Strictly Come Dancing

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. 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.

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. She then took the role of Creative Director of BBC Entertainment whilst still overseeing series 4 and 5.

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.

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. 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 was to continue to present special editions of the show. For some of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Daly while she took maternity leave; Claudia Winkelman hosted the results show and editions that Forsyth had missed between 2010 and 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 her; Bussell remains a judge alongside Tonioli and Revel Horwood. 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 highlights 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.

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

Presenters

Key

     Main presenter of Strictly Come Dancing     Co-host of Strictly Come Dancing     Presenter of It Takes Two     Contestant     Results show co-host

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.

Judging panel

Key

     Head judge     Main judge     Guest judge     Contestant

|-

Notes

^A Goodman is a past 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

Key:

     Winner of the series     Second place of the series     Third place of the series     First elimination of the series     Withdrew in the series     Participating in current series

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, and Waite stood in as a temporary dance partner in series 8, due to the unavailability of Brendan Cole.

Brendan Cole and Anton du Beke are the only two professional dancers who have taken part in all fourteen series of the show. Anton has never won the competition; Brendan won the first series with Natasha Kaplinsky.

Only four professionals have won 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 has the most final appearances ever, with four. These are all consecutive.

Professional partners

Some of the dancers form professional partnerships, dancing together competitively or on the show. Darren Bennet and Lilia Kopylova, and James and Ola Jordan are married, while Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced but still professional partners. Anton du Beke and Erin Boag, have danced as professional couples since 1997; Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are a former Argentine Tango world champion couple. Brendan Cole and Katya Virshilas danced professionally for several years before parting in November 2009. 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 Škorjanec are also engaged.

Dances

On average dances last for approximately 90 seconds. The music for the dances are performed by The Strictly Come Dancing Band.

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.

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.

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. 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 is for the couples to convince the judges that 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 one couple has two votes and the other couple has one vote, then the final 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. However, when Craig, Arlene/Alesha/Darcey and Bruno agree and Len disagrees, then Len's vote does not count as already the safe couple would have had more votes. 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. For the first time in history, in series 14, the dance off was cancelled due to an injury sustained by Anastacia during the rehearsals for the live shows.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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:

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.

Series 6 (2008)

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

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.

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

Series 7 (2009)

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

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. 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". 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.

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

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. Three new professional dancers were announced, The celebrities were revealed on 8 September 2010 and the professional partners were revealed during the launch show.

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. 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.

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.

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

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

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. Rod Stewart and Jessie J performed on the premiere show.

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. However, it was confirmed on 22 August 2013 that Anya Garnis and Kevin Clifton joined the series, replacing Slater. 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 was replaced by returning professional Vilani.

Series 12 (2014)

The series started on 7 September 2014 with a launch show, followed by the live shows starting on 26 and 27 September. 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. 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.

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. It was then announced in August that Robin Windsor had pulled out of the competition due to a back injury. Windsor will be replaced by new professional Trent Whiddon. In the third week entertainer Donny Osmond joined the four regular judges, making the maximum score that week 50 points. Due to Winkleman's absence in weeks 6, 7, and 8, It Takes Two presenter Zoë Ball co-presented with Daly.

Series 13 (2015)

Strictly Come Dancing returned for the 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.

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. Ola Jordan later announced that she had quit the show and claimed that the results were "fixed".

Series 13 was the last to feature Tristan MacManus, Kristina Rihanoff, Ola Jordan and Gleb Savchenko as professional dancers. Aliona Vilani announced three days after winning that she was leaving the show, however, she did do the 2016 live tour. Savchenko announced he was leaving the show on 28 June 2016. For series 14, Katya Jones, Gorka Márquez, Oksana Platero, and Joanne Clifton will replace them.

Series 14 (2016)

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fourteenth series with a launch show on 3 September 2016 on BBC One. This was Len Goodman's final series as head judge.

On 28 June 2016, the list of professionals who were returning for the fourteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who will not return include last series' champion and two-time professional winner of the show Aliona Vilani, former professional winner Ola Jordan, and two-times professional finalist Kristina Rihanoff as well as Gleb Savchenko and Tristan MacManus. Joanne Clifton will be returning after a one series hiatus. The leaving professionals will be replaced by Katya Jones, Burn the Floor dancer Gorka Márquez and former Dancing with the Stars U.S. troupe member Oksana Platero. On 26 July 2016, three more new professional dancers were announced as AJ Pritchard, Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones, husband of new dancer Katya. Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones did not partner a celebrity as the professionals outnumbered the celebrities, although they were still in group dances and appeared on It Takes Two.

