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.

I've googled Michael Stylianos and Lorna Lee (because who wouldn't become a bit obsessed with them after watching that demonstration?). They're married, have children and grandchildren and are still top teachers and judges in the dance world. Michael has been heavily involved in choreography for ice dancing, including for Torvill and Dean, and he and Lorna did a programme for Channel 5 a few years ago where they tried to turn delinquent youths into ballroom dancers.

Get them on Strictly! I'd rather watch these two do a demo dance than some warbler trying to flog their latest single.

I used to watch the later years of Come Dancing and remember the names Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather.

@EsmaCannonball Lorna was auditioned by the BBC for the role of Head Judge before they gave it to Len Goodman.

They are amazing, I went to a demonstration evening organised by them about 10 years ago which was wonderful.

It’s the Final!

Terry’s in his tux and it’s all to play for…

They've just mentioned the All England championships, those are on this weekend!

They should give her Shirley's job!

I'm loving the blokes in the audience sinking pints of beer.

They are showing the final from 1974 next week. I'm guessing no disco section. Maybe prog rock? Glam?

She has lovely arms.

I've just checked & next week we have the 1974 Final.

Shame they are not showing the entire 1974 series. This has been the best thing I have seen in years. Sorry, Happy Valley and David Attenborough.

I'm guessing these two had too much leverage to be made to wreck their shoes in a municipal quadrant.

Nifty footwork

“The pride of Chalfont St Peter” 😂

The Midlands and West have nailed the disco, imo. And the men did it while looking like bank managers by day, serial killers by night. Impressive.

There's a man behind Terry who looks like Wolverine. If Wolverine had been from Wolverhampton, that is.

Lovely quickstep tbf

What's this tune?

I need Sally Wainwright to write a six-part drama about The Weston-Super-Mare Old Time Team. They are fascinating.

And now they're dancing in the dark!!

Did those dresses travel in a separate minibus?

Can you imagine trying to get a hair appointment anywhere the same day that Come Dancing is in town? Those hood hairdryers will have been fully booked.

These days the fruit merchants we get on telly are bloody Gregg Wallace.

Just realised I missed last week (I'll have to catch it up) and this week is the Grand Final!

Anybody watching? England vs Wales.

The magnificence continues. IIRC, the couple who did the Paso for England were the pro demo couple in 1979 where the man wore a burgundy catsuit. Seared into my memory.

Whoa magenta!