I've been a fan of Strictly Come Dancing for 20 years - but it needs to make a change

Jasmine Allday
·2-min read
Strictly bid farewell to a fan favourite last week
-Credit: (Image: BBC/Guy Levy)


This year marks the 20th anniversary of Strictly Come Dancing, a BBC show that has become a beloved fixture on our screens.

As winter draws near, the sparkle and spectacle of Strictly's Saturday and Sunday night including the broadcast from Blackpool's iconic Tower Ballroom signal the start of the festive season.

The competition this year is closer than ever, with any of the remaining contestants potentially clinching the title in the coming weeks. Some, like Tasha Ghouri, are natural dancers, while others have made significant progress since joining the show months ago.

Last week's dance-off stirred controversy, as Gladiator Montell found herself in the bottom two again, alongside EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick. Ultimately, Jamie was sent home, leaving fans (including myself) heartbroken to see such a gifted dancer exit the show.

Jamie and Montell were in the bottom two last week
Jamie and Montell were in the bottom two last week -Credit:BBC/Guy Levy

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This unexpected departure got me thinking: Strictly needs a revamp, starting with its voting system.

It's tough to watch a talented dancer like Jamie leave, but Montell also performed well and deserved to stay. While some might argue it's time for Pete Wicks to bow out, he clearly enjoys the support of both the judges and the public vote.

There's a growing sentiment that Strictly needs to reconsider its voting system. The judges provide their feedback and cast their votes after each dance, but how can they accurately judge a performance relative to those they've yet to see?

The judges get to vote - as well as the public
The judges get to vote - as well as the public -Credit:PA

Regular viewers of Strictly often refer to the first slot on each live show as the 'death slot', believing it to be a strategic move by the showrunners to eliminate a contestant.

However, with the voting split between the judges and the public, surely this wouldn't be the case?

Over the years, we've seen some fantastic dancers exit the competition after being placed in the dreaded 'death slot'. Perhaps it's time for the BBC bosses to revise the voting system, making it solely reliant on public votes to ensure its success for 20 more years.

Strictly Come Dancing airs every weekend on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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