Strictly Come Dancing



Strictly Come Dancing (also known as Strictly) is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom. The format has been exported to over 40 countries, and has also inspired a modern-dance themed spin-off Strictly Dance Fever. The show is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with former presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth continuing to front special episodes.

The show has run on BBC One since May 15, 2004, primarily on Saturday evenings with a following Sunday night results show (with certain exceptions). The eleventh series ended on December 21, 2013 and a further ten stand-alone Christmas specials have also been produced, in consecutive years from 2004 to 2013. Nine charity specials have also been produced since 2008. Since the fourth series, the show has also been aired in high definition on BBC HD, and BBC One HD from Series 8.

Format
From Series 1 to 11, Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly presented the pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition. From series 8 to 11, Forsyth only presented the main show and was replaced for the results show by Claudia Winkleman, at which point Daly assumed Forsyth's role as main presenterand Winkleman assumed Daly's role as co-presenter. Winkleman will join Daly as full-tme co-presenter for Series 12 following Forsyth's departure after the 2013 series. Through telephone voting, viewers vote for who they would like to be in the next round, the resultsof the poll being combined with the ranking of the judges. For example, when ten contestants left, the judges' favourite would receive ten points, second favourite nine points, and so on,and similarly with the viewers' rankings. The bottom ranked couple gets one point. The profits from the telephone lines were donated to Sport Relief in Series 1, and to Children in Need from Series 2 to 5.

The show is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday evenings, and is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Sir Bruce Forsyth presented the live shows alongside Daly from 2004 to 2013, announcing his departure in 2014. He will continue to present special editions of the show. For some of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Daly while she took maternity leave. Claudia Winkleman has hosted the results show and editions that Forsyth had missed from 2010-2013. The judging panel initially consisted of Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood. Alesha Dixon took Phillips' place from Series 7 to 9, after which she left the programme to judge Britain's Got Talent which led retired ballerina Darcey Bussell replace Dixon and remains a judge alongside Tonioli, Goodman and Revel Horwood. Goodman and Tonioli commute weekly between Hollywood and London to judge both the American and British versions of the show similtaneously. Each judge gives the performance a mark out of ten, giving an overall total out of forty. The voice-over announcer is Alan Dedicoat. During Series 4, an hour-long highlight show was shown on Sundays at 19:00 on BBC Two, and during Series 5 and 6, the results show moved to Sunday evenings, although it was filmed on Saturday and then broadcast "as live" on the Sunday.

The singers on the show are Tommy Blaize, Hayley Sanderson, Lance Ellington, Andrea Grant and formally the well known UK dance music vocalist Tara McDonald. The music director is David Arch. Tommy Blaize has been part of Strictly since its beginning. David Arch joined in the fourth series and Hayley Sanderson in the fifth.

The show was broadcast from a specially constructed set at the BBC Television Centre, moving to the Elstree Studios in 2013. However, in the first two series, shows were also filmed at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, where the original Come Dancing series was filmed in the 1970s.

In the second series, two shows were filmed at the Tower Ballroom, show five and the Grand Final which was broadcast live on December 11, 2004. In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems". In October 2008, Craig Revel Horwood called for the series to return to the Tower Ballroom, saying "the atmosphere was electric. It's huge and has so much history. The Tower Ballroom puts a lot of pressure on the professionals and the celebrities to perform to the best of their potential. What a wonderful place to go live to 12 million people. We have got to get the BBC to bring Strictly Come Dancing back to Blackpool." Eventually, the show did return to the Tower Ballroom, for Series 7, where Blackpool-born Craig Kelly was eliminated. The episode was aired live on November 7, 2009. Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010 and 2011 series. The after Series 10 when Strictly Come Dancing didn't go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for Series 11.

Presenters

 * Pink: Presenter of Strictly Come Dancing
 * Blue: Presenter of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

Judging Panel

 * Pink: Judging Panel
 * Blue: Guest Judge(s)

Professional Pairs
Many of the dancers form professional partnerships, dancing together competitively or on the show. Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, and James and Ola Jordan are married, while Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced but still professional partners. Anton du Beke and Erin Boag have danced as a professional couple since 1997; Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are a former Argentine Tango world champion couple. Brendan Cole and Katya Virshilas danced professionally for several years before parting in November 2009. Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton were engaged when Kevin entered the show in 2013, Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec are also a couple.

