When did people start watching Strictly and have you watched it all since?

I remember seeing the first ever episode in a pub in Bridgend after going down to watch the Challenge Cup Final in Cardiff. I think I dropped in on a few programmes, especially finals before actually watching a whole series, but start watching it all from series 3.

How does everyone else's experiences compare?

My first full Strictly included Vorderman's rhumba shockingly I've watched it ever since

(If you haven't seen it, do not youtube - remember, what has been seen can never be unseen )

I do indeed.

It was the first series.

I had no real interest in dancing before the show, and admit I only watched it because I had a crush on Christopher Parker (I was only 14 at the time, give me a break! ) but I watched every week.

Fell in love with it and watched it every year since.

I think when I first put it on david dickenson and camilla were dancing didnt think I'd like it but I stuck with it and am now a bit of an addict

There are worse people to have crushes on that Chris Parker especially for 14 year olds - he seems like a nice guy and is pretty cute - I'd stopped watching EE but people on here reckon he was actually a reasonable to good actor too. Better him than a boyband non entity.

I saw bits of serieses one and two but it was foxtrot/paso week of series three that I became gripped - and it was when I found I regretted watching the next week that I vowed it wouldn't happen again and it hasn't - haven't missed a week since.

I discovered SCD by flicking through the channels and seeing Jill Halfpenny dancing the Paso. The outfit immediately caught my attention and the way she danced I knew it was something special. I watched the final but due to work commitments the following year I didn't have the interest/motivation to watch any of Series 3. Series 4 was the first series I watched from the start and learnt more about dancing and how the programme worked. By Series 5, I was obsessed by Strictly and was in awe at the female line up (Alesha year) and at the end of the series I took up classes myself.

Absolutely. Every last sequin. Even when I'd just moved house and had the most horrendously stressful couple of months trying to complete the move, right through the series, and then my kitchen floor had collapsed just before Christmas and I had to move out - still watched the final and every single ep of ITT !

When I saw trailers for the first series I was determined to avoid it like the plague. However part way through the first series I had visitors one weekend who wanted to watch it and from then on I was hooked. I think the first week I saw was the one when Verona Joseph was eliminated. I don't think I've missed a single episode since then or a single episode of ITT since 2006!

That was mine too. As I recall, she'd been filming for Holby City all week and had managed to fit in about 45 seconds of training. Her paso consisted of standing in the centre of the dance floor like a rabbit caught in the headlights while Paul Killick raced around her like a demented dervish brandishing a blanket. It wasn't an awe-inspiring sight but I carried on watching (and was perversely delighted at Claire Sweeney's elimination even though I could see she was quite good).

Hadn't she also moved house that week too?

I do, and it was the final between Mr Parker and Ms Kaplinski. We'd been aware of but managed to mss the rest of the series, had gone out for some early dinner, and it was being shown in the bar. Made me resolve to watch the next series, and I haven't missed one since.

I'd seen bits and pieces of series one but it was Roger and Camilla's chachacha at the start of SCD2 that got me hooked...

From then until the end of SCD6 I saw every show and every ITT

Definately

Chris Parker who got to the final i believe

Brendan and Natasha...... who seemed to not get on at first but then made it to the final and won

From the Start....I deserve a Medal.


And what a was expecting.....was a lot of falling over, but that hasn't happened much.

As it is....It's great entertainment for Saturday Nights....long may it last.

She may well have done. I know it was a case of "Stand there love while I try and hypnotise the judges and the audience into thinking you've done a bit of dancing by moving at the speed of sound and shoving my eiderdown in their faces". He wasn't remotely subtle about it. Didn't remotely work either.

I think I was forced into watching one or two episodes before Series 4 - I thought it was a bit naff and cheesy, but I decided to give it a go during Series 4. I remember I was visiting some friends that day and my train back had been delayed so I got back when it was dark and turned on the TV to see Matt and Lilia dancing the Cha Cha. And I've been hooked ever since!

(crikey, I didn't know I had such a good memory)

We've watched it from the very first programme, we had just started dancing ourselves that year and thought it was all amazing. Mind you, we've since seen Brendan and Natasha's dance dvd and she was not a good dancer at all!! Standards of dancing have gone up and up as each season has come along. The last couple of seasons have been rather lack lustre, and Bruce annoys the h*ll out of me with Tess not being much better, but this season looks like it might be quite good, I'd actually heard of most of the celebs for a change

First Strictly show I watched was the very first show been hooked ever since and have very rarely missed a show - hmmm, I might need to get a life

I've watched it from when Brendan and Natasha Kaplinsky won but sometimes I flick through a lot of it when someone I can't stand is on, like Anne Widdicombe and Lulu. This year however I'm really looking forward to it.

I've loved watching the Olympics so to have 2 olympians on is an added bonus.

I have memories of the first 4 series, ie. Gloria Hunniford, and Matt Dawson's pink shirt. The first time I watched a series without missing an episode was Series 5, It got me hooked. Series 5 made me love it so much I was a fanatic for Series 6 and 7. I honestly wouldn't miss an episode, I was obsesses. Series 8 I barely watched due to school commitments, and although I know I saw a few episodes, I don't remember them. Series 9 got me re-hooked though, and this seriess, well, I've never been so excited in the run-up to the series! :O

I have the oddest memory for my first one. It was the first one of Series 3, and I remember going to buy the TV guide to read the two-page long feature about it, looking forward to seeing it for the first time!

And when it was on, I didn't leave my seat. Once.

Not really but then I can barely remember last week.

I saw the first series and the only memories I have are Natasha dancing in a white dress and Christopher Parker with a cape running round like a 4 year old hyped up on Haribo and Sunny Delight.

Yeah Gavin Henson fangirl only watched it because of him been hooked since then

I saw the end of series 4 and developed a bit of a crush on Mark Ramprakash

Started watching properly at the start of series 5, the year Alesha won - a series that has yet to be topped in my mind for the focus on the dances and dance ability of the main contenders, although there have been some good winners since

I remember distinctly the first time I saw a clip of the show featuring Natasha. This was before I'd watched any of the actual episodes.

I only flirted with Strictly during the first 2 series but made a full commitment at the start of series ➌.