Layton Williams in Strictly

[Char65]

I am a big fan of Strictly but I have lost interest in it this year because of Layton Williams as he is a professional dance. His CV reads

2007–2008: Billy Elliot the Musical
2008–2009: Beautiful People
2016: Hairspray the Musical UK Tour - playing Duane
2016-2017: Rent UK Tour - playing Angel
2017-2018: Hairspray the Musical UK Tour - playing Seaweed J. Stubbs
2018-2019: Kiss Me Kate - playing Bill Calhoun/Luciento
2019-2022: Everyone's Talking About Jamie - playing Jamie New

He was also in a Michael Jackson show - and I believe Jackson could dance a bit!

To me its no fair to pitch a pro against amateurs though I accept a lot of actors have also done dance at stage school but not appeared in the West End like this guy! What do others think?

If you don't like the BBC, don't pay the license and don't watch it. No-one is forcing you to give them your money.

This is bordering on paranoid homophobia, really. It's clear that many people think they are unlikely to win, because it would be perceived as unfair. The contestants just reflect modern Britain, but you're shouting conspiracy.

It's a bit "when you're used to privilege, equality feels like discrimination." It's one of the micro-aggressions non-white, non-heterosexual or disabled people face all the time, the assumption they only got where they are because of positive discrimination.

I wondered if Craig’s 9 on Saturday was actually acknowledging again that he has an unfair advantage. I imagine so. If anyone else had done that performance, especially an underdog, I reckon it would have got 40. His feedback last night made sense but it could only have been given to someone on Layton’s level. It would have been harsh otherwise.

Wow! Are you happy you got all that off your chest?

Quite a lot of judgements made there based on... absolutely nothing.
I don't hate the BBC, don't object to paying the licence fee, really enjoy Strictly and think Layton is an incredible dancer. He's the one I most look forward to watching each week.

All I have said is the BBC/Strictly want to be the first mainstream entertainment show to have a same-sex win. NOWHERE have I said this is a bad thing or a 'conspiracy'. Just explaining - as someone who works in TV - why they've done it.

Craig's 9 was because he always saves his first 10 for Blackpool. That's it!

Heels will not be a problem for Layton. He performed multiple chaine turns in very high heels every night when he was in Jamie.

Ah I look forward to next week then. Would love to see Layton or Ellie get 40.

I'd thought I wouldn't take to Layton, given his training, but he's not at all conceited about his skill, seemingly takes nothing for granted and the criticisms of his dancing are harsher than those given to others, and with good reason.

I've been doing ballroom and Latin dances for a couple of years, but we've not yet progressed to lifts or cartwheels with no hands yet. Hoping we might do that in the new year. 😁

Anyone remember the likes of Darren Gough, not-exactly-svelte blokey bloke, who signed up to Strictly for a laugh, and ended up loving it and being surprisingly light on his feet and very watchable? That's the point of the show for me.

Of course Layton's a mesmerisingly good dancer; it's his fucking job. Pros dancing with pros and being scored is called the UK National Ballroom Championships, not Strictly.

If you're going to put an amputee and middle aged people who've never danced before up against someone who's spent years in West End musicals then at least be honest about it.

It's not even that he has spent years in west end musicals. It's the fact that he was part of one of the UK's leading dance companies, Matthew Bourne.

I thought Craig gave a pretty good explanation of his scoring for that Argentine tango - essentially that it was to attacking with not enough smoothness - more tango less Argentine tango.

My daughter is a dancer - classical, tap and modern. She's just started Irish dancing and has taken to it incredibly quickly prior training has clearly helped. Anyone saying that prior dance training in other styles doesn't help in ballroom and Latin is simply wrong. Any remember Darcey Bussell's dances on strictly (as a judge)? Just the same as a professional athlete swapping sports - all that training and skill puts you in a massively increased position to be successful compared to Joe blogs of the street (or a middle aged journalist for example).

Layton is a pro west end performer dancing complex routines regularly in his shows and he is young and in the prime if his performing career. He's not the first celeb on strictly who has pushed the line but it is getting pretty egregious now.

Indeed - he is also listed as a masterclass tutor for "Can you dance?" Which is a national set of dance conventions etc. he is literally teaching others to dance.

Sorry, yes, re-reading I do seem to have gone off on one there! Was majorly irritated by the MyGooseisTotallyLoose quote and the BBC bashing, which is just tedious and endemic these days. So assumed you were like minded and part of the anti woke brigade. I'm still not convinced you are right - more of the "he's there for entertainment but not to win it" view - but very sorry I called you a paranoid homophobe!!!

I agree, I love watching him and it's a great partnership, but it's unfair on the others. And I do think that he takes criticism quite badly, although he is getting better in that regard.

