Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has revealed that he and the late head judge Len Goodman initially believed the show would be taken off air within weeks of its launch.
The Saturday night dance programme, which first aired in 2004 with Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly hosting, has become one of the BBC's flagship series over almost two decades. It recently underwent a major presenter shake-up following the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe now fronting the show to a mixed reaction from fans.
Judges' Early Doubts
Craig Revel Horwood, who has been on the judging panel since the very beginning, admitted in a new interview that neither he nor Len Goodman expected Strictly to survive. "Len Goodman, bless him, and rest his soul, and I both said together, 'We give it three weeks'. We thought it would be off air after that. But it won the hearts and minds of the nation," Craig told the Radio Times.
Craig, now 61, also praised the new presenting team, saying: "I'm really loving this new series of Strictly, and I love the new hosts. I think they provide an extra oomph of energy. Josh is very funny, and Emma is the ultimate professional. And it's great that we've got JoJo upstairs, who can demonstrate a bit of dancing as well. He's the first host we've ever had who's an accomplished dancer."
New Twist in the Dance Off
This series introduced a new twist during the Halloween special, when the dance off featured three couples rather than two and the judges had to choose who to eliminate rather than save. The change saw Emmerdale star and his partner Jowita Przystał eliminated following their Tango to Ghostbusters.
"It was a very different atmosphere judging to send someone home, rather than save them. But when you're judging to send someone home, it adds tension. And I liked it!" admitted Craig.
Jaime Winstone's Injury
As the countdown continues to the next live show on Saturday, November 14, fans are wondering whether Jaime Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu will make a comeback. The pair did not appear last week as Jaime, 41, recovered after tearing an abdominal muscle, but there has been no further news on whether she will return this weekend.
A BBC statement previously read: "Due to injury, Jaime Winstone has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, she will not dance in this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing. In line with the rules of the show, Jaime and Carlos will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish Jaime the very best as she continues her recovery."
Jaime added: "I am absolutely devastated not to be dancing this weekend due to a torn abdominal muscle. I am in considerable pain, and my doctors have advised complete rest to give my body the best possible chance to heal."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The full interview with Craig Revel Horwood appears in this week's Radio Times.
