Strictly Come Dancing will be metaphorically blowing out 20 candles today for its first season’s anniversary.
When it began on May 15 2004, it was imagined that it would be a simple two-month competition between eight celebrities that would fill a Saturday night slot for the BBC, but it quickly became bigger than even its most fierce supporters could have predicted.
It is now one of the world’s most successful reality TV formats with versions in over 75 countries, including the USA, China and Brazil.
In the UK, spending cold weekends watching hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman support famous faces as they compete on the Bafta-winning show has become a part of our culture, but how did it all begin?
Metro.co.uk has spoken to three very important people – Dame Arlene Phillips, Brendan Cole, and Jane Lush – who played pivotal roles in that first series…
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Jane Lush – Former Head of Entertainment and Comedy at BBC
With great entertainment ideas ‘thin on the ground’, Jane gathered her team to chuck around some ideas. If she hadn’t decided to hold a brainstorming meeting, Strictly would not exist.
‘We wanted a show for people who decided to stay in on Saturday nights, who felt slightly cheated about not going out. We used the phrase – great night in,’ she explained.
One of her colleagues suggested doing a celebrity version of Come Dancing (1960-1995) – a show which saw amateur Ballroom dancers compete against each other.
Instantly Jane got a vision of what this show could be. ‘I said, “Why don’t we do Pro Celebrity Dancing?” I had a clear picture of dancers teaching celebrities and judges holding paddles with numbers on them.’
While Jane was convinced, the same couldn’t be said for her peers. ‘Come Dancing was an old-fashioned failing show that was finally put out of its misery, so people in the industry thought I was nuts trying to bring back Ballroom dancing on a Saturday night,’ she shared.
Despite, the doubters, Jane and her team got to work convincing the Controller of BBC, Lorraine Heggessey, with the help of a dancer who spun around the room as they explained their idea. ‘It made people laugh,’ Jane recalled.
It got the go-ahead but the name was changed to Strictly Come Dancing after BBC bosses insisted they didn’t put the word celebrity in the title, as that hadn’t proved successful on other programmes, strictly was added as a nod to Baz Luhrmann’s film Strictly Ballroom. Come Dance with Me was considered briefly, but they didn’t want it to sound like the Channel 4 show Come Dine with Me.
Taking the helm was Tess Daly, and the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, whom Jane met at an ‘obscure Italian restaurant on the A40’ to pitch the show. ‘He just burst out laughing. I said: “I hope you’re laughing with me, and not at me.” Luckily it was the former, he thought it was a fantastic idea.’
After a thorough audition process professional dancers, celebrities, and judges were secured – although, things didn’t go exactly to plan. ‘On the first series, you’ll notice the desk is too small for the four judges [Len Goodman, Arlene, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood]. That’s because we initially wanted three, but couldn’t choose. They had to squeeze in.’
Claire Sweeney and David Dickinson were amongst the first batch of celebrities, but it was Natasha, who was a major part of the initial vision for the show, that managed to win.
Jane wanted to emulate the ‘magical TV moment’ when journalist Angela Rippon broke into an incredible dance on Morecambe and Wise with Natasha, 51, but she was hesitant. ‘She felt Strictly would diminish her status as a newsreader. I think Natasha felt coerced into doing it, but she was brilliant,’ Jane shared.
Much of what they introduced in the debut episode from the set design to the voting method (50% judges, 50% public vote), competitive dancers who genuinely want to win, and celebrities embarking on a journey is still evident 20 years later, as viewers instantly loved the core values of Strictly.
It was so well-received that the BBC aired two series in its first year after it was announced ITV’s The X Factor was starting up that autumn, and they didn’t have anything that could compete with it like Strictly.
‘People predicted Strictly was going to be a big flop, but it all came together beautifully in the first episode,’ she shared.
‘The naysayers weren’t saying anything anymore!’
Arlene Phillips – Original judge
Arlene was doubtful Strictly would last very long, let alone become the juggernaut it is today. The 80-year-old choreographer didn’t even want to audition as she wasn’t interested in TV work. After finally relinquishing, Arlene found herself in a dance studio in Notting Hill judging dancers, including Anton Du Beke, so producers could test her ability. Sitting beside her was Goodman, who was becoming increasingly frustrated by the hours they were required to sit in the room.
‘Len had dinner plans with his lovely wife Sue and was worried about being late so was getting very grumpy,’ she recalled.
‘It was the most bonkers and chaotic afternoon in the history of TV.
