Strictly Come Dancing will launch on Saturday 14th September, with our hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman welcoming our
celebrity contestants onto the Strictly dancefloor as they make their dancing debut and we discover which Professional Dancer they
will be paired with. Once the pairings have been announced the celebrities and professionals will perform an eye-catching group
routine, launching the new series in style.
Claudia Winkleman
You have been here since the very beginning, how does it feel to be a part of Strictly’s 20th year?
It feels a total honour and privilege. I love working on Strictly so much. I start getting excited in July. The fake tanning starts in earnest on September 1st and there’s no let up until Christmas.
What does Strictly mean to you? Why has it been such a success for 20 years?
Strictly I suppose means family to me. So many of the same people who work on the show have been there for years so we all know each other really well. It also means family in the sense that people watch the show with their grandparents or young kids. It’s always felt like a snow globe of a show to me and it’s basically saying “Christmas is coming” and this can only be a good thing in my world.
Describe Strictly in one word/phrase?
Dave Arch.
Can you explain the feeling just before you walk out onto the ballroom floor to open the show? Do you still get nervous when you hear the iconic theme tune on a Saturday night?
I’m absolutely terrified and I squeeze Tess on the arm and I love her because she lets me.
Do you think there are any magic ingredients that every previous winner has had? Can you spot a winner early on? Or are you still undecided until the night of the final?
I genuinely have no idea who’s going to win. Tess says the name and I find out with everyone else. It’s a magic moment.
Tess Daly
You have been here since the very beginning, how does it feel to be a part of Strictly’s 20th year?
It’s such an honour to have been there since the very first show aired back in 2004 and now here we are about to celebrate our 20th birthday. My overriding memories of that first show are of being very nervous and very pregnant! But even then, there was a buzz in the air, like no other I’d ever experienced on a live television show. It felt so exciting, and it still does.
What does Strictly mean to you? Why has it been such a success for 20 years?
I have to pinch myself when I realise it’s been 20 years since starting work on this brilliant TV show I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a part of. None of us knew at the time if it would work, and none of us could’ve foreseen its stratospheric success. It genuinely feels like a privilege to be part of such a talented team who work tirelessly to produce a live show of this scale each week.
Describe Strictly in one word/phrase?
JOY. That’s it, that is the agenda.
Can you explain the feeling just before you walk out onto the ballroom floor to open the show? Do you still get nervous when
you hear the iconic theme tune on a Saturday night?
Of course, I still get butterflies, it’s genuinely one of the most exciting moments of the entire show once our brilliant director,
Nikki’s count begins in my ear and the theme tune starts up, the air in the studio feels like it’s crackling with adrenaline. The brilliant
audience are clapping, cheering, and get so involved, their energy feeds us; it’s contagious.
Do you think there are any magic ingredients that every previous winner has had? Can you spot a winner early on? Or are you still undecided until the night of the final?
I do think it takes a certain special something and not just talent alone, to capture the viewers imagination and go on to become the winner of a series. Not only have you got to have learned the necessary dance skills to showcase your talent but you also need to have won our hearts. Sometimes I feel like perhaps I can spot the winner as early as the launch show as it’s clear to see they have the full package; However, more often than not, I’m surprised along with everybody else!
What do you think to the Strictly class of 2024?
The class of ‘24 look like a properly exciting gang. As a collective I genuinely cannot wait to see what they’ve got in store for us. Roll on the launch show.
