Come Dancing BBC4

[Parts]

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.

It’ll kick off if these new fly-by-nights win, I’ll tell you.

Was she worried you'd end up wanting to marry a man with Frankie Valli hair and cuban heels, who looked 52, claimed he was 17 and liked to randomly dance round the ticket booths in municipal car parks?

Collision! Right in front of the camera in the end credits

I reckon she didn’t want to be up all night sewing sequins onto 45 yards of netting.

There are women audience members dancing together! Take that Strictly, thinking you are groundbreaking!

@EsmaCannonball that is brilliant! I almost hope this was the reason. Hasn’t stopped me from wanting sequinned, ostrich feather-covered everything though.

I love those big ballroom frocks! We go ballroom and Latin dancing, and what I would give to turn up to one our social nights wearing one of those.

Looking at the judges on Come Dancing I wonder what they would think if they saw the outfits today's competitors wear, which is basically consists of two bits of mesh, a handful of sequins and 3 gallons of fake tan😀and don't even get. me started on their female partners.

I love the big ballroom frocks too! And it's only now I'm watching it as an adult with a more noticing eye (as opposed to being a child dazzled by all the pretty colours and the woo! shiny!), that I see the ballroom frocks are only moderately large but it's the Old Time ones you want for peak puff. Love 'em... Vicki Gill take note!

Haha yes they looked completely nonplussed! Loved Frank Venables’ edwardian/Englebert Humperdinck hair. He was only 35 then (worked it out using Google). What a dancer though!

Tee hee.

Spotted a dancer who subsequently became a professional champion in the late 1980s, David Sycamore, jiving for the north west!

I was OUTRAGED when the Manchester Latin formation team were eclipsed by the Cardiff Cyril something be-wigged dancers. Perhaps Lionel Kibble (great name, he was one of the judges) was bought off with a £20 bribe (top dollar in 1979)

I didn't realise this was on iPlayer! I used to love Come Dancing - me and my Aunty Van used to watch it when I stayed with her - oh how I wanted one of those frothy frocks!

I used to work with a girl who was in the Frank and Peggy Spencer Latin Formation Team in a former life. She was really interesting to listen to - the training sounded exhausting - and she said they were also hired as dancers for pop videos - she did a couple for the Pet Shop Boys.

DH has just gone out so I think I might settle down with a coffee and the telly and indulge!

Do you think the government would find it frivolous if I started a petition to replace Couple's Choice on Strictly with the Military Two-Step?

@EsmaCannonball - or maybe a medley of Two-Steps? Boston, Liberty, Military, Premier, Waverley, Rialto…

Perhaps the could choose two-step or gavotte/schottische or saunter? So still couples choice, only with no contempowaft.

Yes, or the Magenta Tango. Make 'em choose a Magenta Tango.

I think it should be policy actually. It would be a vote winner. You forgot the Valeta by the way.

VELETA

I watched an episode over Christmas. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the commentator described one male dancer as “A Page 3 connoisseur”

🤮

Don't forget he was into karate as well as Page 3. Then there was the one who ended his dance with a Benny Hill pointing gesture at his partner's derriere. I guess when you've got to return to work as a 17 year old apprentice bus mechanic on a Monday morning in 1979 after making an appearance on national television that made Liberace seem like Bill Beaumont, then you've got to do what you can.

Love the Veleta! Lilac Waltz? Ooooo St Bernard’s Waltz (stomp stomp)

so sad no one learns these any more - they were such fun! And the progressive dances (Mayfair quickstep??) great for meeting new people

Friendly Waltz - that’s definitely progressive.

Ooh it's crack-shot-with-a-rifle Amanda.

I was wondering if they kept the same dancers and just did different dances, or whether it was a whole new team.

That lime green dress with the flesh coloured insert made her torso look incredibly long - no belly button!

Busy sleeves, Carol!

Weird-stalky-Copper boyfriend, Carol!