In 2013, due to injury, Natalie Lowe had to withdraw, meaning Aliona Vilani danced as her replacement with Brendan Cole. Due to the odd number of couples, there will always be an extra male professional, therefore Chigvintsev dances with different female professionals.

Dances

 * The Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep, Rumba, Tango, Jive, Foxtrot, Paso Doble and Samba have all been danced since Series 1.
 * The American Smooth, the Salsa and the Viennese Waltz were added in Series 3.
 * The Argentine Tango was added in Series 4.
 * No more dances were added until Series 7, Week 11 when couples performed either a Charleston or a Rock N' Roll routine. The final also featured a head-to-head Lindyhop. Of these dances, only the Charleston was retained for subsequent series.
 * Series 8 introduced the Swing-a-thon, where all remaining couples dance Swing simultaneously and are voted off the dancefloor one by one by the judges until only one couple remains. This returned in Series 9 and 11.
 * The tenth series featured a "Dance Fusion", in which the couples attempt to perform two dances consecutively in one routine.
 * A Showdance (Freestyle) has always been performed in the series final as a last chance for couples to impress the public.

Coaching
As of Series 4, coaches are Jaclyn Spencer and Chris Marques (aka Cuban Groove) for Salsa and Mambo, and Jenny Thomas and Ryan Francois for Swing, Jive, Rock N' Roll and the Charleston. The Argentine Tango coaches in Series 3 were Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, both of whom have subsequently competed in the show.

Dance-Off
In Series 5, a new system was introduced called the Dance Off. The Dance Off is performed by the two couples with the lowest scores following the judges' scores and public vote. After performing their dance again, the judes are asked one-by-one who they would like to save, and the couple with more votes remains in the competition. If there is a tie, head judge Len Goodman has the deciding vote.

The results show is recorded on the Saturday night directly after the live show and incorporates the result of the viewers' votes which are completed by 21:30. This was confirmed by the official BBC website in 2008:


 * "The Sunday show is recorded on Saturday night but no element involving the results of the vote will start recording until after lines are closed and votes counted and verified."

Throughout the Sunday results show the presenters refer to "last night" in reference to the main show, due to the timing of the Sunday programme, and Tess Daly's dress is changed to present an illusion of a second live broadcast.

For Series 7, the Sunday results show was axed and put back to Saturday nights as a result of a revamp of the show.

From Series 8, the dance off was axed with the public having 50% of the decision of who is to be eliminated, the other 50% coming from the judge's scores. The result show is shown on Sunday evenings.

In Series 10, the dance off was re-introduced and has continued since.

Strictly: It Takes Two
During the run of Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly: It Takes Two is broadcast each weeknight on BBC Two. The series was previously hosted by Claudia Winkleman; but, due to her pregnancy in 2011, she has had to leave the series, and Zoe Ball took over from Series 9.

The show features reviews of the performances during the previous Saturday's show, and interviews with, and training footage of, the couples preparing for the next show. The judges and other celebrities also provide their opinions on how the couples are doing. It Takes Two replaced Strictly Come Dancing on Three, hosted by Justin Lee Collins, which ran on BBC Three during the first series. BBC Two Scotland airs the programme on four nights only, running their own Gaelic-language programming on Thursdays instead.

Series 1 (2004)
Series 1

Series 2 (2004)
Series 2

Series 3 (2005)
Series 3

Series 4 (2006)
Series 4

Series 5 (2007)
Series 5

Series 6 (2008)
Series 6

Series 7 (2009)
Series 7

Series 8 (2010)
Series 8

Series 9 (2011)
Series 9

Series 10 (2012)
Series 10

Series 11 (2013)
Series 11

Series 12 (2014)
Series 12

Christmas Specials
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Specials

The Christmas specials have been broadcast each year since 2004. The first special was broadcast the week before Christmas in 2004, in 2005 it was broadcast on Christmas Eve and from 2006 have been broadcast on Christmas Day. Every Christmas Special has been hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly and Forsyth will continue to host these editions from 2014 after he left the live shows.

