How did Strictly Come Dancing get its name?

STRICTLY Coming Dancing has been thrilling fans for over 15 years now and is back for another series.

But many viewers are often left wondering about how the BBC show got its name in the first place.

How did Strictly Come Dancing get its name?

Strictly Come Dancing took it's name from a mixture of the BBC's long running ballroom competition Come Dancing and the successful 1992 film Strictly Ballroom.

Instead of following the same format as Come Dancing, the series was brought up-to-date and celebrities were introduced.

The series debuted on May 15, 2004.

The show was presented by Tess Daly and the late TV legend Bruce Forsyth.

What was Come Dancing?

Come Dancing was a British ballroom dancing competition that ran on and off on the BBC from 1949 to 1998, becoming one of television's longest-running shows.

Unlike its follow-up show, Strictly Come Dancing, contestants were not celebrities and instead were competitive dancers hoping to impress the judges.

The show was created by Eric Morley, the founder of Miss World, and began in 1949 by broadcasting from regional ballroom studios, with professional dancers Syd Perkin and Edna Duffield on hand to offer teaching.

The many presenters over the years included Terry Wogan and Judith Chalmers.

Who won the first ever Strictly Come Dancing?

The first series of the show ran from May to July 2004, before being moved to its now regular autumn/winter spot.

There were just eight competitors in the competition back then.

Alongside professional dancer Brendan Cole, BBC news presenter Natasha Kaplinsky was the first celebrity ever to scoop the Glitterball Trophy.

When is Strictly Come Dancing back on BBC One?

Strictly is back on TV every Saturday night.

The next episode is TONIGHT (October 31, 2020) at 7.10pm.

In the meantime, you can catch up with past episodes on the .