When Victorian architect Frank Matcham was drawing up the plans for the inside of Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom in the late 18th century, the idea that more than 100 years later the venue would host Britain’s glitziest reality TV competition would have probably been beyond the furthest realms of his imagination.
Yet as Strictly Come Dancing heads up north this week for its annual Blackpool bonanza, it’s apparent once more that Matcham’s design wasn’t made for a full-on TV production. Former Strictly pro dancer Erin Boag recalls her years on the show in Blackpool, the cast and crew “squashed” together backstage. “It’s absolutely manic behind the scenes… you just don’t see it,” she tells me.
