Karen Smith, government producer
The BBC wished to convey again Come Dancing however with celebrities. They’d signed up Bruce Forsyth however didn’t have a format, only a identify: Professional Superstar Come Dancing. So that they requested me to assist. I used to be a producer at Endemol. We’d made the primary Superstar Huge Brother for Channel 4 with Jack Dee, the place Vanessa Feltz had a meltdown, and Comedian Aid Does Fame Academy.
I knew if we received it proper, it might have cross-generational attraction: the costume fairytale for youngsters; celebrities out of their consolation zones for younger adults; and the romance of ballroom dancing for the older viewers. The very first thing I wanted to do was find out about ballroom dancing. Since one of the best leisure has fact at its core, we would have liked to ascertain guidelines, to deal with it correctly and authentically.
I assumed the professional dancers could be thrilled to get again on TV, however ballroom dancing had began to turn into ridiculed, in order that they didn’t belief me. Ultimately, we needed to promise to broadcast a number of the reside exhibits from Blackpool so the professionals didn’t miss out on competing on the annual Blackpool Dance competition. We transported your entire set there from London, however the huge glitter ball wouldn’t match by way of the door of the Tower Ballroom. So for the primary sequence, it simply sat at the back of a truck.
Celebrities have been required to take an unimaginable leap of religion. I bear in mind chasing Natasha Kaplinsky down the corridors of the BBC to indicate her these fantastic attire, to steer her it will be a implausible expertise. We wished the set to look as life like as doable, with a sprung flooring, reside band and a gorgeous princess staircase. We received letters saying: “Can we rent out the venue?” We needed to say: “It’s not an actual place. It’s gone again right into a field.”
After the primary episode, folks complained: “This isn’t Come Dancing.” I needed to go on Factors of View. I used to be loads youthful and fairly chippy, so I mentioned: “What from the identify makes you assume that is Come Dancing? It’s a contemporary reinvention, with celebrities.” Terry Wogan ended the piece by saying: “Nicely, that’s you lot instructed.” The primary sequence peaked at 10 million viewers. The day after the final episode, I went on vacation – and on the Monday the BBC phoned and mentioned: “Can you will have sequence two able to roll in 4 months?”
Anton Du Beke, dancer and decide
Fred Astaire was my hero. At dance class, I used to be the one boy within the room. However, on the age of 13, I wasn’t positive of my profession trajectory, of methods to get from a church corridor in Sevenoaks, Kent, to the display. I did effectively in my dancing exams, so thought: “I’m fairly good at this.” However not so effectively that I assumed: “I’ve cracked it.” I went on to compete everywhere in the nation, and ultimately the world.
In 2004, I heard that the BBC had determined to convey again Come Dancing and Bruce Forsyth was connected. Brucie was one other certainly one of my heroes. They put out an e-mail to the dancing trade saying: “We'd like ballroom dancers.” So Erin Boag, my dancing associate, and I utilized. We did a display take a look at and, miraculously, they requested us to do the present.
I had the pleasure of dancing with the opera singer Lesley Garrett within the first sequence. Via her, I used to be actually capable of blossom. The cameras have been on us on a regular basis, so I hoped that if I used to be real folks would get me – in the event that they thought I used to be an arse, that will be it. However I quickly realised that Strictly wasn’t about me. My function was dancing with and taking care of the celebrities: giving them one of the best expertise doable – and now judging. Working with Bruce was the spotlight of my profession. After which to turn into buddies with him, play golf with him and carry out with him …
Strictly has the nice benefit of recasting yearly. It evolves, however there’s no revolution: they haven’t modified it a lot that you simply don’t recognise it. We’re British, so we like to see folks’s relationships, learn their physique language and assume: “Oooh, they’re not getting on!” We love moments like Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis’s silent dance final yr, for which they gained a Bafta. Or when Ann Widdecombe took half in 2010, which was implausible. Even when you’re not a fan of the present, these unimaginable moments transcend all the pieces.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on 17 September on BBC One.
Post a Comment