Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing
Genre	Talent show
Created by	Fenia Vardanis[1] Richard Hopkins[2] Karen Smith[3][4]
Developed by	Karen Smith
Presented by	Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman Sir Bruce Forsyth
Judges	Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Craig Revel Horwood Arlene Phillips Alesha Dixon Darcey Bussell
Voices of	Alan Dedicoat
Theme music composer	Dan McGrath[5] Josh Phillips[6]
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	13
No. of episodes	181 (as of 13th December 2015)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Karen Smith (2004–06)
Location(s)	BBC Television Centre (2004–12) Blackpool Tower (2004, 2009–11, 2013–) Wembley Arena (2011–12) Elstree Studios (2013–)[7]
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30–120 minutes
Distributor	BBC Worldwide
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	576i (SDTV) (2004–06) 1080i (HDTV) (2007–)
Original release	15 May 2004 (2004-05-15) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Come Dancing Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two Strictly Dance Fever Dancing with the Stars
External links
Website

Strictly Come Dancing (informally known as Strictly) is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in a Ballroom and Latin dance competition. Each couple is scored out of 10 by a panel of judges. 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.

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 thirteenth series ended on 19 December 2015. 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.^[8] 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.^[8]

Hopkins then called in Karen Smith, who had just produced Comic Relief Does Fame Academy for BBC One and The Games for Channel 4, to help lead the development of the show and launch the series. Smith was the show running Executive Producer of the first three series, and of sister show It Takes Two.^[9] She then took the role of Creative Director of BBC Entertainment whilst still overseeing series 4 and 5.^[10][11]

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.^[12]

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.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15] Tonioli commutes 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.^[16][17]

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.^[18][19] In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems".^[20] 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.^[21] Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010^[22] and 2011 series.^[23] Then after series 10 when Strictly Come Dancing didn't go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for series 11.^[24]

Presenters

Key

     Main presenter of Strictly Come Dancing

     Co-host of Strictly Come Dancing

     Presenter of It Takes Two

     Contestant

     Back-up host / Occasional

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	Series 13
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	Zoë Ball	Main show	Guest host, covering for Claudia Winkleman

Live Tour

Year(s)	Presenter
2008–10, 2012–13	Kate Thornton
2010	Amanda Byram
2011, 2015	Zoë Ball
2014	Lisa Riley
2016	Mel Giedroyc

