For those of us who grew up in an era before streaming services, shared TV experiences have created lasting memories throughout our lives. From rushing into school to discuss the previous night’s cliffhanger on Neighbours to celebrating our Thursday nights with a trip to the Top Of The Pops studio (VHS recorder poised to catch our favourites), watching TV together as a nation and discussing it the next day is a heart-warming and often underestimated pastime.
One of the few TV shows that still provides this experience is Strictly Come Dancing. Much of the gossip about the show now takes place online, with many viewers flocking to platforms such as Facebook to chat about their favourite celebs and who deserves to be in this week’s dance-off.
So why is the future of such a successful and long-running TV show continually questioned? Well, for starters, there has always been as much passion, drama and ill-advised couplings going on as a university freshers’ week. Ever since the first series, when eventual winner Natasha Kaplinsky allegedly got a little too familiar with her dance partner Brendan Cole (much to the dismay of his fiancée at the time and fellow professional dancer, Camilla Dallerup), the likely victim of the Strictly Curse is as widely debated as who will lift the Glitterball Trophy. In the 2023 series, more scandal hit in the form of complaints about two of the pro dancers’ behaviour. Both Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice were investigated by the BBC and neither returned the following year. Now chaperones are present in the rehearsal rooms to ensure that all celebrities are comfortable with their pro dancer’s teaching methods. Such issues are clearly a headache for the BBC – churning out slick police dramas is undoubtedly far less hassle!
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have announced they will both be stepping down as hosts at the end of this series and their last Strictly together will be the Christmas special broadcast on Christmas Day. Famed for her jovial manner and brilliant sense of humour, it’s no surprise that Claudia is leaving, given her success presenting The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors. Tess gets far more stick for being “wooden” and a “professional northerner” but she’s actually a great straight man next to Claudia’s comedy gold. Tess stepping down too is a surprise to many, but it is likely that she would prefer to leave on her own terms, rather than potentially being pushed out during one of the many BBC “shake-ups”.
Until the new hosts are announced, the chatter about who will take over will be constant. Those who dislike the show will take the opportunity to be vocal about how “it’s had its day” and “it’s time to give it a rest”. Media outlets revel in these discussions – not because they have an agenda, but because Strictly stories generate clicks, plain and simple. That kind of popularity would also suggest the show is going nowhere.
Personally, the end of the summer wouldn’t be the same for me without some angry viewer writing “Who?” underneath the names of practically every celebrity contestant when they are unveiled in a Facebook post. In this series, probably only Stefan Dennis escaped the inevitable “Who?” comment and then he sustained an injury early on in the run and headed back Down Under.
Selecting the next hosts of the show is an important decision and whoever is chosen will make a huge impact on Strictly’s own “journey”. But I truly believe the show is bigger than the individuals working on it and it could definitely have a strong future. It will be impossible to find a presenting duo that everyone is satisfied with but, as long as they provide a steadying influence and the changes don’t feel too sweeping, Strictly’s loyal fanbase will be happy to “keep dancing”.
Catherine Usher is a journalist, theatre critic and Strictly super-fan
CATHERINE USHER
Sub-editor/writer
07813 110252
