A dance would be a fine thing
BELOVED broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan hosted many shows during his long career, even donning top hat and tails to present Come Dancing for seven seasons. The radio presenter and TV chat show host compered the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing predecessor in the 1970s, writing in a newspaper in 2010: “When but a fresh-faced lad, newly arrived on Blighty’s shore, I was thrilled to be asked to present Come Dancing for BBC Television.”
Many decades later Terry briefly took to the dance floor himself in 2008 for Children In Need when he and his professional partner Flavia Cacace did battle against Tess Daly and Anton Du Beke. The Irish presenter also found himself sitting on the judging panel alongside Craig Revel Horwood, head judge Len Goodman and Pudsey in 2010.
Sir Terry once revealed: “I’m asked to do Strictly Come Dancing on a regular basis, but I always say no.”
A host of household names fronted Come Dancing over the years. Newsreader Angela Rippon, travel queen Judith Chalmers, radio’s David Jacobs, Rosemarie Ford and even Noel Edmonds were among the many celebrities who hosted the long-running series. Noel was even inspired to put on a skimpy costume and high heels for a dance routine of his own for his Saturday Roadshow TV programme in 1989.
Millions of viewers will be voting for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing champ and watching to see who will be lifting the coveted Glitterball trophy.
Strictly’s dance show format is now popular all over the world, but TV’s interest in all things ballroom dates back to 1948 when the BBC began showcasing the music of Victor Sylvester and his Ballroom Orchestra in a 30-minute show.
Come Dancing was launched the following year and quickly became a telly favourite... going on to be one of the longest- running programmes on the Beeb.
Mecca clubs boss Eric Morley, who with his wife Julia also brought the Miss World competition to TV screen, was the creator of the dance show and was even pictured years later 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,