Judging panel

Key

     Main judge

     Guest judge

     Contestant

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	Series 13
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
Aliona Vilani	32.53	N/A						Rav Wilding	Matt Baker	Harry Judd	Injured	Tony Jacklin	Gregg Wallace	Jay McGuiness
Aljaž Skorjanec	32.50	N/A										Abbey Clancy	Alison Hammond	Helen George
Andrew Cuerden	23.00	N/A		Jaye Jacobs	N/A
Anton du Beke	23.86	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	Katie Derham
Anya Garnis	32.61	N/A										Patrick Robinson	N/A
Artem Chigvintsev	33.80	N/A							Kara Tointon	Holly Valance	Fern Britton	Natalie Gumede	N/A
Brendan Cole	28.49	Natasha Kaplinsky	Sarah Manners	Fiona Phillips	Claire King	Kelly Brook	Lisa Snowdon	Jo Wood	Michelle Williams	Lulu	Victoria Pendleton	Sophie Ellis-Bextor	Sunetra Sarker	Kirsty Gallacher
Brian Fortuna	31.48	N/A					Heather Small	Ali Bastian	N/A
Camilla Dallerup	29.84	David Dickinson	Roger Black	James Martin	Ray Fearon	Gethin Jones	Tom Chambers	N/A
Darren Bennett	30.16	N/A	Jill Halfpenny	Gloria Hunniford	Emma Bunton	Letitia Dean	Jessie Wallace	Lynda Bellingham	N/A
Erin Boag	27.34	Martin Offiah	Julian Clary	Colin Jackson	Peter Schmeichel	Willie Thorne	Austin Healey	Ricky Groves	Peter Shilton	Rory Bremner	Richard Arnold	N/A
Flavia Cacace-Mistry	29.04	N/A			Jimmy Tarbuck	Matt Di Angelo	Phil Daniels	Craig Kelly	Jimi Mistry	Russell Grant	Louis Smith	N/A
Giovanni Pernice	33.75	N/A												Georgia May Foote
Gleb Savchenko	30.77	N/A												Anita Rani
Hanna Haarala	26.17	N/A		Will Thorp	N/A
Hanna Karttunen	20.08	Christopher Parker	N/A
Hayley Holt	19.75	N/A					Mark Foster	N/A
Hazel Newberry	8.00	N/A	Quentin Willson	N/A
Ian Waite	29.74	N/A	Denise Lewis	Zoë Ball	Mica Paris	Penny Lancaster	Jodie Kidd	Jade Johnson	N/A
Iveta Lukosiute	25.47	N/A									Johnny Ball	Mark Benton	Thom Evans	N/A
Izabela Hannah	19.60	N/A		Dennis Taylor	N/A
James Jordan	31.86	N/A			Georgina Bouzova	Gabby Logan	Cherie Lunghi	Zöe Lucker	Pamela Stephenson	Alex Jones	Denise van Outen	Vanessa Feltz	N/A
Janette Manrara	29.96	N/A										Julien Macdonald	Jake Wood	Peter Andre
Jared Murillo	26.75	N/A							Tina O'Brien	N/A
Joanne Clifton	18.17	N/A											Scott Mills	N/A
John Byrnes	30.00	Claire Sweeney	N/A
Karen Clifton	25.80	N/A									Nicky Byrne	Dave Myers	Mark Wright	Jeremy Vine
Karen Hardy	28.76	N/A		Bill Turnbull	Mark Ramprakash	Brian Capron	Gary Rhodes	N/A
Katya Virshilas	26.21	N/A						Phil Tufnell	Gavin Henson	Dan Lobb	N/A
Kevin Clifton	34.31	N/A										Susanna Reid	Frankie Bridge	Kellie Bright
Kristina Rihanoff	28.80	N/A					John Sergeant	Joe Calzaghe	Goldie	Jason Donovan	Colin Salmon	Ben Cohen	Simon Webbe	Daniel O'Donnell
Kylie Jones	20.00	Jason Wood	N/A
Lilia Kopylova	29.09	N/A	Aled Jones	Darren Gough	Matt Dawson	Dominic Littlewood	Don Warrington	Richard Dunwoody	N/A
Matthew Cutler	31.42	N/A		Siobhan Hayes	Carol Smillie	Alesha Dixon	Christine Bleakley	Martina Hingis	N/A
Natalie Lowe	29.64	N/A						Ricky Whittle	Scott Maslen	Audley Harrison	Michael Vaughan	Injured	Tim Wonnacott	Ainsley Harriott
Nicole Cutler	21.58	N/A	Diarmuid Gavin	N/A	Nicholas Owen	John Barnes	N/A
Ola Jordan	27.03	N/A			DJ Spoony	Kenny Logan	Andrew Castle	Chris Hollins	Paul Daniels	Robbie Savage	Sid Owen	Ashley Taylor Dawson	Steve Backshall	Iwan Thomas
Oti Mabuse	19.67	N/A												Anthony Ogogo
Pasha Kovalev	32.03	N/A								Chelsee Healey	Kimberley Walsh	Rachel Riley	Caroline Flack	Carol Kirkwood
Paul Killick	22.88	Verona Joseph	Carol Vorderman	N/A
Robin Windsor	28.49	N/A							Patsy Kensit	Anita Dobson	Lisa Riley	Deborah Meaden	Injured	N/A
Trent Whiddon	34.55	N/A											Pixie Lott	N/A
Tristan MacManus	24.25	N/A											Jennifer Gibney	Jamelia
Vincent Simone	31.21	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

     Currently participating in the show in the series

     Injured

Notes and statistics

• Iveta Lukosiute was a replacement partner for Johnny Ball in series 10 after his original partner, Aliona Vilani, was injured in training.
• Although Ian Waite and Karen Hardy no longer dance competitively on the show, they do still make regular appearances on companion programme It Takes Two. Waite and Darren Bennett both participated in the professional dance troupe in series 8.
• Brendan Cole and Anton du Beke are the only two professional dancers who have taken part in all thirteen series of the show. Anton has never won the competition; Brendan won the first series with Natasha Kaplinsky.
• Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Aliona Vilani and Kevin Clifton are the only pros that have made the final three times.
• Pasha Kovalev holds the record for most tens, with 61, and the record for most forties, with 8.
• Only four professionals have managed to win in their first series of being a Strictly professional. Those four are Brendan Cole (Series 1), Darren Bennett (Series 2), Artem Chigvintsev (Series 8) and Aljaž Skorjanec (series 11)
• Only three professionals have won in their last series of being a Strictly professional. Those three are Camilla Dallerup (Series 6), Flavia Cacace (Series 10) and Aliona Vilani (series 13).
• In series 11, Aliona Vilani (who had previously been announced as leaving the show) was a replacement for Natalie Lowe who was injured before the series started. The producers of the show announced this on 2 September 2013.
• Aliona Vilani is the first professional in history to be eliminated first twice in a row with Tony Jacklin in series 11 and Gregg Wallace in series 12. She is also the only professional, however, to have won more than once (with Harry Judd and Jay McGuiness)
• Kevin Clifton is the only professional to have been a finalist three consecutive times and the only professional to have been a runner-up three times.

