Len Goodman: A world we have lost, a world we have gained
I’m not the most obvious fan of Strictly Come Dancing. Not only am I a lifelong confirmed non-dancer I’m not keen on the traditional format of ballroom dancing either. I would say that as there is no reference to dancing in the Collected Works of Marx and Engels that socialism and dancing don’t go together. However I am well aware that’s not correct.
I do remember watching Come Dancing on the BBC which ran from 1950 to 1998 and had comperes such as Peter West and Brian Johnston. It was the world I grew up in and I found it stifling boring and conservative.
Clearly the world had moved on and the series ended. A note on the BBC website where there are tributes to the original Strictly Head Judge Len Goodman who has sadly died at 78, explains what happened next:
In April 2004, the BBC took a huge gamble. Desperate to find a new show with mass appeal, it came up with a seemingly bizarre solution.
Ballroom dancing was deeply unfashionable. The quickstep and jive hailed from an era of Brylcreem and Butlin’s holidays. Now, the corporation was attempting to make the nostalgic preserve of a few elderly enthusiasts the centrepiece of its Saturday nights.
Over time Strictly made ballroom dancing entertaining to a modern audience and it also made it representative of the modern world(which Come Dancing certainly was not). Not only did it feature Celebs who really couldn’t dance- to the annoyance of the judges- but with the help of professional dancers it helped them to become, sometimes, modest dancers.
It also mirrored the world as it now- eventually- with same sex,LGBTQ and disabled dancers, often stealing the show. A balance between entertainment and professional dancing skills initiated and promoted by the BBC a public sector broadcasting organisation.
In this Len Goodman from 2006 to 2014 was a central figure. Someone from the old disciplines of ballroom dancing who also embraced what dancing had and needed to become
Thanks I think you may “have done a Diane” and not proof read as there is rather a big duplication and it feels to me a conclusion is missing.
I am also a non dancer but enjoyed variety television but Strictly Come Dancing is not a pleasure to me – I regret a lack of opportuniy for all the talented performers who no longer get much chance to demonstrate their talents because of all these untalented people – so called celebs – filling the performance spaces – I supposethey proliferate because they are clickbait for advertising revenue and audience numbers, which are needed to justify inclusion.
Thanks! An editing error now sorted I hope