Strictly BACKSTAGE!
FROM DANCING WITH ANTON DU BEKE TO PLAYING EGGHEADS IN BLACKPOOL, FOUR INSIDERS SHARE THEIR BEHIND-THE-SCENES SECRETS ABOUT THE HOTTEST SHOW ON TV
THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
LOUISE RAINBOW HAS WORKED AS THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON BBC’S Strictly SINCE 2013. SHE IS MARRIED WITH GROWN-UP TWIN DAUGHTERS.
EVERY YEAR, I SAY TO THE Strictly TEAM, “DON’T WORRY ABOUT HOW BIG THIS SHOW IS, JUST GET ON AND DO YOUR JOB AND I’LL TAKE THE WEIGHT OF THIS ON MY SHOULDERS.” A LARGE PART OF MY JOB IS ABOUT ABSORBING THE PROBLEMS – WHETHER IT’S BAD PRESS OR A LAST-MINUTE COSTUME PANIC. DAILY TASKS RANGE FROM WATCHING REHEARSAL FOOTAGE IN ORDER TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT SOUND, PROPS AND LIGHTING TO GIVING CELEBRITIES A HUG BEFORE THEY GO ON STAGE. IT’S A HUGE OPERATION – AND IF
IT’S NOT RUNNING SMOOTHLY, IT’S DOWN TO ME!
OFTEN A CELEBRITY WILL SAY, “OH, I’D LOVE TO BE PARTNERED WITH THAT DANCER” BUT WHILE MY JOB IS TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY, UNFORTUNATELY THEY DON’T ALWAYS GET
WHAT THEY WANT! IT’S A GUT INSTINCT THAT TWO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ENJOY SPENDING SIX HOURS A DAY TRAINING TOGETHER. I’VE HAD A LITTLE SPIN ON THE DANCE FLOOR WITH ANTON – NOW THAT WAS FANTASTIC! WE ACTUALLY GET THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION TEAM TO LEARN SOME OF THE STEPS, SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT’S INVOLVED IN DOING A WALTZ, A SAMBA OR A JIVE – AND EXACTLY WHAT THE CELEBRITIES ARE GOING THROUGH! TESS [DALY] AND CLAUDIA [WINKLEMAN] WON’T SHY AWAY FROM IT EITHER. I DIDN’T HAVE ANY DANCE EXPERIENCE BEFORE I JOINED Strictly, BUT I DID WATCH THE SHOW AND THINK, “I WISH I COULD DO THAT” – IF THERE’S ONE THING IT’S TAUGHT ME, IT’S THAT ANYBODY CAN DANCE.
ONE OF THE MOST AGONISING PARTS OF MY JOB IS TRYING TO CONSOLE A CELEBRITY WHEN IT’S TIME FOR THEM TO GO HOME. I WANT TO KEEP EVERYONE IN THERE AS MUCH AS YOU AT HOME DO! ONCE THE RESULTS SHOW IS OVER, WE GIVE THEM A BIG HUG AND HAVE A DRINK AT THE BAR – THAT’S WHEN EVERYONE LETS THEIR TEARS OUT.
MY FAVOURITE MOMENT WAS WATCHING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE TO Young Hearts Run Free AT BLACKPOOL DURING SERIES 11. WE SPENT MONTHS PLANNING IT AND HAD 56 ADDITIONAL AMATEUR DANCERS AGED FROM TEN TO 80 GIVING THEIR ALL. I FOUND IT SO POWERFUL THAT I STARTED CRYING! I’VE BEEN WATCHING
THE REHEARSALS OF ONE OF THIS YEAR’S GROUP PERFORMANCES, AND I ACTUALLY GOT GOOSEBUMPS BECAUSE I THOUGHT, “THIS COULD BE ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS AGAIN.”
FROM NOW UP UNTIL CHRISTMAS, YOU LIVE EVERY MOMENT WITH THE CELEBRITIES, PROS AND CREW – IT’S ONE BIG FAMILY. >>
“We get the entire production team to learn some of the steps each series so they understand the moves”