Professional partners

As of December 2015, the professional pairs are:

Male	Female
Tristan MacManus	Aliona Vilani
Pasha Kovalev	Ola Jordan (Week 1–10) Anya Garnis (Week 11–13)
Gleb Savchenko	Kristina Rihanoff
Anton du Beke	Natalie Lowe
Brendan Cole	Joanne Clifton
Aljaž Skorjanec	Janette Manrara
Kevin Clifton	Karen Clifton
Giovanni Pernice	Oti Mabuse

Some of the dancers form professional partnerships, dancing together competitively or on the show. Darren Bennet and Lilia Kopylova,^[25] and James and Ola Jordan are married,^[26] while Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced but still professional partners.^[27][28] Anton du Beke and Erin Boag,^[29] have danced as professional couples since 1997; Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are a former Argentine Tango world champion couple.^[30] Brendan Cole and Katya Virshilas danced professionally for several years before parting in November 2009.^[31][32][33] Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton were engaged when Kevin entered the show in 2013 and were married prior to the 2015 season, 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.^[34]

• The Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep, Rumba, Tango, Jive, Foxtrot, Paso Doble and Samba have all been danced since Series 1.
• The American Smooth and the Viennese Waltz were added in Series 3.
• The Salsa and the Argentine Tango were added in Series 4. Since
• No more dances were added until Series 7, week 11 when couples performed either a Charleston (which winner Chris Hollins chose to perform again in the final) or a Rock N' Roll routine. The final also featured a head-to-head Lindyhop. Of these dances, only the Charleston was retained for subsequent series.
• Series 8 introduced the Swing-a-thon, where all remaining couples dance Swing simultaneously and are voted off the dancefloor one by one by the judges until only one couple remains. This returned in Series 9 and 11.
• The tenth series featured a "Dance Fusion", in which the couples attempt to perform two dances consecutively in one routine.
• The twelfth series introduced the Waltz-a-thon, which uses the same manner as the Swing-a-thon of all remaining couples on the dance floor at the same time, all the couples dance Waltz. Afterwards, the results are revealed by the judges.
• The thirteenth series introduced a Quickstep-a-thon, in which all seven remaining couples simultaneously performed a quickstep. The judges then ranked them one to seven and gave points accordingly.
• A Showdance (Freestyle) has always been performed in the series final as a last chance for couples to impress the public. However, since Series 8, the Showdance has been danced as the second dance in the final.

Prior to series 10, the dances performed in the early weeks are switched between one Ballroom and one Latin, and are divided as evenly as possible depending on the number of contestants left. As the competition progressed further, this system is abandoned and many styles, not just two, can be performed in one week by each of the remaining contestants. From series 4 through 7, the remaining contestants who made it to the semifinals are granted to perform the semifinal-exclusive Argentine tango. Beginning with series 10, this has all changed. The contestants are now allowed to dance whichever dance they are bestowed to (not accustomed to any patterns), though the Argentine tango remains to be somewhat reserved for the latter stages of the series. The Showdance, however, is still restricted only for the finalists from the very first series until now.

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.^[35]

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, Claudia Winkleman's and the judges' outfits are 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.^[36] It was then put back on Sundays in Series 8.

Dance Off

From Series 5 to Series 7 a new system called the dance-off began. In Series 8 and Series 9 the dance-off was axed, the following series resumed the dance-off and continued since. There are two couples in each dance-off, the two of which have the lowest scores between the judges and the public. The aim of the dance off for the couples to convince the judges they deserve to go through to the following week's competition. Before they attempt the dance a second time the couple sometimes gets advice from the judges. The judges decide based on the dance performed the second time. If the judges agree with the exception of Len Goodman the couple is through to the following week's competition. If Arlene/Alesha/Darcey and/or Bruno disagree with Craig, then the vote is down to the Head Judge, Len Goodman. He has the deciding vote and whichever couple he chooses to save is through to the following week meaning the other couple is eliminated. The eliminated couple talk about their experience or watch a video of their time on the show. Afterwards, the eliminated couple perform one final dance or some people call it waltzing out of the ballroom. The day after they are eliminated they chat to Zoë Ball about their time on the show.

