iveta Lukosiute 1 0
Alison Hammond and Aljaž Skorjanec 1 0
Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton 1 1
Mark Wright and Karen Hauer 1 0
^A Frankie Bridge was originally supposed to take part, but had to pull out due to illness of pregnancy, so Stevens took her place.[99]

Statistics

Judges' scores

On thirty-six occasions, a perfect 40 out of 40 has been awarded inside the main series (including three perfect 50 out of 50s in Series 7). Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev hold the record for most perfect scores with four forties. On another six occasions, a couple scored 40/40 on a Christmas Special. The Samba and Rumba are the only two dance styles not to have received the perfect score.

Here is a table showing all of the perfect scores achieved by number of perfect scores

Number of perfect scores Place Celebrity Professional
4 1st Caroline Flack Pasha Kovalev
3 2nd
3rd
2nd
3rd
Kimberley Walsh
Lisa Snowdon
Natalie Gumede
Pamela Stephenson
Pasha Kovalev
Brendan Cole
Artem Chigvintsev
James Jordan
2 1st
2nd
1st
3rd
2nd
3rd
Abbey Clancy
Denise van Outen
Harry Judd
Jason Donovan
Rachel Stevens
Ali Bastian
Aljaž Skorjanec
James Jordan
Aliona Vilani
Kristina Rihanoff
Vincent Simone
Brian Fortuna
1 2nd
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
1st
1st
2nd
Ricky Whittle
Chris Hollins
Jill Halfpenny
Chelsee Healey
Matt Di Angelo
Louis Smith
Mark Ramprakash
Simon Webbe
Natalie Lowe
Ola Jordan
Darren Bennett
Pasha Kovalev
Flavia Cacace
Flavia Cacace
Karen Hardy
Kristina Rihanoff

The lowest score the judges have ever awarded was 8/40 (1,1,3,3) to Quentin Willson and Hazel Newberry for their Cha Cha Cha. Nine individual ones have been awarded in the entirety of Strictly Come Dancing, with eight of those coming from Craig Revel Horwood and the other coming from Arlene Philips. Ann Widdecombe holds the current record for the most ones, receiving ones from Revel Horwood for her Salsa, Samba, and Rumba. The biggest margin between two singular judges scores is five, awarded to Jason Wood and Kylie Jones for their Rumba (2,5,7,5), Christopher Parker and Hanna Karttunen for their Tango (2,6,7,6), Gary Rhodes and Karen Hardy for their Cha-Cha-Cha (1,5,6,5), Scott Maslen and Natalie Lowe for their Rumba (4,9,7,8), Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute for their Cha-Cha-Cha (3,8,8,7), and, most recently, Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton for their Samba with Donny Osmond (2,5,7,5,6).

Ricky Whittle and his partner Natalie Lowe hold the record for the most tens with 28. However, if the four tens given by Darcey Bussell during her tenure as a fifth judge are removed, he is behind Rachel Stevens and her partner Vincent Simone and Harry Judd and his partner Aliona Vilani with 25 each. They are followed by Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev with 24, Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev with 23, Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler, and Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec with 22, Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev with 21 and Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole, Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev and Denise van Outen and James Jordan with 20.[100] Of these celebrities, Snowdon and Cole and Flack and Kovalev are the only pairings to receive straight tens from the judges in all of their dances in their respective series finals. Flack and Kovalev are the only pair to manage three sets of perfect 40 marks in the final, and also hold the records for the longest consecutive streak of 40 marks with four, that includes their Salsa in the semi-final show, and the longest consecutive streak of tens, that adds to a total of 16.

Gumede and Chigvintsev also have the best average score from the judges out of all contestants on every series being 36.9/40 for their dances. Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler, and Ricky Whittle and his partner Natalie Lowe follow, with averages of 36.5 and 35.9 respectively. Quentin Willson, Diarmuid Gavin and Nicholas Owen hold averages of 8.0, 13.8 and 14.0, the lowest of any celebrities so far.

Highest and lowest scoring performances by dance

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks (out of 40) are as follows (not including scores earned on Christmas or any other specials).

For a more accurate comparison Darcey Bussell's scores have been subtracted from the totals of the Series 7 quarter-finalists where relevant; specifically Ali Bastian's American Smooth, Chris Hollins' Charleston and Ricky Whittle's Quickstep. Bussell scored all of them a ten. Whittle's Showdance has not been included as it did not receive the perfect score from Bussell, and therefore cannot be considered the same standard. The Samba and the Rumba are he only dances that haven't had full mark and only both had 39/40. Caroline Flack winner of series 12 holds the record of receiving the most 40's and that's 4.

Dance Couple Highest
score
Couple Lowest
score
American Smooth (Series 3–present) Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna
Natalie Gumede & Artem Chigvintsev
40 Ann Widdecombe & Anton du Beke 14
Argentine Tango (Series 4–present) Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff
Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani
Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff
40 Colin Salmon & Kristina Rihanoff
Michael Vaughan & Natalie Lowe
26
Cha Cha Cha Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
40 Quentin Willson & Hazel Newberry 8
Charleston (Series 7–present) Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan
Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev
Denise van Outen & James Jordan
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
40 Tony Jacklin & Aliona Vilani 13
Foxtrot Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone
Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
40 Richard Arnold & Erin Boag 17
Jive Jill Halfpenny & Darren Bennett 40 Michael Vaughan & Natalie Lowe 15
Paso Doble Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev 40 Christopher Parker & Hanna Karttunen
Dennis Taylor & Izabela Hannah
15
Quickstep Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe
Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan
Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani
40 Diarmuid Gavin & Nicole Cutler 12
Rumba Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone
Kara Tointon & Artem Chigvintsev
Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev
39 Fiona Phillips & Brendan Cole 13
Salsa (Series 4–present) Mark Ramprakash & Karen Hardy
Abbey Clancy & Aljaž Skorjanec
Natalie Gumede & Artem Chigvintsev
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
40 Ann Widdecombe & Anton du Beke 12
Samba Abbey Clancy & Aljaž Skorjanec
Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton
39 Ann Widdecombe & Anton du Beke 13
Showdance (Series 1, 7–present) Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff
Denise van Outen & James Jordan
Louis Smith & Flavia Cacace
Natalie Gumede & Artem Chigvintsev
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
40 Christopher Parker & Hanna Karttunen 22
Tango Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev 40 Diarmuid Gavin & Nicole Cutler 14
Viennese Waltz (Series 3–present) Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna
Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan
40 Will Thorp & Hanna Haarala
Jo Wood & Brendan Cole
23
Waltz Matt Di Angelo & Flavia Cacace
Abbey Clancy & Aljaž Skorjanec
40 Fiona Phillips & Brendan Cole 11

