My last few posts about the BBC have probably given the impression that our beloved broadcasting corporation is a worthy institution that only produces high quality, intellectually stimulating, socially relevant programming. I want to apologise right now if you are labouring under such an illusion, because let me assure you, for every beautifully-rendered costume drama, every insightful documentary and award-winning political debate, for every single worthy programme the Beeb has ever produced, there is some utterly embarrassing, waste-of-good-electricity dreck being broadcast as well.
So, in the interests of presenting the whole BBC picture, I would like to draw your attention to Strictly Come Dancing. This show, now in its fifth series, is almost literally the bastard love child of an old BBC series called Come Dancing - a televised ballroom dancing competition that began in 1949 and ran until 1998 - and the movie Strictly Ballroom. The result is the most ludicrously-titled television programme in the history of ever. I mean, come on. Strictly come dancing? What does that even mean?
The content of the show will be familiar to most of you as it is strikingly similar to ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. Yep, it’s a reality TV show in which C-List celebrities dance with professional partners and get voted off week by week. Sensibly, ABC decided to rename the show when they bought the idea from the BBC. Well done, ABC. (OK, I will stop complaining about the name now, I swear.)
I’ve never actually seen the ABC version of the show, but I’m willing to bet it’s better than the BBC version. It would have to be, because for starters it’s not hosted by certified old lecher Bruce Forsyth – regrettable stalwart of Saturday night British televisual entertainment since the early 1960s, and showing no signs of retiring any time soon – who spends the programme leering at the female dancers and considers the catchphrase “Nice to see you, to see you nice!” to be the very pinnacle of wit. It also doesn’t help that the celebrities competing are so very C-list that I’m sorry to say I only recognised three of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a massive fan of reality TV. ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is, I think, sublime television, because it forces minor celebrities to do things like eat grubs and get buried alive in a coffin full of rats. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch that? But Strictly Come Dancing fluctuates between irritating and dull. There are lots of glittery outfits and faux-flirtation between dance partners, but no real drama or intrigue. And with no coffin full of rats for the loser, I find it quite difficult to really give a crap who gets voted off each week.
This is the sort of show that makes me grumble about having to pay a TV license fee. But, according to the ratings, an alarming proportion of the British public are apparently delighted that their license money is being spent on it. Last year’s season of the show was the fourth most popular programme of 2006.
I should despair for my people, but instead I am choosing to believe that the vast majority of Strictly Come Dancing’s viewers are watching the show while playing some kind of drinking game based on how often competitors disingenuously remark how much better all the other couples are, or how often Brucey eyes up his appealingly blonde and pert co-host. I imagine the whole thing gets a lot more entertaining the other side of a couple of vodka shots. I am also choosing to believe that my portion of the license fee went towards Ewan McGregor’s motorcycle. So there.
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November 29th, 2007 at 10:01 am
I have watched the US version, all of once when I went to visit my mum, and I must say, it was quite entertaining. I only knew a couple of the people on it, a lot being soap stars I think. But Marie Osmond’s fainting spell was quite dramatic.
I despair of the BBC quite a lot too, and think we should be able to opt out of paying the license fee. I’m sure they can create a top box that means you don’t get BBC channels, or watch on a pay as you go basis instead. Never happen of course.
November 29th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Funnily enough, I love Strictly Come Dancing, but would cheerfully machine gun all those involved in commissioning and creating “I’m a Celebrity”.
This series has been duller than previous ones, but the first two were cracking variety entertainment. The crazy outfits, the camp and irate judges, the bitching between the two or three women who can actually dance - and occasionally the dancing is rather good. As Joe Don Baker put it, while watching Come Dancing in an episode of Edge of Darkness - “Nobody dances like the British. You deserved the Falklands.”
And you can’t hate Bruce! He’s a pro! He’s a trouper! The king of the catchphrases - the man who gave us “Good game, good game!” and “You get nothing for a pair - not in this game!” etc. etc. I used to find him tiresome when I was a lad, but now he’s fond reminder of a more entertaining televisual age.
November 29th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I’m afraid I have to disagree re. Strictly because I LOVE it. I love the fact that Bruce is getting madder and a little bit crapper each week. I love the teeth-wrenchingly painful cheesy moment at the end where Tess and Bruce go “Keeeeeeep dancing!” I love the costumes and the naffness and watching their rehearsals during the week where they get all exhausted, and how when they get voted out they have to grit their teeth and pretend to be all gracious about it. I love the judges getting genuinely infuriated by bad dancing (although I don’t love Arlene but I DO love Len).
Most of all, though, I genuinely love the dancing. Not necessarily the celebrities, although some of them are really, really good and it makes me feel a little bit strangely emotional when I see them do so well. But watching the professionals… oh, I just can’t get over how much I love the dancing. I want to be able to do that. My little weekly beginners’ lindyhopping classes give me a taste of how much fun it must be, but I want to be able to spin and twirl and do fiddly syncopated footwork while looking glamorous and fabulous. Sigh.
November 29th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Al, Felinity, you may (possibly maybe) convince me that Strictly Come Dancing is entertainingly naff, but you will never EVER convince me that Bruce Forsyth is anything other than a national embarrassment. He is a naff too far.
November 29th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Funny timing - I just ran across an old “Come Dancing” LP in our library. I was wondering what prompted the title change!
November 29th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
“See you later for a drink upstairs… Alright my loves!” The man’s a legend.
The moment the other week when he got to dredge up “I’m in charge!” - his first catchphrase from Take Your Pick in about 1743 - in response to a massive five-way judge/contestant barney was a bit of fried gold.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Apologies. It was of course “Beat the Clock”, not “Take Your Pick”.