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.^[37]

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	Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton
13	25 September 2015	19 December 2015	15	13	Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani	Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton
14	23 September 2016	17 December 2016	15	13	[[]] & [[]]	[[]] & [[]]	[[]] & [[]]

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. Natasha Kaplinsky & Brendan Cole were crowned the first winners of Strictly Come Dancing. This was the shortest series, with 8 weeks.

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 Zoë 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 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	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.^[38]

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[39]
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.^[40] The series lasted for 14 weeks, which is the longest series so far.^[40] The series involved three new professional dancers, Brian Fortuna, Hayley Holt and Kristina Rihanoff.^[41] 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.^[42]

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.^[43]

On 19 November 2008, John Sergeant announced that he would be leaving the show because he believed he may "win it".^[44]

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[44]
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.^[45] Tess Daly signed a two-year deal to continue presenting the programme for at least the 2009 and 2010 series'.^[46]

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.^[45] 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".^[47] 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 to do the programme.^[48]

The official line-up was revealed on 25 August 2009 and the winner was BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins:^[49]

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.^[50] Three new professional dancers have been announced,^[51] The celebrities were revealed on 8 September 2010^[52] and the professional partners were revealed during the launch show.^[53][54]

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.^[55] 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.^[56]

Katya Virshilas was the only professional dancer not returning to this series, and she was replaced by "Burn the Floor"'s Karen Hauer.^[57] The full line-up was revealed on 10 September during The One Show.^[58]

Aliona Vilani was originally Johnny Ball's partner, but injury resulted in her being replaced by Iveta Lukosiute.^[59]

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	Finalists
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.^[60] Rod Stewart and Jessie J performed on the premiere show.^[61]

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.^[62][63][64] However, it was confirmed on 22 August 2013 that Anya Garnis and Kevin Clifton would join the series, replacing Slater.^[65] 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.^[66]

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	Finalists
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,^[67] followed by the live shows starting on 26 and 27 September.^[68] 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.^[69] 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.^[70]

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.^[71] 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.^[72] In the third week entertainer Donny Osmond joined the four regular judges, making the maximum score that week 50 points.^[73] 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	Finalists
Frankie Bridge	Kevin Clifton	Runners-up
Simon Webbe	Kristina Rihanoff	Runners-up
Caroline Flack	Pasha Kovalev	Series winners

Series 13 (2015)

Strictly Come Dancing returned for a thirteenth series with a launch show on 5 September 2015, followed by the live shows starting on 25 and 26 September.

On 23 April 2015 the list of professionals participating in the thirteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who did not return included Trent Whiddon, Iveta Lukosiute and Joanne Clifton. Clifton would remain involved in group dances and would feature on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two as a dance expert. Robin Windsor, absent from the previous series because of injury, also did not return for this series. Three new professional dancers were introduced: Russian dancer Gleb Savchenko (from the American, Australian, and Russian versions of Dancing with the Stars), South African dancer Oti Mabuse (from Germany's Let's Dance) and Italian dancer Giovanni Pernice.^[74]

On 3 October 2015, the judges performed The Strictly, a signature dance made up of some iconic moves from the show's history for fans to do at home when they hear the theme tune; subsequently, a tutorial for the dance was made available on the show's website and iPlayer hosted by Natalie Lowe and Tristan MacManus.^[75] Ola Jordan later announced that she had quit the show and claimed that the results were "fixed". Aliona Vilani announced she had quit the show on 22 December 2015, days after winning the series with Jay McGuiness.

Series 13 was the last to feature Aliona Vilani, Kristina Rihanoff and Ola Jordan as professional dancers.

Celebrity	Professional	Result (week voted out)
Iwan Thomas	Ola Jordan	Week 2
Anthony Ogogo	Oti Mabuse	Week 3
Daniel O'Donnell	Kristina Rihanoff	Week 4
Ainsley Harriott	Natalie Lowe	Week 5
Kirsty Gallacher	Brendan Cole	Week 6
Carol Kirkwood	Pasha Kovalev	Week 7
Jeremy Vine	Karen Clifton	Week 8
Jamelia	Tristan MacManus	Week 9
Peter Andre	Janette Manrara	Week 10
Helen George	Aljaž Skorjanec	Week 11
Anita Rani	Gleb Savchenko	Week 12
Katie Derham	Anton du Beke	Finalists
Kellie Bright	Kevin Clifton	Runners-up
Georgia May Foote	Giovanni Pernice	Runners-up
Jay McGuiness	Aliona Vilani	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 they 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. Bruce Forsyth announced he would not be appearing on the 2015 Christmas special- due to ill health- and so Daly and Winkleman presented together for that year.