Oldest and youngest contestants and series winners

TV presenter Johnny Ball, who was 74 when he competed in 2012, is the oldest contestant; he was two years older than magician Paul Daniels, who was 72 when he competed in 2010.[101] Actress Louisa Lytton, who was 17 when she competed in 2006, remains the youngest contestant.[102] TV presenter Chris Hollins, who was 38 when he competed in 2009, is the oldest series winner and gymnast Louis Smith, who was 23 when he competed in 2012, is the youngest series winner.

Controversies

Phone voting

In December 2008, the show hit the headlines when viewers were able to register telephone votes for a couple that effectively they could not save from the dance off irrespective of how many public votes were cast in their favour. Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup had finished bottom of the leaderboard, whilst the two other couples were tied above them; this meant they could not mathematically survive given the scoring system, however viewers were invited to call in to save their favourites at a cost of 15p per vote. This resulted in the elimination for that week being cancelled and all the votes being carried over to the final.[103][104]

Arlene Phillips / Alesha Dixon

The decision to drop Arlene Phillips from the judging line-up for the 2009 series of Strictly Come Dancing led to much criticism being directed at the BBC by various UK newspapers, notably The Sun, running the axe as a headline story for its handling of older female television personalities. Accusations resurfaced that the BBC routinely discriminates against women in television based on their age. The most notable examples of purported age discrimination in the BBC include the release of newsreader Moira Stuart in 2007 and the retirement of Anna Ford in 2006. Other high-profile BBC personalities such as Selina Scott and Kate Adie accused the BBC of age discrimination towards women.[105]

The axing of Phillips led to an unprecedented intervention from the government's Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman. During a session in the House of Commons, Harman responded to questions stating that she believed the decision to drop Phillips was motivated by age discrimination and called on the BBC to ensure that she would be taking part in the new series. The BBC has not formally responded to this request, but has repeated its comments that the decision was not due to age.[106] The appointment of Alesha Dixon to the judging panel prompted 5,000 complaints to the BBC,[107] and her judging debut was met with hostility among viewers and tabloids alike but she was subsequently believed by some to be a successful judge, giving both praise and constructive criticism.[108][109] Dixon was lured away from the show after series 9 by ITV to join the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent. Phillips was a popular media choice to replace her, but the role instead went to series 7 guest judge Darcey Bussell.

Race row

In 2009, a scandal embroiled the show involving professional dancer Anton du Beke, who in an off air conversation commented "Oh my God, you look like a Paki." to his dance partner of Moroccan descent Laila Rouass for which he has subsequently unreservedly apologised.[110] Whilst both of the people involved insisted that the comments had been intended as humorous banter, the news nevertheless prompted numerous complaints filed by viewers calling for du Beke to be removed from his position.

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 pickup. National Grid personnel watch the show to know when closing credits begin so they can prepare for the surge.[111]

All ratings are from BARB. Series averages exclude Christmas special and launch show.

Series Series premiere Series finale Series Average
Air date Viewers
(millions)[112]
Date Viewers
(millions)[112]
Viewers (millions)
1 15 May 2004 4.61 3 July 2004 9.28 6.45
2 23 October 2004 6.54 11 December 2004 11.60 TBA
3 15 October 2005 7.23 17 December 2005 10.55 TBA
4 7 October 2006 9.23 23 December 2006 12.11 TBA
5 6 October 2007 7.68 22 December 2007 12.09 TBA
6 20 September 2008 8.48 20 December 2008 12.03 9.63
7 18 September 2009 8.43 19 December 2009 11.29 9.22
8 1 October 2010 9.60 18 December 2010 14.28 11.07
9 30 September 2011 9.14 17 December 2011 13.16 10.97
10 5 October 2012 9.22 22 December 2012 13.35 10.80
11 27 September 2013 9.33 21 December 2013 12.79 10.71
12 26 September 2014 8.21 20 December 2014 11.67 9.88

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.[113] 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 three BAFTA Award nominations.[114]

The show won the award of 'Most Popular Talent Show' at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013 and 2014.[115]

In 2015 Strictly lost out to rival show X Factor UK. Their record was broken for winning a numerous of times.

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.

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2011 TRIC Awards Best TV Reality Programme Strictly Come Dancing Won
2012 National Reality TV Awards Best Reality Competition Show Won
Televisual Bulldog Awards Readers' Vote Award Won
TRIC Awards Readers' Vote Award Won
2013 National Reality TV Awards Best Talent Show Won
Televisual Bulldog Awards Best Entertainment Programme Won
TRIC Awards Best Reality Programme Won
2014 National Reality TV Awards Best Talent Show Won
2015 National Reality TV Awards Best Talent Show Nominated

See also

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External links