Strictly Ice Dancing
Strictly Ice Dancing was broadcast as a one-off special on December 26, 2004; with Carol Smillie, Jessica Taylor, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Marcus Patric, David Seaman and Rowland Rivron paired with professional skaters. This was won by David Seaman (who was a late replacement for Paul Gascoigne) and his partner Zola Birmingham.

In order of elimination, the competitors were: Strictly Ice Dancing was identical to the ITV format Dancing on Ice, although details of Dancing on Ice were revealed before Strictly Ice Dancing was commissioned.

Strictly African Dancing
A further one-off special was broadcast on BBC One on July 9, 2005 as part of the BBC's Africa Lives season. It featured six celebrities of African descent performing traditional African dances with a professional troupe. The contestants were: Tunde Baiyewu, Tupele Dorgu, Robbie Earle, Antonia Okonma, Louis Emerick and Tessa Sanderson. The programme was presented by Natasha Kaplinsky and Martin Offiah, and the winner was Robbie Earle. Professional dancers Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, who have appeared on Strictly Come Dancing since the second series, also appeared on this special to perform a traditional African Samba.

In order of elimination:
 * Tunde Baiyewu
 * Louis Emerick
 * Tupele Dorgu
 * Tessa Sanderson
 * Antonia Okonma
 * Robbie Earle

2008
A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Sport Relief was broadcast on March 14, 2008, with Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman judging. Five former Strictly contestants related to sport partnered a new celebrity.

The results were as follows: The ranking of the bottom three couples was not announced, they were eliminated from the competition in randon order.

A BBC spokesperson commented: "Sport Relief features Strictly Come Dancing with a difference."

2012
Strictly Come Dancing did an underwater special for Sport Relief 2012. The contestants were Strictly Come Dancing 2011 champion Harry Judd and runner-up Chelsee Healey. The judges were Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Mark Foster. It was presented by Claudia Winkleman. After the initial scores resulted in a draw, Len (as Head Judge) had the deciding vote. He chose Chelsee and Pasha, therefore they won the contest.

2014
Strictly Come Dancing did a paralympian's special for Sport Relief 2014. The contestants were David Clarke, Hannah Cockroft, Nathan Stephens and Martine Wright. The judges were Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and Lee Pearson, however no scores were given. It was presented by Tess Daly.

2008
A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Children in Need was broadcast on November 14, 2008, with Fearne Cotton presenting and Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips and Craig Revel Horwood judging.

The results were as follows:

2009
The dancers performed alongside Alesha Dixon singing "The Boy Does Nothing" at the start of the show and also Ricky Whittle was seen backstage, supporting the Hollyoaks cast who performed and Alesha told him to go back to rehearsals. The presenters and judges didn't appear in this unlike the previous year when judges rated Terry's performance.

2010
A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Children in Need was broadcast on November 19, 2010, with Tess Daly presenting the show and Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Terry Wogan and Pudsey Bear judging.

The results were as follows:

2011
In November 2011, BBC newsreaders Sian Williams, Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Emily Maitlis performed a group dance to Katy Perry's "Firework". Susanna and Robin won with three of the judges' votes. Angelia Rippon also made an appearance in the dance, alongside the women. Susanna then went on to compete as a contestant in the eleventh series of the show in 2013.

2012
A one-off special for Children in Need 2012 was broadcast on November 16, 2012 with Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly hosting, and judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman and Bruno Toniolo. Fan favourites Ann Widdecombe and Russell Grant made a special appearance in a parody of The Queen's olympic opening ceremony scene with Daniel Craig as James Bond, and danced an "Angels and Demons" routine with their partners Anton du Beke and Flavia Cacace. Bruno voted for Ann and Anton, but Craig, Darcey and Len all chose Russell and Flavia, who took home the Pudsey-on-a-glitter-ball trophy.