Trivia

• Darren Gough & Lilia Kopylova and Jill Halfpenny & Darren Bennett are the only two couples to have won the Christmas Special twice. They have both won the main series.
• The Christmas Special was not held in Series 1 because the main series was held in the summer. However, it has been held from Series 2 to the present day.
• From Series 2 - Series 7, celebrities from previous series would perform. From Series 8 - Series 11, celebrities who did not have time to do the show would perform. From Series 12 - present, celebrities from previous series would perform.

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:

• Tunde Baiyewu
• Louis Emerick
• Tupele Dorgu
• Tessa Sanderson
• Antonia Okonma
• Robbie Earle

The London cast of the musical The Lion King, led by South-African actress Brown Lindiwe Mkhize, took part in this broadcast. The company performed the trademark song Circle of Life.

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.^[76]

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[77]	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[77]	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.^[78] 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.^[79]

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.

2015

On 13 August 2015, it was announced that Call The Midwife actors Jenny Agutter, Laura Main, Stephen McGann and Jack Ashton would appear on The 2015 Children in Need special. Tess Daly along with former strictly presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth returned.

Actor	Professional	Judges Vote	Dance	Result
Jenny Agutter	Ian Waite	Laura & Brendan	Medley	Loser
Laura Main	Brendan Cole			Winner
Stephen McGann	Joanne Clifton			Loser
Jack Ashton	Oti Mabuse			Loser

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.^[80] 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.^[81]

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:

• Craig Revel Horwood
• Arlene Phillips
• Kristina Rihanoff
• Camilla Dallerup
• Mark Ramprakash
• Brendan Cole
• Heather Small
• Anton du Beke
• Mark Foster

Strictly Come Dancing Live!

The Live Tour! 2008

Strictly Come Dancing went on tour at the beginning of 2008 for the first time.^[82] The tour was hosted by Kate Thornton, and judged by Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, and Len Goodman.^[83] Bruno Tonioli was not a judge in this competition^[82] due to him being in Los Angeles.^[84] The tour began on 18 January 2008 in Glasgow and finished on 19 February 2008 in Birmingham.^[85]

Celebrity dancers taking part were:^[86]

• Series 1 runner up Christopher Parker and Nicole Cutler
• Series 2 runner up Denise Lewis and Matthew Cutler
• Series 3 winner Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova^[87]
• Series 3 contestant James Martin and Camilla Dallerup
• Series 5 contestant Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett
• Series 4 contestant Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone
• Series 5 runner up Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace^[88]
• Series 3 finalist Zoë Ball and Ian Waite^[87]

Christopher Parker's original partner Hannah Karttunen didn't dance with him as she had left the show before this tour. Denise Lewis also had a different partner as her original partner Ian Waite danced with more recent partner Zoë Ball. Instead she danced with Matthew Cutler

Strictly Professionals James Jordan and Ola Jordan also performed a routine together.

The results of the tour are as follows:^[89]

Couple	Series	Number of wins	Number of 2nd places	%Wins
Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace	5	16	10	40%
Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone	4	10	3	25%
Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova	3	8	10	20%
Zoë Ball and Ian Waite	3	5	14	12.5%
Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett	5	1	2	2.5%

Denise Lewis, Christopher Parker or James Martin were not winners or runners up at any stage of the tour.^[89]

The Live Tour! 2009

The Strictly Come Dancing Tour returned in January and February 2009.^[90] Kate Thornton returned to host, and all four judges from the TV series took part.

Celebrity dancers taking part were:

• Series 6 contestant Cherie Lunghi and James Jordan
• Series 5 contestant Gethin Jones and Flavia Cacace
• Series 2 winner Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett
• Series 6 contestant Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite
• Series 3 finalist Julian Clary and Lilia Kopylova
• Series 5 contestant Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan
• Series 6 runner up Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone
• Series 6 winner Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup

The couples and results of the tour were as follows:^[91]

Couple	Series	Number of wins	Number of 2nd places	%Wins
Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone	6	26	14	58%
Gethin Jones and Flavia Cacace	5	6	6	13%
Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan	5	6	0	13%
Julian Clary and Lilia Kopylova	2	3	13	7%
Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett	2	3	9	7%
Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup	6	1	2	2%
Cherie Lunghi and James Jordan	6	0	1	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:

• Craig Revel Horwood
• Len Goodman (did not appear at every performance)
• Arlene Phillips (did not appear at every performance)
• Bruno Tonioli

The following celebrities and professional dancers starred in the tour:

• Series 7 semi-finalist Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
• Series 5 contestant Kelly Brook and Matthew Cutler
• Series 7 winner Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan
• Series 4 winner Mark Ramprakash and Kristina Rihanoff
• Series 7 contestant Ricky Groves and Aliona Vilani
• Series 7 contestant Natalie Cassidy and Darren Bennett
• Series 7 contestant Zöe Lucker and James Jordan
• Series 6 contestant Austin Healey and Lilia Kopylova

