Dance Mapping - Arts Council England

the wrong reasons – the viewers' revolt against the judges on behalf of John Sergeant,
followed by last week's voting shambles, when a tie between the two top couples prevented a
dance-off with the third, thus setting up today's three-way contest. Strictly is a programme that
divides those who consider themselves dance lovers. All the same, there can be no disputing
two things about tonight's sequined melodrama. The first is that Strictly's continuing success
has been a catalyst for the dance sector more generally, and especially for the other dance-
themed shows, including the seasonal Nutcrackers and Swan Lakes, that traditionally take
centre stage at this time of year. Dance is the Cinderella of the performing arts. But at
Christmas it gets to go to the ball – and Strictly is part of that. The second truth is that Strictly
has been good for dancing in general, not just for the incredible professionals in the ballet,
ballroom, ethnic and contemporary dance world, but also for all those of all ages and cultures
who simply enjoy the act of dancing. Strictly is certainly not trendy, but it has helped to feed a
greater fashion and passion for dancing than has existed for many years. Dancing is
affirmative, optimistic and democratic. It embodies the idea that the world can be a better and
a happier place. Those are useful ideas in difficult times.’ 82
The massive popularity of Strictly Come Dancing since its inception in 2004 is indicative of
the public enthusiasm for dance as entertainment. Not only did the series draw huge viewing
audiences as shown in table 64, but tours of a live show drew huge live audiences of between
10–20,000 per show, depending on the capacity of the arena, showing that a theatrical
presentation of the format also worked.
Series
Series première Series finale
Date Viewers Date Viewers
1 15 May 2004 4.61m 3 July 2004 9.28m
2 23 October 2004 6.54m 11 December 2004 11.60m
3 15 October 2005 7.23m 17 December 2005 10.55m
4 7 October 2006 9.23m 23 December 2006 12.11m
5 6 October 2007 7.68m 22 December 2007 12.09m
6 20 September 2008 8.48m 20 December 2008 12.21m
Table 64: Viewing figures for Strictly Come Dancing
82 : The Guardian (2008) Editorial Saturday 20 December
Source: BARB Viewing Figures
192