Strictly Come Dancing returns to the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom for its 20th anniversary year, with celebrities and professional dancers sharing behind-the-scenes secrets and their special good luck charms ahead of the dazzling show.
The Blackpool special, airing on Saturday 16 November from 6.45pm on BBC One and iPlayer, will feature an opening performance by the Pet Shop Boys, who will also perform their new single 'All The Young Dudes' on Sunday's Results Show. The professional dancers will present a stunning Argentine Tango set in a glamorous 1940s hotel, choreographed by Matt Flint, Leandro Palou, and Maria Tsiatsiani.
Chris McCausland, a celebrity contestant, recalled childhood memories of Blackpool, saying: 'We used to go to Blackpool a lot when I was a kid. I’ve got loads of memories of the seafront, the beach and the fairgrounds.' He added that performing on the famous sprung floor is 'good to be there', and described Blackpool as 'the Wembley for ballroom dancers'.
When asked about good luck charms, Chris joked he would bring his 'bucket and spade so we can build sandcastles on the beach'. Another celebrity, whose identity is not specified in the source, mentioned taking the Pleasure Beach as a lucky item, saying: 'I’m not in it for the view am I?!'
The source notes that a total of 99 celebrities and 52 professional dancers have performed in Blackpool's ballroom, with 107 tens awarded by judges over the years. Bruno Tonioli has awarded the most tens at Blackpool, with 31 out of the total.
