Hit BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing is celebrating its mammoth 20th season this year, with the show having started in 2004 (and aired two separate seasons that year).
In recognition of the milestone, the series’ hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were asked to name some of their favourite dances and dancers from across the years – and they paid tribute to some absolutely legendary moments from the series’ past.
When asked for her personal favourite, Daly said: “For me, I will never forget Ed Balls doing Gangnam Style. How he threw himself into that performance and what he achieved, thanks to Katya’s guidance. It was jaw dropping stuff!
“I remember during rehearsals the floor manager called us all to the floor and said, ‘you’ve got to see this’. We were just agog at his bravery and brilliance, that was one heck of a routine.”
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Asked whether she had any standout moments from across all 20 seasons so far, Daly said: “It was last series, Rose’s dance where the music stopped and we were welcomed into her world, it was so touching and so incredibly moving.
“It was just one of those moments where you realise, this is going down in Strictly history. Our audience at home felt that moment with us, we were all there together for it and we’ll never forget it.”
Meanwhile when asked for her favourite dance or dancer, Daly’s co-host Claudia Winkleman said: “I thought Bill and Oti were unbelievable, Alesha Dixon doing her Viennese Waltz, Ed Balls doing Gangnam Style, Stacey and Kevin’s dance in the final, there are some dances that just don’t leave you.
Winkleman added that she’s “not a purist” or “after 10s”, but instead is looking for some else. She said: “I’m after gumption.”
The 20th season of Strictly Come Dancing started airing on 24th September, with a launch show announcing the couples before the first live show aired the next day. This saw Will Mellor and Hamza Yassin come joint top of the leaderboard with 34 points each, while Tony Adams came bottom of this week’s scores with 15 points.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturdays and Sundays.
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