As the stars of Strictly Come Dancing prepare to perform at Blackpool Tower Ballroom once again for its 20th anniversary series, here are some of the stats behind what makes a great performance at the recognisable venue.
Saturday’s live show will see a performance from the Pet Shop Boys as well as professional dancer Lauren Oakley making her competitive Strictly debut in the town, as she quicksteps to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley with JLS’s JB Gill, after his previous partner Amy Dowden pulled out due to injury.
In Blackpool, the quickstep has been the most successful Strictly dance, scoring 22 10s in the BBC dancing show’s 20-year history. It is followed by the American smooth, with 15 10s, and the Charleston, with 13 10s.
There have been 107 10s awarded by nine Strictly judges at the ballroom throughout the years, across a total of 99 celebrities and 52 professional dancers.
Former judge Bruno Tonioli, who left the show permanently in 2022, has awarded the most 10s at the venue with 31.
Just five couples have scored a perfect 40 at Blackpool – actor Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse, Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev, singer Fleur East and Vito Coppola, McFly’s Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani – who achieved the feat twice – and singer Jason Donovan and Krishna Rihanoff.
Speaking about the venue’s importance to Strictly, professional dancer Jowita Przystal, who is partnered with reality star Pete Wicks in this year’s series, said: “Performing at Blackpool Tower is just simply so special. The atmosphere, the history, everything makes it so unique.
“I feel very privileged to be able to come back there each year and share this dancefloor with some of the most talented dancers in the world.
“This year we celebrate Strictly’s 20th anniversary and I’m so happy I can introduce this magical place to Pete.”
Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special airs at 6.45pm on Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer, with the results show on Sunday at 7.20pm on the same channel.