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:

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.

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.

The results were as follows:

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."

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.

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 Paralympians 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. The series was presented by Tess Daly.

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:

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:

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

2016

On the 18 November 2016, British olympians Canoeist Joe Clarke, Hockey player Hollie Webb, Taekwando athlete, Lutalo Muhammad and Rower Helen Glover competed in the 2016 Children in Need Special. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman presented the show, making it the first Children in Need not co-presented by Sir Bruce Forsyth.

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. 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.

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.

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

The Live Tour! 2008

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

Celebrity dancers taking part were:

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

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

Series 3 finalist Zoë Ball and Ian Waite

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:

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

The Live Tour! 2009

The Strictly Come Dancing Tour returned in January and February 2009. 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:

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

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. 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

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:

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.

The Live Tour! 2013

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

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.

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.

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 Škorjanec

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.

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

The following celebrities and professionals took part:

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

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

The Live Tour! 2016

The 2016 tour started on 22 January and finished on 14 February. The new presenter was Mel Giedroyc and the judges were Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.

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 was also featured on the tour, but not partner a celebrity.

Pro Partners on the tour were as follows:

Kevin Clifton and Karen Clifton

Giovanni Pernice and Aliona Vilani

Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara

Gleb Savchenko and Joanne Clifton

^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.

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

The Live Tour! 2017

The 2017 tour will be presented by 2015 semi-finalist Anita Rani. The judges will be Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Karen Hardy. The tour will start on 20 January and finish on 12 February.

The full tour line up was announced on 14 December:

Series 14 runner up Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton

Series 14 contestant Daisy Lowe and Aljaž Skorjanec

Series 14 runner up Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse

Series 14 contestant Ed Balls and Katya Jones

Series 14 winner Ore Oduba and Karen Clifton

Series 14 contestant Lesley Joseph and Gorka Márquez

Due to Ed Balls not dancing in Manchester, Judge Rinder and Oksana Platero will replace him on the 4 and 5 February.

Extra Dancers on Tour who are dancing in Group Dances:

Giovanni Pernice and Janette Manrara

AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt

Neil Jones and Oksana Platero

Highest-scoring celebrities

The scores presented below represent the best overall accumulative average scores the celebrities gained each series.

Female

Male

Lowest-scoring celebrities

The scores presented below represent the worst overall accumulative average score the celebrities gained each series.

Female

Male

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, and Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse both hold the record for most perfect scores with four forties. Kovalev also holds 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 Rumba is the only dance style 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:

By Professional:

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 Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse, with 26 tens, and 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, and Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton with 24 each, Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev with 23, 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. 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. Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse, and Alesha Dixon and her partner Matthew Cutler, follow, with averages of 36.6 and 36.5 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 Rumba is the only dance that has not received the full mark of 40, the highest score being 39/40. Winner of series 12, Caroline Flack, and runner-up of series 14, Danny Mac, hold the record for receiving the most perfect scores as a celebrity with four. With eight perfect scores, Flack's partner Pasha Kovalev holds the record for most perfect scores by a professional dancer.

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. Actress Louisa Lytton, who was 17 when she competed in 2006, remains the youngest contestant. 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 and series 14 runner-up Danny Mac hold 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. Series 7 contestant Ali Bastian holds the record for getting the earliest ever 40 in the competition which was in week 8, for her Viennese Waltz.

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.

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.

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. The appointment of Alesha Dixon to the judging panel prompted 5,000 complaints to the BBC, 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. 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. 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.

Same-sex couples

In 2015, CJ de Mooi said that he was turned down for the show because he had wanted to dance with a same-sex partner. In response, the BBC said "Strictly is a family show and we have chosen the traditional format of mixed-sex couples". The issue came up again in 2016 when Will Young (who is gay) was due to appear on the show. The BBC said he would be appearing alongside a female dancer, and released a statement saying "The show has chosen the traditional Latin and Ballroom format of mixed-sex couples."

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.

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

Awards

The show has won a highly prestigious Rose D'Or award for 'Best Variety Show', beating off competition from reality shows from twelve other different countries. It has also won two awards for 'Best Reality Show' at the TRIC Awards and two at the TV Quick Awards for 'Best Talent Show'. It has also received four BAFTA Award nominations.

The show won the award of 'Most Popular Talent Show' at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017

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.