Strictly Family - Series 4

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

Series 4 Dates

Oct-Dec 2006 (12 weeks, 14 couples).

That time period in context

Twitter launched in March that year, Google bought YouTube in October and Nintendo launched the Wii in November. Tony Blair was still UK Prime Minister (not long now). Also the first Bond film with Daniel Craig as 007 was released. Another screen icon, Hannah Montana, was new on Disney in 2006 (if you had Sky, which we didn’t). In Scotland the first offshore wind turbine was installed in August, 15 miles offshore of the Moray Firth. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae were both big hits that year.

 

Judges

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

 

Presenters

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly (main show).

Claudia Winkleman (It Takes Two).

 

Addition to format

Again there was a longer run and more couples competing. Because of this the opening show was split into two shows with 7 couples each time. 

Also the Salsa and the Argentine/Argentinian Tango were added to the list of dances. 

Jimmy Tarbuck withdrew early on due to illness so there were only 2 couples in the final (always a bit underwhelming when that happened).

 

Dancers 

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

Nicholas Owen and Nicole Cutler
Mica Paris and Ian Waite
Jimmy Tarbuck and Flavia Cacace (new pro) (withdrew)
DJ Spoony and Ola Jordan (new pro)
Georgina Bouzova and James Jordan (new pro)
Jan Ravens and Anton du Beke
Ray Fearon and Camilla Dallerup
Peter Schmeichel and Erin Boag
Claire King and Brendan Cole
Carol Smillie and Matthew Cutler
Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone (new pro)
Emma Bunton and Darren Bennett
Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova
Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy

 

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

Nicholas Owen (newsreader), Mica Paris (singer), DJ Spoony (er, DJ), Jan Ravens (actor/impressionist), Ray Fearon (snooker), Peter Schmeichel (very famous football goalkeeper – even I’d heard of him), Carol Smillie (TV presenter including the giant MDF phenomenon that was Changing Rooms), Emma Bunton (Spice Girls), plus our Mark likes sports so he knew Matt Dawson (rugby) and Mark Ramprakash (cricket).

 

Who did we vote for?

Mark and Karen (pic at top of post). From their Salsa in week 5 they were hot, hot, hot all the way. The problem with the microphone cable just made their dance even more memorable. Should they have been allowed to start again, asked no one anywhere (apart from, I’m guessing, some angry woman at the Mail).

 

Celebrities we liked more after the series

It was a year of nice people – DJ Spoony (out too soon), Peter Schmeichel (fun), Matt Dawson (seemed nice), Carol Smillie and Emma Bunton (perfectly pleasant), Mark Ramprakash (great moves). But again it was the pros who really won hearts in our house – Vincent and Flavia (Argentine Tango specialists) were very popular en nuestra casa and Heather was always a big Ola Jordan fan. I don’t know why she particularly loved Ola but she really did (more on her in series 7 but for now here are Vincent and Flavia).

Was it obvious who was going to win?

Yes, the Ramprakash Salsa could not be beaten.

 

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

I guess maybe they might have written about Emma Bunton. She was quite charming on the show and you know the tabloids hate people being liked (getting on well doesn’t sell “papers” – we should all hate each other more).

 

Did it matter?

No, Ramps was always going to win. 

 

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

Don’t think so.

 

Shock exit?

Both singer Mica Paris and DJ Spoony and went out very early (weeks 2 and 3). Hmmm… what were we talking about last time?

The story of the series

Mark and Karen being brilliant at the Salsa (a new dance that year). Also the reign of the cricketers – with Darren Gough having won the year before it looked, at this stage, as though sportspeople (or even just sportsmen) were going to dominate the competition for years to come. In fact only 3 winners (in 19 series) have come from sports in the UK show, most winners have come from something like showbiz (actors, presenters, pop stars). 

Another story was Eastender Louisa Lytton being the (still) youngest ever contestant and also being a very impressive dancer.

 

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

All the usual things were happening (work, school, reading poems at a folk club, making poetry postcards… though the last two were just me). Heather was 6 now and seriously into fancy dress (an interest that no doubt helped her love for Strictly grow – dresses and themed costumes have become more and more integral to the show’s appeal). Here she is, excited to find something like a Paso Doble outfit at a friend’s house.

Mum was 82 and had quite a poorly winter off and on. In one diary entry I noted that she was fed up with being ill and that watching Strictly “cheered her up”. Another entry noted that after a Saturday evening show “Heather was playing Strictly with her dolls, Prince Charming is Peter Schmeichel!” This picture from the annual backs up her theory.

So, as you can see, Strictly was a big influence on our lives, at least in the latter part of each year. Other people came to watch it with us too sometimes (as the show became more and more of an event). We did do other things of course (we weren’t tied to the TV) but this was one thing we did together. This was also the first year the 4 of us spent Xmas together in our home (previously we had always gone back to England, and other family, for Xmas).

See you tomorrow for series 5. If you want to read any of the previous posts just click Older Post below till you get to the one you want. Or use these links: Series 1, Series 2, Series 3.