More than 10m viewers are expected to watch Ed Balls put on a black cape and dance a paso doble to Bonnie Tyler’s Holding out for a Hero on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night.
Balls, still fresh from the fight as former Labour MP and shadow chancellor, has emerged as something of a surprise hero for this year’s Strictly.
Whether he’s admitting that waiting for the public’s vote on his dance is more nerve-wracking than an election, or taking the ribbing about his Dad dancing on the chin, his samba dressed as the Jim Carrey character the Mask helped the show reach peak viewing figures of 10.6m last week – well above the 9.2m who watched the previous week.
The latest series of the BBC’s hit dance competition began with 15 celebrity contenders, including model Daisy Lowe, Olympian Greg Rutherford and TV presenter Naga Munchetty, and got off to a flying start with the highest ever audience for its launch show in September. A total of 10.4m viewers watched the launch of Strictly this year, 600,000 more than last year, when it became the year’s third most-watched show after BBC1’s The Great British Bake Off and ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
Launched in the same year in 2004, Strictly is also beating the X Factor, its Saturday night ITV rival, which attracted its lowest launch ratings in 10 years with 6.8m viewers, or a 34% share compared with Strictly’s 46.4%.
Things haven’t always been so rosy for the show, which has endured rows, scandals and resignations, including the unceremonious ousting of Arlene Phillips as a judge in 2009, which came as the BBC faced accusations of ageism against women that still persist.
This week, singer Will Young announced he had quit Strictly for “personal reasons”, and the BBC was forced to defend the show after the departure of the second black contestant in as many weeks prompting accusations of racism.
The BBC said it was up to the voting public to ensure their favourite contestants stayed in the competition. “Judges judge the dancing and the dancing alone, not anything else,” said a spokeswoman, adding that in all except three of the 13 previous series of Strictly, the winner or runner-up was black or mixed race.
Despite these problems, the show remains a ratings winner.
Wayne Garvie, chief creative officer of International Production at Sony Pictures TV, who was the BBC’s head of entertainment when Strictly started, insists the show has broad appeal, and that this, along with its choice of contestants – especially figures such as Balls – are the keys to its success.
“Strictly is a perfect BBC1 show because there is literally something there for everybody who pays the licence fee,” he said. “People who watch the Andrew Marr show on a Sunday watch Strictly, people who watch EastEnders or the football watch Strictly.”
Garvie is a fan, describing Balls as being “on his way to inventing himself”. “The British public love people who can laugh at themselves and who don’t take themselves too seriously. But there is also something really pleasurable in watching somebody enjoy themselves,” said Garvie.
“Obviously he’s a terrible dancer. But he appears to be a man obviously enjoying himself and he appears human. It’s taking Dad dancing to the upmost level.”
Louise Rainbow, executive producer, agrees with Garvie. “Strictly is a show full of joy. It’s uplifting, fun … The show has broad appeal, from children to grannies. There’s something – and someone – for everyone because we cast it with our entire audience in mind.”
Following the surprise success of Ann Widdecombe and John Sergeant, Balls was this year’s catnip for the politically engaged.
“We always cast Strictly with our audience in mind so that there is someone for everyone to enjoy, whether it be an actor, politician, singer, sportsperson, newscaster, chef, fashion designer, presenter, model,” said Rainbow.
“When someone embraces the Strictly experience, as Ed has done, and it is apparent that he or she is enjoying every single moment, then the viewers respond accordingly.”
The characters of the contestants keep Strictly fresh, said Garvie, despite the format remaining the same, with a certain number of dances, judges’ vote then public vote. “X factor is a great show but it’s become a bit predictable now,” he said.
Other television executives suggest that, with contestants already famous for the day job, viewers can avoid the sense of unease that follows when X Factor wannabes see their dreams of stardom publicly crushed.
This year is Len Goodman’s last year as head judge. A relative unknown owner of a dance school in Kent when the show launched, questions are being asked about who will follow in his footsteps. And, with all BBC content to be opened up to competition, could Strictly go the way of the Great British Bake Off and leave the BBC?
“As long as our loyal viewers love it, we will make it,” said Rainbow. “I don’t think we’ll be losing Strictly any time soon.”
