How BBC ‘Strictly Come Dancing’s Darkish Coronary heart Was Uncovered By Celebrities

Strictly Come Dancing enjoys a singular standing on British tv. The beloved BBC present has been woven into the material of the nation for 20 years, with a peerless report in gathering households on the couch and delivering a sequin-embroidered burst of sunshine and power as nights attract for winter. It persistently ranks among the many UK’s highest-rated reveals, has cast nationwide treasures of its stars, and spawned 60 worldwide imitations, not least ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. The opposite outstanding factor about Strictly is that it boasts a just about unblemished report in the case of scandal. Put merely, it has all the time been the BBC’s golden youngster. Till now.

The present has been the topic of simmering bullying and misconduct issues for months, and the allegations lastly hit boiling level this week, prompting the BBC to fireplace an expert dancer and make tweaks to Strictly’s manufacturing regime. The unrest may be traced again to October 2023 when Amanda Abbington, an actress greatest recognized for her work as Mary Watson in BBC drama Sherlock, abruptly give up Season 21 citing “private causes.” On a present well-known for celebrities and their dance companions falling in love, Abbington apparently fell in loath along with her pairing, Giovanni Pernice. 

She has since engaged Carter Ruck, the aggressive London regulation agency, to pursue a criticism with the BBC about Pernice. The exact nature of her allegations is unclear, however she has referred to as the 33-year-old Italian “nasty” and accused him of inappropriate, bullying conduct throughout her 5 weeks on Strictly. Pernice strongly denies wrongdoing and says he’s cooperating with a BBC investigation. He has been benched for Season 22.

Abbington was not the one girl with issues about Season 21. In an unexcepted growth this week, Strictly skilled dancer Graziano Di Prima, one other Italian, was fired after the BBC was handed rehearsal video proof of him kicking associate Zara McDermott, the Love Island star. The dancer doesn’t recall the precise incident however acknowledges it occurred and has apologized. 

The BBC moved rapidly to spice up welfare sources on Strictly, however with British newspapers pursuing the story with vigor, it’s unlikely to be the top of the revelations. A 3rd skilled is reportedly within the body, different girls are stated to have issues (presenters Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh reportedly have misgivings about Pernice), outdated footage is being picked over, and former contestants are reflecting on their experiences, each good and dangerous. Richard Coles, a star priest who competed within the 2017 season, described Strictly as “a beautiful present with a darkish coronary heart.” 

For these concerned in Strictly’s creation, the misconduct scandal is symbolic of mission creep from the present’s authentic imaginative and prescient. Trade sources have additionally questioned whether it is believable that senior BBC executives, together with content material chief Charlotte Moore, have been unaware of abuse allegations on the leisure collection. There’s a feeling that the scandal is severe for Strictly, however not existential — notably in a 12 months when the present is celebrating its twentieth birthday and stays so well-loved by British audiences.

The BBC declined to remark past current statements. It has pledged to look at any issues with “care, equity and sensitivity” and says it takes responsibility of care extraordinarily critically. “Our processes on the present are up to date yearly, and we’ll proceed to maintain this below fixed evaluate,” it stated this week.

Hyper-Aggressive

Jane Lush, the previous BBC leisure boss who greenlit Strictly in 2004, tells Deadline that the cutthroat nature {of professional} dancing has “seeped in by means of the backdoor” of the juggernaut. She acknowledges that early seasons have been extra aggressive than the BBC initially envisioned, however that this spirit has been supercharged within the clamor for Strictly’s well-known glitterball trophy. Lush provides that the enjoyment within the present is seeing contestants like Ed Balls, a former authorities minister, embrace the expertise and enhance their expertise, even when they don’t turn out to be achieved dancers.

“It’s modified,” agrees a senior producer, who was concerned in Strictly’s early seasons however needs to stay nameless. “At first, the manufacturing and the viewers delighted in British-style amateurism. You look again on the primary few seasons, the usual of dancing is sweet, however is lightyears away from the place we’ve acquired to. The expectation is that amateurs will get to semi-pro standing.”

Di Prima is probably an excellent instance of translating his lived expertise into exacting requirements in rehearsals. Mark Borkowski, who’s performing as a spokesperson for Di Prima, explains that his consumer comes from a “poor background” in rural Sicily and discovered his commerce throughout “robust” coaching at Workforce Diablo, a well-known Bologna dance faculty. Borkowski says he’s “not excusing” the dancer’s abuse of McDermott, however is trying to deliver context to the tutoring types Strictly professionals think about regular.

