I enjoyed Strictly from the off. I’ve loved it in fact...
IT’S A 10 FROM MARION McMULLEN AS STRICTLY COME DANCING JUDGE ANTON DU BEKE AND HIS PROFESSIONAL PARTNER ERIN BOAG HEAD OUT ON TOUR
When did you both realise Strictly was going to be a hit?
Anton: I felt it right from series one and certainly from the fans. There were such huge viewing figures by the end of that first run that immediately there was a huge uptake in the interest of the show and, as a by product, you get well known as it’s all part of it. It was lovely though and I enjoyed it from the off. I’ve loved it, in fact.
Erin: It was a wonderful programme to be a part of and obviously for Anton it still is. It becomes a part of you.
How did you come to be involved in the first BBC series in 2004?
Erin: We had heard it was in the pipeline, but it had always just been Come Dancing before that which sort of worried us. That had been off the air for 15 years and was very dated. Ballroom dancing had moved on massively since then and we were worried they were going to take the mickey out of it.
We were at the peak of our professional career and were told that the BBC were doing something with it and to put in our CVs. Little did we know that they’d actually been to the closed British championships in Blackpool and filmed us all. So, we had to decide if we wanted to be a part of it and Anton said, ‘I’d rather be a part of it to know what’s going on than not at all’.
Anton: I felt that it was better for us to be involved, even if we thought it was going to be a car crash, as we thought that we could potentially, with our experience, help steer it away from that happening. So we felt it would be better for us to be in.
Erin: They didn’t know what it was going to be called or that Bruce Forsyth was going to be hosting at that time. They were just choosing eight dancers and made it clear they weren’t looking for couples.
Anton: Only eight professionals out of the whole industry, eight professionals, and we were two out of the eight. So you know that’s pretty amazing.
What can audiences expect from your forthcoming Showtime tour? Anton: The bottom line is you’re putting on a show that’s really entertaining. One where people will walk out saying ‘What a great night!’. So you don’t want to reinvent the wheel with obscure music or make it a contemporary dance thing because that’s not what it says on the tin.
It says Showtime. It’s a song and dance show that’s purely about entertainment. The choreography has to be spectacular and entertaining too – even the dresses are iconic. We want people just to be able to sit down comfortably and be taken away.
Is it tricky covering lots of dancing styles in the show?
Erin: It’s difficult! We get a lot of help and support from our dancers who have a more theatre background, but it takes a lot longer to put the pieces together for us. Thankfully they’re very patient with us, as they know exactly where we’re coming from.
The show also features a Q&A section. What do people want to know?
Erin: Three quarters of the show is dancing with music and singing then there’s a moment in the second half where we just tone it down and it’s always a funny moment. It’s a great moment, in fact. People laugh because it’s their own questions and they always want to know simple things like what happens to the dresses after Strictly or what kind of underpants you wear or what cheese you eat...
There are lots of those silly questions, but they cause a reaction. We used to get a lot of marriage proposals, too! The Q&As are very popular, but it’s also important to go with what works and what doesn’t. If it doesn’t work, don’t have it, find something that does work because you always want something fresh for the audience.
How hands-on are you when it comes to the show?
Erin: We’re pretty hands-on. We have a lot of involvement and everything is run past us. We discuss the music and what’s going to happen, but we have a director now who comes in, makes suggestions and puts the pieces together.
If we wanted to, we could do a lot less and just turn up, do the pieces and go, but we like to have a lot of involvement. I go in and do all the costumes with them and all get together to do the music.
Anton: Yes, the music choice is very much a group affair. We have the musical director Richard Balcombe, Nikki Woollaston, who is our choreographer and director, and us all in a room talking about musical choices, the shape and direction of the show, title and what’s the narrative that runs through.
We are very involved in the five ballroom numbers, but the rest of the show is down to Nikki.
She puts together all the ensemble pieces, the flow and the run of it because you can’t do that when you’re in it. We tried that first year and learnt quickly that you need to be out front. Anybody that thinks they can do it from on stage, well, they’re either better than us at it, or they’ve got three eyes.
■ The Showtime tour starts on January 28 and runs until the end of March. Visit antonanderinlive.co.uk