2013
A one-off special was broadcast for Children in Need 2013 on November 15, 2013. Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly hosted the show, and was judged by Len Goodman, Darcey Bussell and Bruno Tonioli. The show featured professional ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who were partnered with James Jordan and Aliona Vilani. Bussell voted for Chris and Aliona, but Tonioli and Goodman voted for Jayne and James, who won the show and took home the Pudsey-on-a-glitter-ball trophy.

The Weakest Link Special 2008
On December 27, 2008, a special episode of The Weakest Link was broadcast on BBC One featuring participants of Strictly Come Dancing. The game was won by series 6 celebrity Mark Foster, who beat professional dancer Anton du Beke in the final. Participants in order of elimination were:
 * Craig Revel Horwood
 * Arlene Phillips
 * Kristina Rihanoff
 * Camilla Dallerup
 * Mark Ramprakash
 * Brendan Cole
 * Heather Small
 * Anton du Beke
 * Mark Foster

The Live Tour! 2008
Strictly Come Dancing went on tour at the beginning of 2008 for the first time. The tour was hosted by Kate Thornton, and judged by Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman. Bruno Tonioli was not a judge in this competition due to his being in Los Angeles. The tour began on January 18, 2008 in Glasgow and finished on February 19, 2008 in Birmingham.

The couples and results of the tour were as follows: Denise Lewis, Christopher Parker or James Martin were not winners or runners up at any stage of the tour.

The Live Tour! 2009
The Strictly Come Dancing Tour returned in January and February 2009. Kate Thornton returned to host, and all four judges from the TV series took part.

The couples and results of the tour were as follows: Gethin Jones and Julian Clary were paired with new professional partners, Jones' partner Camilla Dallerup danced with her series six celebrity Tom Chambers, whilst Clary's partner, Erin Boag, did not take part in the tour, as she and her professional partner Anton du Beke were on their own Cheek To Cheek tour of the UK.

Strictly Come Dancing professionals Matthew Cutler and Kristina Rihanoff also performed a routine together. The DVD was released on November 9, 2009.

The Live Tour! 2010
The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour took place in January and February 2010. Amanda Byram and Kate Thornton hosted on different nights.

The judging panel consisted of all four judges from the series, Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli.

The following celebrities and professional dancers starred in the tour: The other pro dancers who danced on the tour were Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe.
 * Series 7 semi-finalist- Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
 * Series 5 contestant- Kelly Brook and Matthew Cutler
 * Series 7 winner- Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan
 * Series 4 winner- Mark Ramprakash and Kristina Rihanoff
 * Series 7 contestant- Ricky Groves and Aliona Vilani
 * Series 7 contestant- Natalie Cassidy and Darren Bennett
 * Series 7 contestant- Zoe Lucker and James Jordan
 * Series 6 contestant- Austin Healey and Lilia Kopylova

Strictly Come Dancing- The Professionals Tour 2010
Ten professional show dancers took part in the first Strictly Come Dancing- The Professionals Tour between April to July 2010. It featured:
 * Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace
 * Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe
 * Matthew Cutler and Aliona Vilani
 * James Jordan and Ola Jordan
 * Brian Fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff

The Live Tour! 2011
The Strictly Come Dancing 2011 UK tour returned to UK arenas during January and February 2011. Zoe Ball joined as host. Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. The celebrities and professionals who participated were: Also making a guest appearance in the tour was Fever Dance Company and their amazing formation team.
 * Series 7 runner-up- Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe
 * Series 8 contestant- Tina O'Brien and Jared Murillo
 * Series 8 semi-finalist- Pamela Stephenson and James Jordan
 * Series 8 winner- Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
 * Series 3 runner-up- Colin Jackson and Ola Jordan
 * Series 8 contestant- Patsy Kensit and Robin Windsor
 * Series 8 contestant- Jimi Mistry and Kristina Rihanoff
 * Series 8 runner-up- Matt Baker and Aliona Vilani
 * Series 8 contestant- Ann Widdecombe and judge Craig Revel Horwood

