BBCThe girl behind the most recent season of Strictly Come Dancing has mentioned she hopes the present can “transfer ahead” from current controversies because it returns to TV screens.
“I am not going to say that after the present is on air, everybody will overlook about it,” Karen Smith, Strictly’s co-creator and first govt producer, advised BBC Information.
“However hopefully individuals can recuperate and transfer ahead and be taught from it, and do not forget that Strictly is fabulous, and folks like it, individuals love collaborating in it, they love watching it.”
The BBC One present – with its vivid lights, sparkles and sequins – is again on Saturday night time.
A brand new set of celebrities will probably be hitting the dancefloor, as the competition enters its twentieth yr.
However it’s confronted a rocky few months, with quite a few former contestants making allegations about the way in which they had been handled on the present.
The BBC has responded to complaints by making modifications behind the scenes.
From this yr, there are chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, and there are additionally two new devoted welfare producers.
The company has all the time insisted it will all the time take any points severely, and act when made conscious of inappropriate behaviour.
The present itself has lengthy been a mainstay of Saturday night time TV, and its “familiarity” is without doubt one of the causes for its reputation, Ms Smith mentioned.
“The hosts would possibly change or the judges would possibly change, the celebrities are new, however Strictly is all the time the identical.
“Individuals stay up for the sequence coming again.”
Who’s in Strictly Come Dancing 2024?
This yr’s hosts are unchanged – Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
There is not any change to the judges’ panel both. Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Decide Shirley Ballas will probably be watching each step taken by the dancers.
However there’s a complete new line-up of celebrities for 2024. Right here is the checklist in full:
- Chris McCausland
- Jamie Borthwick
- JB Gill
- Montell Douglas
- Nick Knowles
- Tasha Ghouri
- Tom Dean
- Toyah Willcox
- Paul Merson
- Pete Wicks
- Punam Krishan
- Sam Quek
- Sarah Hadland
- Shayne Ward
- Wynne Evans
At Saturday’s launch present, will probably be revealed which skilled dancer they’ve been paired with.
As soon as the pairings have been introduced, the celebrities and professionals will carry out a gaggle routine, earlier than the reside exhibits start subsequent week.
This yr’s sequence may also embody all the standard theme weeks, together with Halloween, Musicals and the Blackpool week.
Tradition journalist Olivia-Anne Cleary advised BBC Information that the autumn slot is “integral” to the present’s success.
It is the “countdown to Christmas”, she mentioned. “Are you able to think about Strictly with out the Halloween episode, with out the costumes, with out the music?”
“It is these type of autumn moments that make it complete.”
Strictly controversy
However whereas many parts of Strictly by no means change, this yr’s skilled dancer line up will look completely different to final yr’s.
Two dancers have been dropped from the present following complaints about their behaviour and educating strategies in rehearsals.
In June, it was confirmed that Giovanni Pernice wouldn’t return for the brand new sequence.
It comes after his former dance associate Amanda Abbington made allegations about how he treated her on the show.
Pernice has denied any allegations of abusive or threatening behaviour. An investigation, launched by the BBC following the claims, will reportedly conclude quickly.
One other skilled dancer, Graziano Di Prima, has additionally left the present.
His spokesman admitted to BBC News that Di Prima had kicked his associate Zara McDermott in a rehearsal final yr.
Different former superstar contestants, the TV presenter Laura Whitmore and paralympian Will Bayley, have additionally spoken out about their experiences on the present.
Final month, a BBC News investigation heard allegations of a “poisonous tradition” from some former junior employees on the present, though different employees advised a optimistic story of dancers and crew who had been form and respectful to them.
“Previous to 2024, probably the most controversial factor to occur to Strictly was the Strictly curse,” mentioned Ms Cleary – a reference to the concept that collaborating on the present threatens the standing of your relationship.
“Amanda talking up and her allegations turning into public very a lot opened the floodgates for former stars who had beforehand stored quiet, at the very least within the public sphere, to share their tales and say what they’d gone by on the present.”
Ms Cleary mentioned she did not assume the claims can be forgotten, nor ought to they.
“It is a part of Strictly’s historical past now, and it is as much as Strictly and the BBC to take all of this under consideration, to be taught from it, to verify it does not occur once more, and to maneuver ahead with a recent perspective.”
So the present goes on – and the brand new contestants, talking at a press occasion forward of the launch, additionally expressed a desire to move on.
“It is about our personal experiences actually,” former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri mentioned.
And earlier this week, Strictly Come Dancing proved it has not misplaced its shine with viewers, who voted it finest expertise present at the National Television Awards.
“Strictly is one of the best of what the BBC does and folks worth it, they usually look forwad to it, they usually schedule their weekend round it, they usually care,” mentioned Ms Smith.
She mentioned it was “horrible” to consider the “upset” that has been triggered, not solely to celebrities and dancers who’ve been affected, but in addition to the manufacturing crew and the viewers.
However she added: “It will be a disgrace if it was picked aside to dying and was allowed to die.
“As a result of journalists, if you happen to preserve choosing and you retain criticising, you may find yourself killing the present that you just spend weeks and months of the yr speaking about.
“So, watch out.”
The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch present will air on Saturday 14 September at 19:20 on BBC One & BBC iPlayer.
