In 2023, today is the day of the Strictly Come Dancing Final in the UK. Here are 10 things you might not know about the show:
The name comes from an old TV show and a film. Come Dancing was a ballroom dancing competition series which aired on the BBC from 1949 to 1998 and featured non-celebrity contestants. The word “strictly” is from Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 film Strictly Ballroom.
The show debuted on 15 May 2004 and was presented by Tess Daly and primetime legend Bruce Forsyth. The judges then were Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli. The winners of the first series were Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole.
The aim of any couple on the show is to get a maximum score of 40. The contestant who has achieved a maximum score the most times is Caroline Flack, who won the 12th series. She became the first celebrity to score the maximum 40 from the judges in all three of her dances in the final, and she also set the record for the longest consecutive run of 40 marks, with four, since her second dance in the semi-final had also scored 40. Her partner was Pasha Kovelev, who has achieved the top score 13 times.
The show’s resident band, led by Dave Arch, have over 4,500 music arrangements in their collection.
Brendan Cole and Anton Du Beke are the only two professional dancers to have taken part in all twelve series of the show.
There’s a lot of make up involved. Since Strictly started it has got through more than 150 litres of liquid glitter, 1,200 sets of false eyelashes, and 1,000 bottles of nail varnish. Each series uses 57 litres of fake tan and over 504 cans of hairspray. A celebrity’s weekly makeover is known as their ‘Strictlification’.
The Sunday results show isn’t live. Since 2009 it has been recorded on Saturday night after the voting closes. The judges and presenters change their clothes and when they talk about “last night’s show” it’s not actually true.
The Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep, Rumba, Tango, Jive, Foxtrot, Paso Doble and Samba have featured in the show since series 1. The American Smooth and Viennese Waltz were added in series 3. The Salsa and Argentine Tango were added in Series 4. The Charleston was introduced during series 7. Each dance lasts about 90 seconds.
The format is licenced to more than 75 countries including the USA, China and India. In the United States, it is called Dancing with the Stars and in Sweden the show is called Let's Dance.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was a fan of the show, as is her daughter in law Queen Camilla. Mary Berry is another celebrity fan. The show is also regularly watched by National Grid staff, not necessarily because they are fans, but because they need to know when the credits start rolling, since it’s so popular that they need to prepare for a phenomenon known as TV pick-up. That is, a massive surge in electricity use as people who’ve been watching go and put the kettle on.
Character birthday
Joan Shirley, a college friend of Ultra Grav. She had a crush on him and it was her jealousy which helped fuel the students’ bullying of Rosemary Ellis (Shadow) when Ultra Grav began to show an interest in her. She appears in Running in the Family.
Running in the Family
An alien craft approaches Earth. The alien on board is a fugitive, fleeing from an arranged marriage to freedom on our world. She befriends James, a genetics student, and shares her knowledge about the future of the human race with him.
A science experiment gone wrong gifts James with superhuman abilities; but they come at a price, leading him to mentor others like himself. He founds a group of amateur heroes called the Freedom League.
The Freedom League suffers a string of losses and tragedies; it seems doomed to failure; but one of its members, Peter Mayfield, has vowed to form a group of his own. He is determined to keep his vow, despite having lost Rosemary, the one person he wanted by his side to help him.
Lizzie Hopkins is a talented young athlete and dancer. Peter sees her in action and guesses her exceptional abilities are far more than they seem. He offers to train and mentor Lizzie - but her mother is violently opposed to his suggestion.
As soon as she is old enough, Lizzie takes matters into her own hands; she seeks out Peter and his group for herself. She soon makes a discovery which shakes her world at its very foundations. Her search for the truth will resolve many unanswered questions, but it will also stir up old heartbreaks dating back to the Freedom League's early days.
An alien craft approaches Earth. The alien on board is a fugitive, fleeing from an arranged marriage to freedom on our world. She befriends James, a genetics student, and shares her knowledge about the future of the human race with him. 
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