Two other pro dancers danced on the tour:

• Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe

Couple	Series	Number of wins	%Wins
Austin Healey and Lilia Kopylova	6	23	52%
Mark Ramprakash and Kristina Rihanoff	4	20	44%
Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna	7	2	4%

Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals Tour 2010

Nine professional show dancers took part in the first Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals Tour between April to July 2010.^[92] It featured:

• Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace
• Matthew Cutler and Aliona Vilani
• James Jordan and Ola Jordan
• Brian Fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff
• Ian Waite

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:

• Series 7 runner up Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe
• Series 8 contestant Tina O'Brien and Jared Murillo
• Series 8 finalist Pamela Stephenson and James Jordan
• Series 8 winner Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
• Series 3 runner up Colin Jackson and Ola Jordan
• Series 8 contestant Patsy Kensit and Robin Windsor
• Series 8 contestant Jimi Mistry and Kristina Rihanoff
• Series 8 runner up Matt Baker and Aliona Vilani
• Series 8 contestant Ann Widdecombe and judge Craig Revel Horwood

Couple	Series	Number of wins	Number of 2nd places	%Wins
Matt Baker and Aliona Vilani	8	26	8	74%
Pamela Stephenson and James Jordan	8	8	11	23%
Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev	8	1	16	3%

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:^[93]

• National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
• Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
• Wembley Arena and O2 Arena, London
• Evening News Arena, Manchester
• Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
• Echo Arena, Liverpool
• Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
• SECC, Glasgow
• Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff
• The O2, Dublin
• Odyssey Arena, Belfast

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:

• Series 9 contestant Anita Dobson and Robin Windsor
• Series 9 runner-up Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev
• Series 9 winner Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani
• Series 9 finalist Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff
• Series 6 contestant Mark Foster and Natalie Lowe
• Series 9 contestant Nancy Dell'Olio and Artem Chigvintsev
• Series 9 contestant Robbie Savage and Katya Virshilas

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

Couple	Series	Number of wins	Times as runner-up	%wins
Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani	9	30	11	73%
Robbie Savage and Katya Virshilas	9	6	1	15%
Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev	9	3	15	7%
Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff	9	2	13	5%
Anita Dobson and Robin Windsor	9	0	1	0%

The Live Tour! 2013

The Strictly Come Dancing 2013 UK tour began its run on 18 January 2013.^[94] The confirmed line-up of celebrities and professionals for the tour is as follows:^[95][96]

• Series 10 finalist Dani Harmer and Pasha Kovalev
• Series 10 runner-up Denise van Outen and James Jordan
• Series 10 contestant Fern Britton and Artem Chigvintsev
• Series 10 semi-finalist Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor
• Series 10 winner Louis Smith and Ola Jordan
• Series 10 contestant Michael Vaughan and Natalie Lowe
• Series 7 contestant Phil Tufnell and Karen Hauer

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.

Couples	Series	Number of wins	Number of 2nd places	%Wins
Louis Smith and Ola Jordan	10	29	2	94%
Denise van Outen and James Jordan	10	1	26	3%
Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor	10	1	0	3%
Dani Harmer and Pasha Kovalev	10	0	3	0%

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.^[97][98]

The following celebrities and professionals took part:

• Series 11 contestant Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute
• Series 11 contestant Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
• Series 11 runner-up Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton
• Series 11 runner-up Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev
• Series 11 winner Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec
• Series 11 contestant Deborah Meaden and Robin Windsor
• Series 10 contestant Nicky Byrne and Karen Hauer

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.

Couple	Series	Number of wins	%Wins
Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev	11	19	61%
Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton	11	6	19%
Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec	11	2	6%
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff	11	1	3%
Deborah Meaden and Robin Windsor	11	1	3%
Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute	11	1	3%
Nicky Byrne and Karen Hauer	10	1	3%

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.^[99] Anton du Beke was also a judge in the Echo Arena, Liverpool and Wembley Arena, London.^[100] Len Goodman was a judge just for the O2 show on 8 February and on that same show the presenter was Lisa Riley.^[101]

The following celebrities and professionals took part:^[102][103]

• Series 12 contestant Thom Evans and Iveta Lukosiute
• Series 12 winner Caroline Flack and Tristan MacManus
• Series 12 contestant Alison Hammond and Aljaž Skorjanec
• Series 12 contestant Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton
• Series 12 runner-up Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff
• Series 12 finalist Mark Wright and Karen Hauer
• Series 6 runner-up Rachel Stevens and Kevin Clifton^A