There’s a feeling within the Di Prima camp that extra steerage from producers would have been welcome. “If they have a hotheaded Sicilian mood, why aren’t they given higher parameters?” provides a supply acquainted with processes on Strictly. Sue Ayton, an agent who has positioned purchasers together with Angela Rippon on Strictly, argues that the BBC might be extra open with celebrities and the viewers concerning the rigors of the competition. Ayton informed Radio 4’s The Media Present that the BBC doesn’t want to puncture the Strictly “fantasy” that it’s a joyful trip for all concerned.

The BBC’s plan to introduce chaperones seems to be an admission that it shouldn’t have allowed {couples} to be alone for lengthy intervals. A current contestant tells Deadline that the professionals design coaching regimes and that 30% or much less of rehearsals are filmed by BBC Studios, the BBC’s industrial manufacturing unit. Choreographers would go to briefly through the week, however so long as a video of a dance was despatched to Strictly producers by Wednesday, {couples} had loads of freedom to excellent a routine. 

BBC Studios cameras didn’t report Di Prima kicking McDermott and the dancer didn’t movie the incident, that means that it was doubtless captured by McDermott herself. In an announcement this week, McDermott stated she finds the footage “extremely distressing,” however praised the BBC’s dealing with of her criticism. It isn’t clear if she filmed their dance routines surreptitiously or if it was a part of their coaching strategies. An ex-contestant tells Deadline that self-filming was left to the discretion of {couples}.

Higher supervision can be baked into the format if it have been pitched at this time, says a former Strictly producer. “The world has modified loads in 20 years,” they add. “I’m positive in the event that they have been going into manufacturing on Season 1 this autumn, they’d have had chaperones within the room.” The supply provides that that is notably essential for feminine celebrities, who’re led by their male companions, opening up probably problematic energy dynamics. Welfare help on the 2023 season included entry to counseling and expertise producers.

Whereas Lush is supportive of additional enhancements, she thinks chaperones might be an overcorrection. She worries that it may change the dynamic between dance companions and intervene with their chemistry. “Members of the staff ought to pop in unannounced sporadically quite than having a full-time chaperone who I feel would hinder the real good relationships,” says the previous BAFTA chair.

Who Knew?

There are conflicting views on whether or not BBC executives would have been conscious of the problems on Strictly. One high leisure producer, who has labored with the BBC for many years, compares the broadcaster’s dealing with of misconduct issues to the Submit Workplace scandal, a miscarriage of justice that went unnoticed for years. “Folks learn about this stuff, it’s what they select to see that issues,” this particular person says. 

This concept has been supported by lately resurfaced clips from early seasons of Strictly that includes conduct that might be thought of unacceptable by fashionable requirements. Footage initially broadcast on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two confirmed ex-pro James Jordan kicking a chair in anger and promising to push associate Georgina Bouzova “to her restrict.” Jordan stated this week that the clip was shot and edited for leisure. A second clip reveals Brendan Cole, one other ex-pro, slapping his associate Fiona Phillips’ bum and being aggressive.

One other producer argues that abuse can typically stay hidden till the sufferer is ready to talk out. “Sadly, it’s completely doable that the BBC wouldn’t have recognized,” this particular person argues, pointing to McDermott’s reticence to return ahead. In her assertion, she stated: “I used to be scared about my future, I used to be afraid of sufferer shaming.”

The BBC is prone to be questioned about Strictly subsequent week when director common Tim Davie presents the company’s annual report. Kate Phillips, the BBC’s director of unscripted content material, was at pains to level out this week that the “overwhelming majority” of contestants have “optimistic experiences” on the present and the place issues are raised “we’ll all the time take that critically and act.”

Strictly is a central plank of the BBC’s public service mission, however it is usually a profitable industrial asset for BBC Studios. The manufacturing arm is having conversations with producers exterior of the UK to make sure the Strictly scandal doesn’t leech into different territories. A BBC Studios spokesperson says “new measures being launched within the UK” will contribute to an “ongoing dialogue” round worldwide variations of the present.

Strictly will return to BBC1 in September, full with presenting duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Lorraine Heggessey, the previous controller of BBC1, predicts the collection will get well: “Strictly can recover from this. We must always hold on to the positives, tackle the difficulty, and transfer on.” Ex-BBC leisure chief Lush places it like this: “Lengthy reside Strictly.”