‘The producers didn’t really know what they were doing, and the musical theatre dancers who they enlisted in place of celebrities were struggling to pick up Ballroom so there was a lot of sitting around.’
Goodman, who died aged 78 in 2023, and Arlene knew each other from being in the same industry and made a pact that if the other person agreed to do it, then they would too. They upheld that promise. ‘I thought I’d give it a go, but I wasn’t entirely convinced.’
With the final four judges selected, Arlene remembers how they quickly fell into characters: ‘Bruno was the clown, Craig was there to diminish everyone, I was the school teacher, and Len was the knowledgable boss,’ she explained.
Unbeknownst to the millions watching at home, the foursome had a secret weapon. ‘A producer was crawling on the floor behind the judging desk reminding us when to submit our scores, and tapping our thighs when we needed to wrap up our comments.’
The Strictly cast were on ‘tenterhooks’ for the first shows, unsure if things were going to work out, but Arlene remembers a clear turning point in week six.
‘Brendan and Natasha performed a tango to Liber Tango. As they passed the judges’ desk I noticed Brendan’s hand was shaking with the power, presence and drama of the dance,’ she recalled.
‘Natasha was so graceful and beautiful but lacking in confidence in earlier weeks, but she finally believed in herself and the electricity between them was clear. They created a whole new world. At that moment I fully understood the power of the show.’
Arlene left the show after the 2008 series and was replaced by Alesha Dixon – she claims she found out about her axing while listening to the radio. The ending may not have been something she looks back on fondly, but she is still proud of her contribution.
‘That first episode seemed to flash by in a minute, and all I could think about was coming back the next week. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life being in that chair.’
Brendan Cole – First winner of Strictly Come Dancing
Brendan, 48, had reached the top of the competitive dance world and was ready to try something new. ‘I was doing very well within the ballroom dancing world travelling the world, and being financially compensated, but I had an inkling there was something more.’ So, when it transpired Brendan was on the BBC’s radar he was happy to meet them. Days after teaching a routine to a producer at the audition, he got the call to say he was in, and despite a ‘significant pay cut’ he was all in.
‘I took the chance even though on paper, it didn’t look great – Ballroom dancing on television seemed like something that wouldn’t take off – I wanted to gamble and see where it could go,’ he shared.
After being paired with Natasha, he spent around ten hours every day for one month teaching her the Cha-cha-cha. Having prepped as much as they could, the pair stepped out for a pilot which was recorded to send to the BBC. The executives were excited about its possible future, but Brendan was exhausted after so much hard work to get to that point.
When it was finally time to show the general public in the real first episode, his nerves were ‘on a different level’.
‘I was worried about my partner. You’re not just their teacher, you are their rock and source of encouragement when they’re feeling down. It was mentally and physically demanding. Now the dancers will know what to do because they get trained by the BBC, but we had to learn on the job. We went in completely blind.’
Despite the nerves, he calls the first live episode a ‘phenomenal’ day. ‘I remember getting such a tingly feeling,’ he said.
It’s understandable that Brendan was seriously protective of his partners after witnessing their hard work, and this would often lead to passionate defending.
‘The judges don’t know what you’ve been through, or where you’ve started. It’s quite unhelpful and a hard pill to swallow so I would answer back,’ he said.
‘Back in the day, my fiery side was complimented. The Head of Entertainment told me it was great for the show, but down the line, certain execs despised what I did.’
They may have received some criticism, but the endless hours of training paid off with Brendan and Natasha lifting the first Glitterball trophy together. He calls the victory ‘amazing but bittersweet’.
With the show’s success, Brendan felt he became ‘public property’. ‘That’s a hard thing to deal with when you’re not used to it. There were rumours of whether or not Natasha and I were seeing each other, and my relationship broke down in the middle of the series [with fellow professional dancer Camilla Dallerup, whom he had been dating for eight years].
‘It was pretty tumultuous, and tricky to say the least,’ he summarised.
Brendan also felt ‘animosity’ from the other contestants: ‘They all thought something was going on, and poor old Camilla got left, but she left me.’
Brendan was axed from Strictly in 2018, but he still has a special place in his heart for Strictly.
‘It’s one of those defining parts of my life and those people who worked on the first episode set the mould in many ways. I feel like the show belongs to us, even though it doesn’t.
‘I will always be a Strictly dancer – that will never change. Whether people liked me or hated me, I am still part of the legacy,’ he concluded.
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