Caroline Flack danced with Tristan MacManus not her partner in the series Pasha Kovalev

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

Pro Partners on the tour were as follows:

• Kevin Clifton and Karen Clifton
• Tristan MacManus and Kristina Rihanoff
• Aljaz Skorjanec and Joanne Clifton
• Trent Whiddon and Iveta Lukosiute

Couple	Series	Number of wins	Times as runner-up	%Wins
Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff	12	16	1	57%
Caroline Flack and Tristan MacManus	12	5	1	18%
Rachel Stevens and Kevin Clifton	6	3	1	11%
Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton	12	1	1	4%
Mark Wright and Karen Hauer	12	1	0	4%
Alison Hammond and Aljaž Skorjanec	12	1	0	4%
Thom Evans and Iveta Lukosiute	12	1	0	4%

^A Frankie Bridge was originally supposed to take part, but had to pull out due to illness of pregnancy, so Stevens took her place.^[104]

The Live Tour! 2016

The 2016 tour will start on 22 January and finish on 14 February.^[105] The new presenter will be Mel Giedroyc and judges Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.^[105]

• Series 13 contestant Ainsley Harriott and Karen Clifton^a
• Series 12 runner-up Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton
• Series 13 runner-up Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice
• Series 13 semi-finalist Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko^b
• Series 13 winner Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani
• Series 13 contestant Helen George and Aljaž Skorjanec
• Series 12 semi-finalist Jake Wood and Janette Manrara

Joanne Clifton will also be feature on the tour, but not partner a celebrity.

Pro Partners on the tour are as follows:

• Kevin Clifton and Karen Clifton
• Giovanni Pernice and Aliona Vilani
• Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara
• Gleb Savchenko and Joanne Clifton

Couple	Number of wins	Number of 2nd places	%Wins
Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani	23	6	79%
Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko	6	22	21%
Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton	0	1	0%
Ainsley Harriott and Karen Clifton	0	0	0%
Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice	0	0	0%
Helen George and Aljaž Skorjanec	0	0	0%
Jake Wood and Janette Manrara	0	0	0%

^a Natalie Lowe was scheduled to dance on the tour but she sustained an injury during tour rehearsals. Karen Clifton, who was already set to dance on the tour without a celebrity partner, took over for Lowe.^[106]

^b Mel Giedroyc was ill on 9 February so Anita Rani hosted instead. However, she still performed her Paso Doble but not for votes.

Statistics

Judges' scores

On forty-one 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. Kovalev also hold the record for most perfect scores by a professional dancer with eight forties. On another eight 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

By Celebrity:

Number of 40s/50s	Series	Place	Celebrity	Professional
4	12	Champion	Caroline Flack	Pasha Kovalev
3	6 8 10 11	3rd Place 3rd Place Runner-up Runner-up	Lisa Snowdon Pamela Stephenson Kimberley Walsh Natalie Gumede	Brendan Cole James Jordan Pasha Kovalev Artem Chigvintsev
2	6 7 9 9 10 11 13	Runner-up 3rd Place Champion 3rd Place Runner-up Champion Runner-up	Rachel Stevens Ali Bastian Harry Judd Jason Donovan Denise Van Outen Abbey Clancy Kellie Bright	Vincent Simone Brian Fortuna Aliona Vilani Kristina Rihanoff James Jordan Aljaž Skorjanec Kevin Clifton
1	2 4 5 7 7 9 10 12 13	Champion Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Runner-up Champion Runner-up Runner-up	Jill Halfpenny Mark Ramprakash Matt Di Angelo Chris Hollins Ricky Whittle Chelsee Healey Louis Smith Simon Webbe Georgia May Foote	Darren Bennett Karen Hardy Flavia Cacace Ola Jordan Natalie Lowe Pasha Kovalev Flavia Cacace Kristina Rihanoff Giovanni Pernice

By Professional:

Number of 40s/50s	Professional
8	Pasha Kovalev
5	James Jordan
3	Brendan Cole Artem Chigvintsev Kristina Rihanoff
2	Vincent Simone Brian Fortuna Aliona Vilani Flavia Cacace Aljaž Skorjanec Kevin Clifton
1	Darren Bennett Karen Hardy Ola Jordan Natalie Lowe Giovanni Pernice

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), 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.^[107] 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 the 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 by a celebrity and that's 4. With 8 perfect scores, her partner Pasha Kovalev holds the record for most 40's by a professional dancer.