The Live Tour! 2012
The Strictly Come Dancing 2012 UK tour began its run on January 20, 2012 and finished on February 26, 2012. The venues hosting the tour were: Kate Thornton returned as host. Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. Horwood directed the tour or the second year.
 * National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
 * Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
 * Wembley Arena and O2 Arena, London
 * Evening News Arena, Manchester
 * Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
 * Echo Arena, Liverpool
 * Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
 * SECC, Glasgow
 * Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff
 * The O2, Dublin
 * Odyssey Arena, Belfast

The celebrities and professionals who participated were: Ian Waite performed with Natalie on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity.
 * Series 9 contestant- Anita Dobson and Robin Windsor
 * Series 9 runner-up- Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev
 * Series 9 winner- Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani
 * Series 9 semi-finalist- Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff
 * Series 6 contestant- Mark Foster and Natalie Lowe
 * Series 9 contestant- Nancy Dell'Olio and Artem Chigvintsev
 * Series 9 contestant- Robbie Savage and Katya Virshilas

The Live Tour! 2013
The Strictly Come Dancing 2013 UK tour began its run on January 18, 2013. The confirmed line-up of celebrities and professionals for the tour was as follows: Kate Thornton returned as host; Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman returned as judges. Iveta Lukosiute also performed on the tour, but did not partner a celebrity. Louis Smith and Ola Jordan were the overall champions of the tour, with the most wins.
 * Series 10 semi-finalist- Dani Harmer and Pasha Kovalev
 * Series 10 runner-up- Denise van Outen and James Jordan
 * Series 10 contestant- Fern Britton and Artem Chigvintsev
 * Series 10 semi-finalist- Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor
 * Series 10 winner- Louis Smith and Ola Jordan
 * Series 10 contestant- Michael Vaughan and Natalie Lowe
 * Series 7 contestant- Phil Tufnell and Karen Hauer

The Live Tour! 2014
The Strictly Come Dancing 2014 UK Tour began on January 17, 2014 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and end at The O2 Arena on February 7, 2014. The tour was hosted by former contestant Lisa Riley, with Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Len Goodman returning as judges.

The following celebrities and professionals have been confirmed to take part: Natalie Lowe also featured on the tour but not have a celebrity partner.
 * Series 11 contestant- Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute
 * Series 11 contestant- Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
 * Series 11 runner-up- Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton
 * Series 11 runner-up- Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev
 * Series 11 winner- Abbey Clancy and Aljaz Skorjanec
 * Series 11 contestant- Deborah Meaden and Robin Windsor
 * Series 10 contestant- Nicky Byrne and Karen Hauer

This is the first series of The Live Tour! in which all of the celebrities danced with their original partners.

Judges' Scores
On twenty-seven occasions, a perfect 40 out of 40 has been awarded inside the main series (including three perfect 50 out of 50s in Series 7). Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole, Pamela Stephenson and James Jordan, Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev and Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev hold the record for most perfect scores with three forties. On another five occasions, a couple scored 40/40 on a Christmas Special. The Samba and Rumba are the only two dance styles not to have received the perfect score.

The lowest score the judges have ever awarded was 8/40 to Quentin Wilson and Hazel Newberry for their Cha Cha Cha. Nine individual ones have been awarded in the entirety of Strictly Come Dancing, with eight of those coming from Craig Revel Horwood and the other coming from Arlene Phillips. Ann Widdecombe holds the current record for the most ones, receiving ones from Revel Horwood for her Salsa, Samba and Rumba. The biggest margin between two singular judges scores is five, awarded to Jason Wood and Kylie Jones for their Rumba, Christopher Parker and Hanna Karttunen for their Tango, Scott Maslen and Natalie Lowe for their Rumba, and, most recently, Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute for their Cha Cha Cha.

Ricky Whittle and his partner Natalie Lowe hold the record for the most tens with 28. However, if the four tens given by Darcey Bussell during her tenure as a fifth judge are removed, he is behind Rachel Stevens and her partner Vincent Simone and Harry Judd and his partner Aliona Vilani with 25 each. They are followed by Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev with 24, Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler, and Abbey Clancy and Aljaz Skorjanec with 22, Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev with 21 and Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole, Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev and Denise van Outen and James Jordan with 20.

