Strictly Come Dancing is marking its 20th anniversary this year.
The BBC programme has been a mainstay on our televisions for two decades, delivering sparkle and glamour every Saturday and Sunday evening as winter draws near. Nothing heralds the onset of Christmas quite like Strictly broadcasting live from Blackpool’s legendary Tower Ballroom.
This year’s Strictly contest has been closer than ever. With only a few weeks remaining, any of the current competitors could clinch the title. Some, like Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, are natural dancers, while others may not have started as dancers but have made significant progress since they first joined several months ago.
Last week’s dance-off sparked considerable controversy, with Gladiator Montell finding himself in the bottom two again, alongside EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick. Ultimately, Jamie was eliminated – leaving fans (and me!) heartbroken to see such a gifted dancer exit the show. Jamie’s unexpected departure got me thinking: Strictly needs an overhaul – starting with the voting system.
It’s tough to watch a skilled dancer like Jamie bow out of the competition, but Montell was equally impressive and deserved to remain. While many might believe it’s Pete Wicks’ time to leave, he clearly enjoys favour from both the judges and the voting public.
I firmly believe that Strictly needs to reconsider its voting system. The judges deliver their verdicts after each dance, casting their votes based on the performance they’ve just witnessed. But how can their vote be relevant to performances they haven’t seen yet?
Regular viewers of Strictly often refer to the first slot on each live show as the ‘death slot’, convinced it’s a tactic by the showrunners to eliminate someone from the competition.
However, with the voting divided between the judges and the public, surely this wouldn’t happen? Over the years, we’ve seen some fantastic dancers exit after being placed in the ‘death slot’.
Perhaps it’s high time for BBC bosses to tweak the voting system and make it solely dependent on public votes. This could potentially ensure the show’s longevity for another 20 years!
Strictly Come Dancing is broadcast every weekend on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.