'I worked on Strictly Come Dancing and the show has lost its magic'

Edinburgh Live

a day ago

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Strictly Come Dancing has been the jewel in the BBC's crown since it first graced our screens in 2004. However, in recent years, the much-loved programme has become somewhat of a headache for the broadcaster, having to navigate through a continuous flow of controversies.
The latest incident involves Jamie Borthwick, known for his 19-year stint on EastEnders, who was suspended from the soap after using an offensive term towards disabled individuals.
The 30-year-old actor, who danced with newcomer Michelle Tsiakkas on Strictly last year, has expressed regret over the incident that took place during filming for the show in Blackpool.
This scandal follows closely on the heels of radio host Wynne Evans being dropped from the Strictly tour and subsequently from the BBC altogether, after he was filmed making an inappropriate comment.
Although Wynne apologised at the time, he later stated he was "horrified" by how the BBC handled the release of his statement.
Already last year, there were murmurs about Strictly's future amid an investigation into allegations of bullying among the professional dancers.
This led to stricter regulations during rehearsals and resulted in the show featuring the smallest number of female celebrities in its two-decade run, reports the Mirror.
(Image: PA)
With all these events and the subsequent changes, the question remains: is there still hope for Strictly Come Dancing?
Vincent Simone, a beloved professional dancer who graced the BBC show from 2006 to 2012, expressed his desire to see Strictly Come Dancing return to its original format in an interview with the Mirror.
"Back in our day with Bruce [Forsyth], it was a very traditional Ballroom and Latin American show," Vincent elaborates. "Now it has developed so much and they've introduced so many different styles that me, myself, would be struggling to do like contemporary and all that stuff.
"It didn't used to have any special effects - it was literally someone handing me over a CD with the music and saying good luck, off you go for next week. It's a much bigger team now with choreographers, helpers and cameras and so they juice it up a lot more. Sometimes I always feel like it's nice to strip it back to just two people dancing with the music. Like, really simple. I like that side of it."
Brendan Cole, Strictly's legendary 'bad boy' pro from 2004 until 2017, concedes that he feels the show has lost some of its magic. However, unlike Vincent, he doesn't believe the show can revert to its simpler roots.
(Image: PA)
"With these big shows, the longer they run, the more bells and whistles," he comments. "Because every year a new producer steps in, they want to make the show their own. When [Strictly] first started there was a magic about it but if you watch that show now, it would probably seem very, very basic and very average compared to what you watch now.
"But of its day, it had a magic and it had a beauty and it was very innocent. It's probably lost a little bit of that, but I don't think you could return to that format. I think shows have to improve and have to compete with other shows, otherwise they get left behind.
"Strictly had an amazing 20 something years on television. I don't think you can compare the start to finish, but what you can do is admire the way the show has been produced over the years, and the fact that it still has a good family sort of value."
He added: "So yes, it's had a couple of it may have had a couple of rocky years, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It's just time."
Meanwhile, Pasha Kovalev, who found love with his now-wife Rachel Riley while working on the show from 2011 until 2018, expressed that he misses the original VTs which showcased the relationships between the pro and celebrity develop in the training room as opposed to the skits that are filmed now.
"You don't really speak much on the show," he says. "You stand next to your celebrity and listen to what the judges say. Those VTs before could show the actual friendship and relationship that develops between the two people on the dance floor in the dance room and you can get your personality across. That's why everyone loves Vincent now."
Vincent cheekily interjected: "We had personality back in the day!"