{"id":51278,"date":"2024-05-12T23:01:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-12T21:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2039209"},"modified":"2024-05-13T00:44:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-12T22:44:55","slug":"strictlys-tess-daly-hoping-for-special-surprises-for-20th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/strictlys-tess-daly-hoping-for-special-surprises-for-20th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly\u2019s Tess Daly hoping for special surprises for 20th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

The beloved dancing show will celebrate the impressive landmark this year. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 12 May 2024 at 21:01 PM<\/p>

\n\n

This year, Strictly Come Dancing<\/a> will be celebrating a big landmark \u2013 as the ballroom extravaganza marks two decades on our screens.<\/p>\n

The very first run of the show began almost exactly 20 years ago, in May 2004, before moving to its now traditional slot in the final quarter of the year from season 2 onwards.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, you might wonder if there were any special surprises in store for when the series returns to our screens later in 2024 \u2013 and that question was put to long-standing presenter Tess Daly at the BAFTA Television Awards<\/a> with P&O Cruises after the show picked up the award for Best Entertainment Programme.<\/p>\n

Speaking to\u00a0 RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press in the winners\u2019 room, Tess said: \u201cWe hope so, because it\u2019s a big year for us.\u201d<\/p>

While she didn\u2019t give too much away about what those surprises might entail \u2013 with co-host Claudia Winkleman pointing out that executive producer Sarah James was the person to ask as far as that was concerned \u2013 it certainly wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see the beloved show pulling out all the stops to celebrate the milestone.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Claudia also spoke about how much of a \u201cprivilege\u201d it was to be involved with Strictly, referring to some of the letters she and Tess receive from fans of the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those shows where I believe whole families watch, so we get lovely letters from grandparents with their grandchildren [saying], \u2018I had to babysit and they were grumpy but then they saw a cha-cha and they love Shirley [Ballas] and they love Craig [Revel Horwood],\u2019 or however it works,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Happy Valley final showdown voted TV\u2019s most memorable moment of the year<\/a><\/li>\n
\n
Top Boy\u2019s Jasmine Jobson on possible Jaq spin-off: \u201cI\u2019m definitely down\u201d<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s an honour, but we never take it for granted that people will come, so every year we\u2019re like, \u2018Fingers crossed.\u2019 But it feels like a snow globe of a show, and it feels like the marker that it\u2019s Christmas soon!\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThe magic really is in the team, because they keep changing it, it evolves, it doesn\u2019t just stay the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut every single person who works on that show are the very best at what they do, whether it\u2019s lighting, hair, make-up \u2013 I mean, the band is the greatest live band.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tess added that they were both \u201cgrateful\u201d to all the fans that tell them how much they look forward to the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be a part of that, something that\u2019s celebratory in tone \u2013 there\u2019s no other agenda, we are just celebrating, that\u2019s it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it feels joyful, and it feels like a gift to be part of something like that \u2013 especially in the current climate, it feels like a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n