Strictly the facts...
The British television show, which partners celebrities with professionals to compete in ballroom and Latin dances, is more than halfway through its 13th series and the standard this year remains exceptionally high. With its annual visit to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom now over, it is still impossible to predict which winning pair will lift the infamous glitterball trophy in 2015.
Since its 2004 launch, 176 Strictly episodes packed with sequins, sparkles and saucy sambas have graced our screens, but there is more to the show than meets the eye. Here, The Lady presents all you need to know about the world of Strictly Come Dancing.
Hair and Make-Up
Tanned skin and voluminous hair have become Strictly staples, and a celebrity’s weekly makeover is known as their ‘Strictlification’. With eight hairdryers and 236 rollers used per show, the beauty department is kept busy with hair maintenance alone, using over 504 cans of hairspray per series. Since its debut the show has used over 400 full heads of hair extensions, with Ola Jordan once wearing an impressive three sets, weighing 10lb in total, for the 2011 Halloween special. In the days before Saturday’s live show, Friday is reserved for in-house spray tans for the whole cast following a dress rehearsal, and on Saturday the hair and make-up team works around the clock. Since Strictly started it has got through more than 150 litres of liquid glitter, 1,200 sets of false eyelashes, and 1,000 bottles of nail varnish.
Behind The Seams
Strictly’s costume department relies heavily on rhinestones. Although the dancers’ costumes are created externally, the show’s on-set designers stock 170,000 crystals in case of a last-minute wardrobe malfunction. The dazzling outfits are stitched by the seamstresses at DSI – expert manufacturers of ballroom and Latin dresses based in Croydon, South London.
The costumes are created weeks in advance, with the top-secret nature of the celebrity line-up meaning seamstresses initially work with measurements and code names only. As the show progresses, the designers and machinists have less than a week to create their themed costumes for Friday’s dress rehearsals. Most of the costumes are never worn on the show and are not even on sale to the public. Instead, they end up at dance academies worldwide.
The Judges
Over the years, the judging panel has been the subject of controversy, sparking ageism complaints following Arlene Phillips’s replacement by ex-contestant Alesha Dixon in 2009. Now, however, with retired prima ballerina Darcey Bussell breezing through her fourth season on the panel, peace has been restored and there is a crackling rapport between Bussell and her fellow judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood.
The Scores
The show has seen more than 180 celebrity hopefuls compete, with ability varying considerably. Actors and actresses have proven to be the most successful contestants, with 2013’s Natalie Gumede winning the accolade of the highest average score of all time. The Argentine tango has been the highest-scoring dance throughout the series and, according to statistics, the cha-cha-cha tends to receive the lowest scores, with Quentin Willson’s attempt earning the lowest score on the show to date – a total of eight out of 40. The lowest possible score is a one, which has been awarded nine times – eight of them by Craig Revel Horwood.
The Romances
Many watch the Saturday night show just to observe the chemistry between the professional dancers and their celebrity partners. It’s true that sometimes the passion is just as strong backstage as on the dancefloor, with three married couples appearing among the team of professionals over the years. The intense Strictly process has also succeeded in bringing couples together, most notably Jimi Mistry and his now wife Flavia Cacace, while champions Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev shared their first kiss when they won in 2010.
Blackpool
Blackpool week is a Strictly milestone, taking place in the eighth week of each series in the resort’s iconic Tower Ballroom. Known as the home of ballroom, the Tower is magnificently furnished with crystal chandeliers. The series pulls out all the stops for Blackpool week, with contestants using backing dancers, stunning lifts and intricate footwork to help take them to Strictly’s last few rounds.
Filming it… Live
All of the Saturday night episodes are live, meaning that special provisions must be taken to ensure filming runs smoothly in the limited time. Tess Daly, for example, cannot drink for two hours prior to going on air as there is not enough time for her to go to the loo during the show. In 2006 filming live proved problematic when a costume malfunction tangled Mark Ramprakash and his dance partner Karen Hardy together and forced them to stop performing. Bruce Forsyth ended up dancing with a member of the production team to keep the crowd entertained, announcing, ‘This is what I love about live television.’
The Presenters
Sir Bruce stepped down from hosting Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 after nine years co-hosting with Tess Daly. He still reprises his former role on the Christmas and Children In Need Strictly editions, but has passed the main torch on to Tess and Claudia Winkleman. The beautiful duo are firm friends and look after the cast well, with Tess offering cuddles to scared contestants and Claudia bringing in homemade chocolate brownies for the team.
The Professionals
Over the seasons we have seen more than 40 professional dancers pass through the glittering ballroom, and the line-up changes annually. Brendan Cole and Anton Du Beke are the only ones remaining from the first series. Cole won that series, but no professional has won the contest more than once. In fact, unlucky Anton has yet to lift the glitterball trophy, with his past partners including Ann Widdecombe, Judy Murray and Nancy Dell’Olio.
Famous fans
The BBC One celebrity dance show boasts millions of viewers across the UK, but its most notable viewers include HM The Queen, Mary Berry and the Duchess of Cornwall – who even watched a dress rehearsal of the show as the guest of her good friend, Craig Revel Horwood.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturday evenings (times vary). The Grand Final takes place on Saturday 19 December.
