A dance would be a fine thing
Margaret Thatcher with
Eric Morley
taking to the dance floor with Margaret Thatcher at the Young Conservatives Blue Ribbon Ball in Brighton. Adding to the appeal of Come Dancing were the dance tips each week from world champions Syd Perkins and Edna Duffield who showed viewers how to dance the perfect foxtrot or waltz.
Beautiful plumage: Noel Edmonds pictured on his Saturday Roadshow and, right, Rosemarie Ford
The original format was very different from the present day Strictly Come Dancing. The programme was filmed at dance halls up and down the country, such as the Orchid Ballroom in Purley and the emphasis was firmly on amateur dancers and formation dance teams.
Male dancers wore figures on their back in the early shows and presenters would often comment on how many sequins each costume boasted and how long the taffeta, satin and silk dance costumes took to make.
The competitive edge came later, in 1953, with regional dancers pulling out their best moves to win the television’s ultimate dance trophy and modern rock ‘n’ roll dance styles were later seen alongside the ballroom.
It brought a touch of glamour and bling to post-war Britain and offered viewers a family-friendly show.
Come Dancing notched up an impressive 424 episodes before the participants finally hung up their dance shoes in the 1990s.
However, the success of Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 movie Strictly Ballroom sparked a renewed interest in all-things dance and led to Strictly Come Dancing launching on BBC in 2004,