Strictly Family - Series 2

If you want to know why I’m writing all these posts about Strictly Come Dancing there is an intro back here on Day 1/Series 1.

 

Series 2 Dates

Oct-Dec 2004 (8 weeks, 10 couples).

 

That time period in context

The new Scottish Parliament building was opened in Edinburgh, the Wales Millennium Centre was opened in Cardiff and the Hunting Act 2004 banned the hunting of most wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales. The Simpsons moved to Channel 4. Also, even though it happened just after the show’s run, it seems odd not to mention the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami in Dec 2004 as it was such a huge event. It’s even odder to switch back to talking about Strictly after mentioning something like that but just imagine you’re watching The One Show and … here we go back to the light…

 

Judges

Len Goodman (head judge), Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli.

 

Presenters

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly (main show) with Natasha Kaplinsky (series 1 winner) taking Tess’s role for the first 5 weeks when she was on maternity leave.

Claudia Winkleman (It Takes Two). Pic below is from first Strictly annual (2005 - more on that next time).

Changes to the format

There was a show filmed in Blackpool (week 5) and the final was held there again too. There were 3 couples in the final this time instead of 2.

Also, there was news and interviews every weekday at 6.30pm in a new programme – Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Right from the start my Mum watched this sister show after her evening meal every day. She really liked naughty Claudia Winkleman (and god knows what Claudia did before Strictly but she has certainly become part of the glittery BBC furniture over the years).

The first Xmas Special was aired in December 2004. Its format has changed over the years … but we can’t go into all of that now.

 

Dancers 

(celebrities first, professional partners second; couples listed in order of elimination with winners last)

Quentin Wilson and Hazel Newberry (new pro)

Carol Vorderman and Paul Killick

Esther Rantzen and Anton du Beke

Diarmuid Gavin and Nicole Cutler (new pro)

Sarah Manners and Brendan Cole

Roger Black and Camilla Dallerup 

Aled Jones and Lilia Kopylova (new pro)

Julian Clary and Erin Boag

Denise Lewis and Ian Waite (new pro)

Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett (new pro)

 

Celebrities we had heard of before the series (and how we knew them)

Carol Vorderman (Countdown, we didn’t watch it but knew her anyway), Esther Rantzen (from That’s Life, which we very much did watch in the ’70s – talking dogs, Victoria Wood, Pam Ayres and all), Roger Black (athletics, 400m), Aled Jones (Snowman), Julian Clary (comedian), Denise Lewis (athletics, heptathlon).

 

Who did we vote for?

I voted for Denise and Ian. Denise hadn’t danced before (I don’t think) and she was graceful and stunning to watch. Mum liked Jill and Darren, Heather didn’t have an obvious favourite, and we all enjoyed some of the routines and responses from Julian Clary. The more we watched the show the more I saw that Mum and Heather really enjoyed the professional dancers most of all, and over the series many of those dancers became celebrities in their own right (with good reason). Camilla, Lilia and Darren (from Denmark, Russia and Sheffield respectively) were particular favourites in our house at this point. Lilia and Darren (see pic below) were the first married couple of professional dancers on the show and they were a really likeable pair (at least on TV – I have no idea what they’re like in real life). Still together (take that – “Strictly Curse”!), they have guested on It Takes Two in recent years which is quite a treat, like old pals popping round.

Celebrities we liked more after the series

Probably Aled Jones – he really threw himself into it (though to be honest it wasn’t a huge shock as a friend once met him on a night out and said he wasn’t exactly a choirboy in adulthood).

 

Was it obvious who was going to win?

From week 3 (when Jill and Darren did their jive to Elton John’s I’m Still Standing, see bottom right of pic below), yes, it probably was. There are moments on the show when everything just comes together (Strictly cliché alert) and this was one of those times. Even if you don’t like the song (and I don’t particularly), it worked well and Jill dancing through a bit of a wardrobe malfunction (dress caught on shoe) made it even more impressive.

Were there articles in the papers moaning about one of the celebrities being good because they’d danced before?

Yes, I think there were (about Jill possibly). 

 

Did it matter?

No. Plus if everyone in the show was a complete beginner it wouldn’t work half as well. There was a much higher “terrible dancer” quota in the show in these early stages and it could get a bit painful – you can’t run with just that for 20 seasons.

 

Was there an obvious “shouldn’t stay in long but did” contestant?

No. I remember mutterings about Julian Clary getting to the final but we recently rewatched some of his dances and they were pretty good really. 

Shock exit?

No.

 

The story of the series

Some of the dancing being so good (quite a step up from series 1). Jill and Darren’s jive still shows up in all the “best of” Strictly dance lists and got the first full marks (40 out of 40). I rewatched some of Denise and Ian’s routines on wobbly YouTube videos recently and they hold up pretty well too.

 

And our family - what was going on with us at the time?

We were adjusting to being a 3- rather than a 2-, generational household and it did take some getting used to. My Mum was at a bit of loose end when she moved up until she made some friends and connections and like a bored child she wasn’t shy to let me know about it. Her elderly dog, Ailsa, was part of the move as well so I took to going on a lot of long dog walks and met some new friends along the way. Heather and her Grandma took a little while to settle in together too – now Grandma was for life and not just for Xmas how was that going to work out? Initially it was a bit tricky but Strictly really helped them find their happy places, They were both fans of another dance show, Angelina Ballerina, which probably influenced the outfit in the picture below (she is 22 now and gave me permission to share it, her other Grandma knitted the cardi). In a smallish family you need some other people to talk about (mice can work too) and we have certainly talked about Strictly personnel in ours over the years. 

Like the stars of the show (and most families), we all had some catchphrases and my Mum’s most regular one for Strictly was “silly old fool” (she was 80 but this was used, in an affectionate way, for Bruce Forsyth, Len Goodman and really anyone over 50). She also used to say of Claudia Winkleman (practically every time she watched It Takes Two – and it was on 5 times a week) “her mother was a journalist, you know, and she really looks like her”. She would then proceed to try and remember which journalist it was (Ann Leslie? Eve Pollard? It was the latter). I didn’t know either of these women so it meant nothing to me (and even less to 4-year-old Heather). Anyway, family sayings (“what’s everyone else having?” etc.), they’re bloody annoying at the time but you miss them when they disappear.

See you tomorrow for Series 3! I'm scheduling them for 6am, one a day up till 17 December.