Saying that though I do look forward to his dance every week.

I think YABU purely cos you're not also complaining about Nigel Harman who has also had many main roles in West end shows requiring dancing skills!

He is not a professional dancer who teaches dance.

he's only a standard level ringer.

Nigel Harman trained as a singer/actor who was given enough dance classes in college to get by. We said several pages ago that the roles he has played in musical theatre were not dance roles. Heck, in Shrek he spent the entire show on his knees!

Layton trained as a dancer/singer who then moved into acting as a triple threat.

Crikey, it's a light entertainment show not the Olympics!

I guess some people would prefer that they picked a bunch of entirely "average" celebs with no prior dance skills. But in more recent seasons at least they've gone for diversity - it's never really going to be "fair" to pit a paralympian who has never danced before against someone who has danced in a professional capacity but they do that every year. Does it actually matter? Celebs go into it with an understanding of how it works, the technically best dancer is rarely the winner and the people get the most from it either in the short or longer term are often not the winners.

Most recent previous series have included a ringer who gets to the final but doesn't go on to win - the fact Layton is an uber-ringer doesn't really change that. If he were 50% less outstanding he'd probably still be in the final and if anything probably MORE likely to win than he is now!

This is page 11 of one of many threads on this topic. Like many other people Layton's inclusion has reduced my enjoyment and the entertainment value of the show to me because it is so obviously unfair.

Yes, it isn't the Olympics, but the BBC should be making entertaining quality programmes not putting professional west-end dancers against paralympians and journalists with no prior dance experience and pretending like it is a fair competition. The judges gave Jody absolutely no quarter when he was pitted against the likes of Layton, pretty disrespectful and manifestly unfair and largely unnecessary. There are limits to this and I think the BBC has pushed it too far this year.

And yes I am someone who would find the show more enjoyable if it was restricted to celebrities with little dance experience.

I came back to this post to say how well Layton came across on It Takes Two tonight but reading
The judges gave Jody absolutely no quarter when he was pitted against the likes of Layton, pretty disrespectful and manifestly unfair and largely unnecessary. There are limits to this and I think the BBC has pushed it too far this year.
The judge’s treatment of Jody was no different to that of Johnny Peacock when he competed or any other competitor with a disability, it was hardly Jody vs Layton in a dance off. Jody was competing against practically everyone. How does your theory work out when you have someone like Rose Ayling-Ellis? Had she been dancing this year she still would have had the journey and performed as amazingly as she did because she had the ability to learn and as an actor has the skills to perform. Shouldn’t Ellie, Nigel or Amanda have competed against Jody because they can act and have some dance experience too? Yes Layton has extensive dance training but why a whole section of people who claim to enjoy Strictly can’t just enjoy the dancing for what it is - a competition to win a glitterball trophy, nothing more. And if past series have shown us anything you’ll get your moment to gloat when he is the runner up. He’s in the competition, get over it because unless you’re one of the other dancers it should have no effect whatsoever on your life.

Yes Layton has extensive dance training

you mean "is a professional dancer"

He could be the love child of Motsi and Anton for all I care. It’s a dance show, and he’s doing just that, dancing and in return they all get paid, it’s a job. Do you think the talent bookers were oblivious to his career? There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be on the show.

It doesn't matter how nice Layton is the question was should a professional dancer be allowed to compete on Strictly? and 82% of voters said "no".

I think what annoys me and I guess a lot of people is the BBC trying to 'pretend' he is a 'celebrity' and not a pro dancer. I was never keen on Krishnan but was impressed by how he improved as a dancer (with little or no dance knowledge) from week one until Sunday when he was voted out and too me that's what its all about. Its the same with the results show and the BBC pretending its 'live' - which is a another whole topic!

He’s not a professional dancer though, he’s an actor who dances well and performs in some roles that require acting, singing and dancing. He is known to some people through roles that don’t involve dance- there wasn’t much in Bad Education albeit his character was a wannabe musical theatre star. I suspect that he would not make it to “the top” in the world of performers who specialise in dance only.

He IS a professional dancer. He toured with leading dance company New Adventures (the company made famous by Matthew Bourne's all male Swan Lake) in their production of The Car Man a production that incorporates several different dance styles.

He’s a triple threat, like Nigel/ Danny Mac/ Denise Van Outen/ Tom Chambers/ many many others. He is an excellent dancer but he’s not just a dancer- unlike Ashley for example who really only danced and judged dancing, in the PCD they didn’t even sing usually.

Many many MT performers do masterclasses, it helps pay the bills during down time, at DDs’ dance school loads of MT ‘stars’ come and do sessions. they would not define themselves as dancers, they’re singers/actors/ dancers.