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Come Dancing BBC4

316 replies

Parts · 08/01/2023 19:30

Oh, the absolute joy of it. Terry Wogan, dancers who look 34 but are actually 19 yr old secretaries and mechanics, awkward descriptions of the enormous sequinned dresses (created by Carol's mother, Sheila), the proper dance band, cutaways to the dinner-dance audience smoking grumpily through the 'now traditional Come Dancing disco section!', brutal marking...

Can't believe my childhood now looks as ancient as a Pathe newsreel.

OP posts:
90yomakeuproom · 21/02/2023 09:38

She started as a really young child locally where there was a ballroom dance school. She met Terry yes and had a local dressmaker make her dresses. She's still got some of the matching dyed shoes. She still teaches, judges and does choreography, mainly little things like wedding dances etc nothing for stage or screen. The people who were picked to be on come dancing were the ones who were top of their game in competitions. My mum was UK champion. There were/are still Sunday competitions all over the country/World. You'll find most people in ballroom all know each other. My mum knows Shirley, Anton, Len and the dancers on come dancing. Most of the UK pros had parents who danced. It's lovely now because we follow her friends children and grandchildren in competitions. I never danced as I think she knew what she'd be getting herself in for!

Limer · 21/02/2023 13:12

90yomakeuproom · 21/02/2023 09:38

She started as a really young child locally where there was a ballroom dance school. She met Terry yes and had a local dressmaker make her dresses. She's still got some of the matching dyed shoes. She still teaches, judges and does choreography, mainly little things like wedding dances etc nothing for stage or screen. The people who were picked to be on come dancing were the ones who were top of their game in competitions. My mum was UK champion. There were/are still Sunday competitions all over the country/World. You'll find most people in ballroom all know each other. My mum knows Shirley, Anton, Len and the dancers on come dancing. Most of the UK pros had parents who danced. It's lovely now because we follow her friends children and grandchildren in competitions. I never danced as I think she knew what she'd be getting herself in for!

That's fantastic, sounds like an amazing experience for her! How wonderful too that she's still involved in the world of dance.

SpikyHatePotato · 21/02/2023 17:55

Regarding Pink Wafty Sheet vs Wicker Man, there was barely any actual dancing in the former - maybe that was the audience's objection?

Quite interesting to compare the fashions between this one and the 1979 series - the Latin dresses still had layers of chiffon, just a lot shorter. And there were quite a few porn star 'taches on the men.

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:02

1977 grand final, here we go!

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:02

Lovely rumba to There's Only One Alan Shearer.

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:04

Ooh, the eyeshadow on this one

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:04

Yellow nylon. Careful with those fags in the audience.

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:05

The BBC apparently can only afford one follow-spot op (or maybe they only had one working one in Bradford.

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:06

Sue is well glam. Can see her being an old flame of Bodie's in The Professionals.

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:10

It's cruel of them to show this dress during a tomato shortage.

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:10

Liking Peter's quiff

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:10

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:10

It's cruel of them to show this dress during a tomato shortage.

GrinGrinGrin

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:11

Strong loo-roll cover doll vibes with the pink

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:12

Another tomato - really rubbing it in

Allmyarseandpeggymartin · 26/02/2023 19:13

I have enjoyed watching these so much, DS was asking why they were describing the colours of the dresses - it blew his mind when I explained about black and white telly 😂

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:14

Bet they've just sold their house in Ramsgate for £4.6million.

CMOTDibbler · 26/02/2023 19:16

For those who know, did you buy a pattern to make the dresses from a special catalogue (I don't remember them in the back of the Butterick pattern book) or was it tribal knowledge how to make such a perfect half sphere of the skirt?

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:17

At least they'd stopped making the pros dance in the car park by 1977

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:18

Who is this?

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:19

David is magnificent! It's like your very serious hospital consultant just can't help expressing himself when he hears the music.

If last week was orange week, 1977 appears to be the year of acid green. It's all very Opal Fruits.

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:20

Pan's People were dialling their lawyers right now.

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:21

Peaky Blinders meets Abba

EsmaCannonball · 26/02/2023 19:22

Student theatre you say? Yep.

Allmyarseandpeggymartin · 26/02/2023 19:22

I absolutely love the silver dancing shoes.

When I was little my granny and I used to walk past a dance shop and that had shoes just like them in the window, she always promised to buy me some when my feet stopped growing 😂

She never did but when she died she left me some money and I bought a pair. I wear them for weddings and dinner dances. I can’t dance like her and my grandad could (grandads specialty was the rumba!) but they are so glam and bring back such happy memories

SpikyHatePotato · 26/02/2023 19:23

Ahahahaha, Tel didn't know what to make of that ending