Gumede and Chigvintsev also have the best average score from the judges out of all contestants on every series being 36.9/40 for their dances. Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler, and Ricky Whittle and his partner Natalie Lowe follow, with averages of 36.5 and 35.9 respectively. Quentin Wilson, Diarmuid Gavin and Nicholas Owen hold averages of 8.0, 13.8 and 14.0, the lowest of any celebrities so far.

Highest and Lowest Scoring Performances
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks (out of 40) are as follows (not including scores earned on Christmas Specials).

For a more accurate comparison Darcey Bussell's scores have been subtracted from the totals of the Series 7 quarter-finals where relevant; specifically Ali Bastian's American Smooth, Chris Hollins' Charleston and Ricky Whittle's Quickstep. Bussell scored all of them a ten. Whittle's Showdance has not been omitted as it did not receive the perfect score from Busell, and therefore cannot be considered the same standard.

Oldest and Youngest Contestants and Series Winners
TV presenter Johnny Ball, who was 74 when he competed in 2012, is the oldest contestant, he was two years older than magician Paul Daniels, who was 72 when he competed in 2010. Actress Louisa Lytton, who was 17 when she competed in 2006, remains the youngest contestant. TV presenter Chris Hollins, who was 38 when he competed in 2009, is the oldest series winner and gymnast Louis Smith, who was 23 when he competed in 2012, is the youngest series winner.

Phone Voting
In December 2008, the show hit the headlines when viewers were able to register telephone votes for a couple that effectively they could not save from the dance off irrespective of how many public votes were cast in their favour. Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup had finished bottom of the leaderboard, whilst the two other couples were tied above them; this meant they could not mathematically survive given the scoring system, however viewers were invited to call in to save their favourites at a cost of 15p per vote. This resulted in the elimination for that week being cancelled and all the votes being carried over to the final.

Arlene Phillips and Alesha Dixon
The decision to drop Arlene Phillips from the judging line-up for the 2009 series of Strictly Come Dancing led to much criticism being directed at the BBC by various UK newspapers, notably The Sun, running the axe as a headline story for its handling of older female television personalities. Accusations resurfaced that the BBC routinely discriminates against women in television based on their age. The most notable examples of purpoted age discrimination in the BBC include the release of newsreader Moira Stuart in 2007 and the retirement of Anna Ford in 2006. Other high-profile BBC personalities such as Selina Scott and Kate Idle accused the BBC of age discrimination towards women.

The axing of Phillips led to an unprecedented intervention from the government's Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman. During a session in the House of Commons, Harman responded to questions stating that she believed the decision to drop Phillips was motivated by age discrimination and called on the BBC to ensure that she would be taking part in the new series. The BBC has not formally responded to this request, but has repeated its comments that the decision was not due to age. The appointment of Alesha Dixon to the judging panel prompted 5,000 complaints to the BBC, and her judging debut was met with hostility among viewers and tabloids alike but she was subsequently believed by some to be a successful judge, giving both praise and constructive criticism. Dixon was lured away from the show after Series 9 by ITV to join the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent. Phillips was a popular media choice to replace her, but the role instead went to Series 7 guest judge Darcey Bussell.

Race Row
In 2009, a scandal embroiled the show involving professional dancer Anton du Beke, who in an off air conversation commented "Oh my God, you look like a Paki." to his dance partner of Moroccan descent Laila Rouass for which he has subsequently unreservedly apologised. Whilst both of the people involved insisted that the comments had been intended as humerous banter, the news nethertheless prompted numerous complaints filed by viewers calling for du Beke to be removed from his position.

Ratings
All numbers are from BARB. Series averages exclude Christmas Specials and launch shows.

Awards
The show has won a highly prestigious Rose D'Or award for "Best Variety Show", beating off competition from reality shows from twelve other different countries. It has also won two awards for "Best Reality Show" at the TRIC Awards and two at the TV Quick Awards for "Best Talent Show". It has also received three BAFTA Award nominations.

The show won the award of "Most Popular Talent Show" at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013 and 2014.

In the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 edition, the format of Strictly Come Dancing was named the most successful television show with the format being sold to more than 38 countries worldwide.