I AM THE VOICE BEHIND STRICTLY’S SOUNDTRACK
and music synced-up he says.
How about a favourite contestant? “I met Debbie years ago when her late husband Paul Daniels did the show and we became friends then. When it was announced that she was part of this season’s line-up none of us expected her to be as brilliant as she is.”
With talk of this season’s new contestants the conversation inevitably turns to the famous faces who are now no longer part of the show. beautifully,” Head judge Len Goodman left the show last season after 14 years on the panel and was replaced by ballroom dancer Shirley Ballas. “I miss Len so much,” says Tommy. “He has moved on to pastures new but we will get to see him in January because he is still doing the Strictly tour, which everyone is really looking forward to.
“Len is a one-off. He brought a balance to the panel. I loved it when he would tell off the other judges for being too harsh and I loved the jokey nature of his relationship with Bruno Tonioli. He was always having to avoid Bruno’s flailing arms.
“But Shirley is doing a fantastic job. It’s great to have a fellow Scouser on board. It was a tough seat to fill but her dance history speaks for itself. She’s the champion of champions. She’s very much like Darcey Bussell in that the advice she gives is always positive.”
Tommy says the show has plans to pay tribute to another Strictly legend: veteran entertainer and presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth who died this year aged 89 after a long battle with ill health. “Losing Bruce was very sad,” says Tommy. “I miss him like mad.”
Tommy was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Sir Bruce as the pair recorded the Strictly Come Dancing album together back in 2004. “I went to his house a few times to plan the album and he was so welcoming and encouraging,” says Tommy, who lives in west London. “He was just as you saw him on TV. He was an absolute gentleman.”
One side of Sir Bruce that fans might not be aware of was his superstitious nature. “He was incredibly superstitious,” says Tommy. “If anyone walked past his dressing room while whistling he’d drag you in and make you do three spins and walk out backwards.”
This superstition dates back to the old days of theatre when backstage crews were made up of offduty sailers who, just like they did at sea, would communicate with each other through a series of coded whistles to lift or lower heavy props. A whistling actor could inadvertently prompt them to lower something they shouldn’t and injure a cast member.
“I was always whistling so was forever being dragged into his dressing room,” adds Tommy, who says his favourite time with Sir Bruce was attending his 80th birthday party. “He sat me at the same table as Sammy Davis Jr, which made me feel so proud because Sammy was his idol. He loved him so much so to be sat at his table was an honour.
“We have a big tribute to Bruce coming up in February but I can’t say any more.”
Tommy says the crew are like one big happy family backstage but they rarely have time to mingle. “The best time to get to know everyone is when we go on our sixweek tour. We live in each other’s pockets then.”
But once the Strictly circus leaves town after the tour Tommy gets to spend time with his own family: partner Terrie and children Kai, 16, and Kalina, 24. “It’s hard being away from them,” admits Tommy. “But I can’t complain because I really do have the best job in the world.” Life & Soul by Tommy Blaize is on sale now.