Len leaves Strictly with some twinkle-toed shoes to fill
Farewell then, Leonard Gordon Goodman. Strictly Come Dancing’s much-loved head judge bows out after this year’s grand glitterball final. He leaves not just an empty seat on the judging panel but a hole at the very heart of the hit hoofing series. The BBC now needs to fill that space wisely.
Goodman announced this summer that he would step down after the current series, both his and the show’s 14th.
It was a blow but, with Goodman now aged 72, not an altogether unexpected one. Now his departure has heaved into view and fans of the franchise are contemplating in earnest how the show will go on.
Last Sunday was the final results show of the series and the last Len’s Lens feature (what now? Craig’s CloseUp? Darcey’s Details? Bruno’s Binoculars?). Christmas Day’s Strictly special, already pre-recorded, marks his last on-screen appearance. The BBC are also airing a tribute documentary, Strictly Len Goodman, on Friday 23 December.
Goodman will take part in the 2017 Strictly Tour, but last night’s final was his true swansong. His last live show. His leaving party.
Let us count the ways we’ll miss the ballroom king from Kent. We’ll miss his twinkle-toed entrances, dapper dinner suits, dazzling grin and grumpy outbursts. We’ll miss his two trademark scores: “from Len, a ten” and, of course, that familiar bellow of “seveeeen!” – invariably greeted with an appreciative cheer from the studio audience and sofasurfers nationwide.
Perhaps most of all, we’ll miss his ability to coin an instant catchphrase, praising routines with such choice lines as “Yum yum, pig’s bum, that was fun”, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner, finger-lickin’ good” and “I’ll pickle me walnuts”.
Speculation about his replacement will now begin in earnest.
Goodman has expressed a desire that his seat is taken by someone from a ballroom background, to preserve the balance of the panel. Of the remaining trio, Craig Revel Horwood’s career has been predominantly in musical theatre, Bruno Tonioli’s in the music industry and Darcey Bussell’s in ballet.
The show needs a technical stickler to spot illegal lifts, insist on basic content, be hot on heel leads and appreciate traditional flourishes, as Goodman most certainly did. His broadest grins this series emerged at the sight of obscure steps – the fishtail, the sliding door, the maypole – knowingly inserted into routines by ballroom specialist Anton Du Beke or his spiritual successors, Kevin Clifton and newcomer AJ Pritchard.
It’s this authoritative stature for which Goodman will be most missed. In the rarefied world of ballroom, the former British champion is well-loved and widely respected. The professional dancers on the show remain desperate to impress him and choreograph their routines accordingly. Celebrities set more store by his marks than anybody else’s. As head judge, he gets the casting vote in the dreaded elimination dance-off.
Goodman is also the only one who can silence sneery panto villain Revel Horwood, arm-waving Tonioli, or outspoken pros such as Brendan Cole and James Jordan with a stern look or sharp word. “Turn up, keep up and shut up,” he memorably told the latter.
Crucially, Goodman’s departure could also alter the show’s demographic profile. Coming two years after the retirement of veteran host Bruce Forsyth, it means that Strictly has lost both its old stagers in quick succession. Perhaps BBC bigwigs, who have long been accused of ageism, will secretly welcome a chance to inject fresh blood and bring down the cast’s average age.
Yet they must remember that it is a multi-generational, winningly oldfashioned TV programme that attracts fans of a certain vintage. Half its viewers are over 40, in fact. And this series has been its most successful, with an average of 11.3million viewers tuning in on Saturday nights. The relentless pursuit of the “yoof ” market – who are more likely to watch ITV rival The X Factor or go out on a Saturday night – could be counter-productive.
The stalwart head judge’s exit marks the end of an era and arguably the biggest change with which Strictly
Come Dancing has ever had to cope. When Forsyth left in 2014, Claudia Winkleman was already lined up as his replacement, having taken over results show duties and deputising during the octogenarian’s absences.
The rest of the show has remained largely, reassuringly unchanged since its 2004 debut. This next casting decision, likely to be announced in the New Year, is a critical one. These are big dancing shoes to fill.
Len Goodman is the ballroom king. The dance daddy. Godfather of the glitterball. Depending on your own age, he was a cheeky friend, twinkly uncle or kindly grandad. It’s hard to imagine a new series starting next September without him encouraging the new batch of celebrities, telling off the professional dancers and raising that “seveeeeen!” scoring paddle.
We wave him off with a tear in our eye, a song in our hearts and a last dance in our feet. Happy retirement, Len, and enjoy pickling your walnuts in peace. You’ve earned it.
‘His exit marks the end of an era and arguably the biggest change Strictly has ever had to cope with’