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 Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice	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 Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani	39	Fiona Phillips & Brendan Cole Carol Kirkwood & Pasha Kovalev	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 Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton	40	Christopher Parker & Hanna Karttunen	22
Tango	Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton	40	Diarmuid Gavin & Nicole Cutler	14
Viennese Waltz (Series 3–present)	Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan	40	Carol Kirkwood & Pasha Kovalev	21
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.^[108] Actress Louisa Lytton, who was 17 when she competed in 2006, remains the youngest contestant.^[109] 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. At 20, Christopher Parker and Matt Di Angelo are the youngest contestants to make it to the finale. while Dr. Pamela Stephenson is the oldest, at the age of 61.

Highest and lowest scores

Series 8 contestant Ann Widdecombe holds the record for the most lowest scores, with a highest score of 21/40 and lowest score of 12/40. Series 2 contestant Quentin Willson holds the record for the overall lowest score of 8/40 (1,1,3,3) and lowest average 8.0/40.0. Series 11 contestant Natalie Gumede holds the highest average score with 36.9/40.0. Series 12 winner Caroline Flack holds the record for the most perfect scores with four 40s. Series 13 contestant Jamelia holds the record for being in the most dance-offs, which is 5.

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.^[110][111]

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.^[112]

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.^[113] The appointment of Alesha Dixon to the judging panel prompted 5,000 complaints to the BBC,^[114] 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.^[115][116] 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.^[117] 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 pick-up. National Grid personnel watch the show to know when closing credits begin so they can prepare for the surge.^[118]

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

Series	Series premiere		Series finale		Series Average
	Air date	Viewers (millions)[119]	Date	Viewers (millions)[119]	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	10.25
13	25 September 2015	9.22	19 December 2015	12.47	10.67

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.^[120] 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.^[121]

The show won the award of 'Most Popular Talent Show' at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016.^[122]

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

• Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two – companion show on BBC Two
• Strictly Dance Fever
• Dancing on Ice – a similar show on ITV, swapping dancing with skating
• Just the Two of Us – the same format, with singing instead of dancing
• Let's Dance for Comic/Sport Relief
• Dancing with the Stars – versions of the show produced in other countries

References

Further reading

• Smith, Rupert (2005) Strictly Come Dancing; dance consultant: Len Goodman. London: BBC Books ISBN 0-563-52293-3

External links

• Strictly Come Dancing at BBC Online
• Strictly Come Dancing at the Internet Movie Database
• Strictly Come Dancing at TV.com
• Strictly Come Dancing at UKGameshows.com
• Strictly Come Dancing Biogs.com
• "Strictly Come Dancing – The results for week 4". Ballet News. 23 October 2011. 

Strictly Come Dancing Contestants Series 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Christmas Specials Hosts Current Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman Former Sir Bruce Forsyth Guest Natasha Kaplinsky Ronnie Corbett Zoë Ball Judges Current Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Craig Revel Horwood Darcey Bussell Former Arlene Phillips Alesha Dixon Guest Jennifer Grey Darcey Bussell Donny Osmond Winning celebrities Natasha Kaplinsky Jill Halfpenny Darren Gough Mark Ramprakash Alesha Dixon Tom Chambers Chris Hollins Kara Tointon Harry Judd Louis Smith Abbey Clancy Caroline Flack Jay McGuiness Winning professionals Brendan Cole Darren Bennett Lilia Kopylova Karen Hardy Matthew Cutler Camilla Dallerup Ola Jordan Artem Chigvintsev Aliona Vilani (x2) Flavia Cacace Aljaž Skorjanec Pasha Kovalev Other professionals Erin Boag Joanne Clifton Karen Clifton Kevin Clifton Andrew Cuerden Anton du Beke Brian Fortuna Anya Garnis Hanna Haarala Izabela Hannah Hayley Holt Kylie Jones James Jordan Hanna Karttunen Paul Killick Natalie Lowe Oti Mabuse Tristan MacManus Janette Manrara Jared Murillo Hazel Newberry Giovanni Pernice Kristina Rihanoff Gleb Savchenko Vincent Simone Katya Virshilas Ian Waite Trent Whiddon Robin Windsor Related It Takes Two Dancing with the Stars (international versions)

Alesha Dixon Studio albums Fired Up The Alesha Show The Entertainer Do It for Love Singles "Lipstick" "Knockdown" "The Boy Does Nothing" "Breathe Slow" "Let's Get Excited" "To Love Again" "Drummer Boy" "Radio" "Every Little Part of Me" "The Way We Are" "Tallest Girl" Other singles "Take Control" "Do It Our Way (Play)" Concert tours The Alesha Show Related articles Discography Mis-Teeq Strictly Come Dancing 5 7 8 9 Britain's Got Talent 6 7 8 9