Since its 2004 launch, 176 Strictly episodes packed with sequins, sparkles and saucy sambas have graced our screens, but there is more to the show than meets the eye. Here, The Lady presents all you need to know about the world of Strictly Come Dancing.
Hair and Make-Up
Tanned skin and voluminous hair have become Strictly staples, and a celebrity’s weekly makeover is known as their ‘Strictlification’. With eight hairdryers and 236 rollers used per show, the beauty department is kept busy with hair maintenance alone, using over 504 cans of hairspray per series. Since its debut the show has used over 400 full heads of hair extensions, with Ola Jordan once wearing an impressive three sets, weighing 10lb in total, for the 2011 Halloween special. In the days before Saturday’s live show, Friday is reserved for in-house spray tans for the whole cast following a dress rehearsal, and on Saturday the hair and make-up team works around the clock. Since Strictly started it has got through more than 150 litres of liquid glitter, 1,200 sets of false eyelashes, and 1,000 bottles of nail varnish.
Behind The Seams
Strictly’s costume department relies heavily on rhinestones. Although the dancers’ costumes are created externally, the show’s on-set designers stock 170,000 crystals in case of a last-minute wardrobe malfunction. The dazzling outfits are stitched by the seamstresses at DSI – expert manufacturers of ballroom and Latin dresses based in Croydon, South London.
The costumes are created weeks in advance, with the top-secret nature of the celebrity line-up meaning seamstresses initially work with measurements and code names only. As the show progresses, the designers and machinists have less than a week to create their themed costumes for Friday’s dress rehearsals. Most of the costumes are never worn on the show and are not even on sale to the public. Instead, they end up at dance academies worldwide.
The Judges
Over the years, the judging panel has been the subject of controversy, sparking ageism complaints following Arlene Phillips’s replacement by ex-contestant Alesha Dixon in 2009. Now, however, with retired prima ballerina Darcey Bussell breezing through her fourth season on the panel, peace has been restored and there is a crackling rapport between Bussell and her fellow judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood.
The Scores
The show has seen more than 180 celebrity hopefuls compete, with ability varying considerably. Actors and actresses have proven to be the most successful contestants, with 2013’s Natalie Gumede winning the accolade of the highest average score of all time. The Argentine tango has been the highest-scoring dance throughout the series and, according to statistics, the cha-cha-cha tends to receive the lowest scores, with Quentin Willson’s attempt earning the lowest score on the show to date – a total of eight out of 40. The lowest possible score is a one, which has been awarded nine times – eight of them by Craig Revel Horwood.
The Romances
Many watch the Saturday night show just to observe the chemistry between the professional dancers and their celebrity partners. It’s true that sometimes the passion is just as strong backstage as on the dancefloor, with three married couples appearing among the team of professionals over the years. The intense Strictly process has also succeeded in bringing couples together, most notably Jimi Mistry and his now wife Flavia Cacace, while champions Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev shared their first kiss when they won in 2010.
Blackpool
Blackpool week is a Strictly milestone, taking place in the eighth week of each series in the resort’s iconic Tower Ballroom. Known as the home of ballroom, the Tower is magnificently furnished with crystal chandeliers. The series pulls out all the stops for Blackpool week, with contestants using backing dancers, stunning lifts and intricate footwork to help take them to Strictly’s last few rounds.
Filming it… Live
All of the Saturday night episodes are live, meaning that special provisions must be taken to ensure filming runs smoothly in the limited time. Tess Daly, for example, cannot drink for two hours prior to going on air as there is not enough time for her to go to the loo during the show. In 2006 filming live proved problematic when a costume malfunction tangled Mark Ramprakash and his dance partner Karen Hardy together and forced them to stop performing. Bruce Forsyth ended up dancing with a member of the production team to keep the crowd entertained, announcing, ‘This is what I love about live television.’
The Presenters
Sir Bruce stepped down from hosting Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 after nine years co-hosting with Tess Daly. He still reprises his former role on the Christmas and Children In Need Strictly editions, but has passed the main torch on to Tess and Claudia Winkleman. The beautiful duo are firm friends and look after the cast well, with Tess offering cuddles to scared contestants and Claudia bringing in homemade chocolate brownies for the team.
The Professionals
Over the seasons we have seen more than 40 professional dancers pass through the glittering ballroom, and the line-up changes annually. Brendan Cole and Anton Du Beke are the only ones remaining from the first series. Cole won that series, but no professional has won the contest more than once. In fact, unlucky Anton has yet to lift the glitterball trophy, with his past partners including Ann Widdecombe, Judy Murray and Nancy Dell’Olio.
Famous fans
The BBC One celebrity dance show boasts millions of viewers across the UK, but its most notable viewers include HM The Queen, Mary Berry and the Duchess of Cornwall – who even watched a dress rehearsal of the show as the guest of her good friend, Craig Revel Horwood.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturday evenings (times vary). The Grand Final takes place on Saturday 19 December.