Ever since Strictly Come Dancing first aired in 2004, it’s been bringing glitter, rhinestones and dad dancing to Saturday night TV.
Over the years, Strictly has grown into one of the biggest shows on UK television, with 10 million people tuning in each week as they watch the celebrity contestants grow from stompy footed to light on their feet.
Here are 8 things you didn’t know about Strictly Come Dancing...
It’s the world’s most successful reality TV format
When it began in a little studio at the BBC, Strictly seemed like a celebrity reality competition series like any other. But since then, the show has grown and grown not only in the UK, but abroad too.
Broadcast under the name Dancing with the Stars, it is the world’s most successful reality TV format and is licensed to more than 75 countries including the US, China and India.
Getting a perfect 40 is hard, but not impossible
Scoring top marks on Strictly – the perfect 40 points – is the dream for any couple on the show. In the show’s 18 seasons, full marks have been awarded to 66 different dances, with former pro Pasha Kovelev taking home 13 of these. He scored five top scores Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts, and three with the late TV host Caroline Flack.
The results show is pre-recorded
Sorry to shatter the illusion, but the Strictly results show is not live and hasn’t been since 2009. Yes, the judges and presenters may wear different clothes and talk about “last night’s show”, but Sunday’s episode is actually recorded after voting closes on Saturday.
The name has an interesting origin
If you’ve ever wondered where Strictly’s name comes from, this is your answer. Come Dancing was a ballroom dancing competition series which aired on the BBC from 1949 to 1998 and featured non-celebrity contestants. When they revamped the show as a reality series, they merged the name with Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 film Strictly Ballroom to add a bit of pizzazz and voila!
There’s not just one type of tango on Strictly
It wouldn’t be Strictly without fake tan, something all the contestants are forced to get before the seasons begin. In fact, the series’s fake tan team get through a whopping 57 litres of the stuff a series so when you sense an orange glow coming from your TV screens… that’d be why!
The show’s highest scorers often don’t win
Individually, Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev tie with Alexandra Burke and Gorka Márquez for the most 10s scored by a couple, having racked up an impressive 32 each on their seasons. Interestingly, neither couple went on to win the years they competed.
The one mark paddle does (occasionally) make an appearance
At the other end of the spectrum, the one point paddle has only been brought out 11 times in Strictly’s 18 seasons, with 10 of those – surprise surprise! – being given by Craig Revel Horwood. The lowest scored dance was Quentin Wilson and Hazel Newberry’s Cha Cha Cha in season 2, which scored eight points in total. Ouch.
The costume team have quite the job on their hands
Putting the costumes together for Strictly is no mean feat, with the team (led by Vicky Gill) having to make around 300 outfits throughout the season. Outfits are usually made throughout the week, with each ballroom dress taking eight to 10 metres of fabric to make and final fittings taking place on Fridays.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday nights from 17 September on BBC One.
