I have been watching Series 1 over the last few days. I am enjoying it SO much.

Jason was so strange, David was so grumpy, Verona was such a sore loser.

I think Chris Parker's embarassment about being so bad is quite uncomfortable to watch though! Who actually voted for him, just to see him be somewhat miserable?!

Claire being eliminated was so shocking. Probably the most shocking in SCD history. We never again had the second best dancer eliminated so early.

I also find it funny how at the start, Bruce says 'nice to twirl you, to twirl you nice!'. Also at the end instead of saying keep dancing, Bruce and Tess say, 'BE THERE.'

Also, they kept referring to Len at the start of each show as the head judge. Bruce would say 'please welcome our head judge Len Goodman, who is joined by Arlene...' etc.

However, Bruce definitely was determined to make it the 'Bruce Show', in Series 1, half the airtime, we had him talking.

Strictly was so good in its first few series - it felt like a real competition - it was the little things that made it that way, like the stricter marking, seeing the contestants backstage before and after their performance, and the competitors bowing at the end of their performance.

I want good old Strictly back, that us forumites used to know and love!

Omg how are you watching?

I have DVDs of them.

Can I ask where you got them? Never seem to find anything online

I have the series 1 on DVD also. I loved it and just after series 1 and 2 I started having lessons with John Byrnes and am still having lessons with him. It is great fun and I get some insider comments on the show. I was sorry to see Clair leave so early in the show.
I dont think the shows are available on dvd anywhere, I recorded it myself.

The forum was better then as well, we made some good friends on here whereas now you are just a likely to get your head bitten off by the majority of the posters, it has changed so much, it certainly isnt the friendly place it was back then

I can't remember much of the first series only that it got me hooked. Remember Natasha and Brendan won and I supported them. Chris Parker as you say was an embarrassment obviously had the East Enders vote. Him and Anne Widdicome would make a right pair.

David Dickinson didn't need any fake tan but he was useless. Was the motoring correspondent Quentin on that series too he was awful.

Jason God rest his soul tried hard but not a natural. Very shocked that he died so young.

A certain poster VERY kindly copied their discs and sent copies to me.

He was on the 'year' (i.e. couple of months) after that.

Oh right, thanks.

I Have very fond memories of the first series. I fell in love with watching Natasha and Brendan dancing together.

The reason Chris Parker got so many votes is was a cheeky young lad on EE at the time and would have had a huge public fan base compared with the other celebs.

I genuinely remember nothing about series 1! I couldn't tell you what celebs were on it apart from Chris Parker/Natasha. Which pros were involved? (I'm guessing Brendan/Anton...)

(I still miss the ...."please take to the floor... bit too, and the bowing, when did they stop that?)

Who was Jason? I honestly don't remember a Jason on SCD until Jason Donovan.


Jason? I don't remember any Jason's competing in the first series of SCD or in any of the other ones up until Jason Donovan that is.


The pros were:

Anton
Brendon
Paul Killick
John Byrnes

and

Erin
Camilla
Hannah Karttunen
Kylie Jones

Jason Wood - first boot ever. Minor comedian. Now sadly dead.

I remember watching Series 1, but I don't remember enjoying it over much. Everyone was either crap or annoying or both. Mostly both.

How completely bizarre, I have no memory of him at all.

I miss the way they used to slow dance at the end instead of doing the massive group hug.

The only thing I remember about him is that The Scotsman savaged his Edinburgh show one year and scored it 1 star. He then put "A Star - The Scotsman" on all the posters.

Well it made me laugh.

Thank you

How could I forget Camilla! The only name I recognise there is Paul Killick, and that's because that one dance he did with Carol Vorderman has just popped back into my brain

That would make me laugh too, I love someone whose capable of not only laughing at themselves but also making the critics eat their words. I was looking him up and his death at such a young age is such a shame, they don't ever seem to have revealed a reason either, he died in his sleep.

The first series was just going to be a one off for a Comic Relief or Children in Need wasn't it but proved so popular they did a second series later that year.

I can't remember Claire Sweeney dancing or her partner John Byrnes .

I would love if someone posted series1 on youtube.

I might post series 1 on YouTube gradually. Possibly do week 1 tomorrow. But don't take my word for it.

Sports Relief the first year

Oh I do so agree with this! Clare and John did some beautiful routines. Unfortunately, I have a feeling John put his (lovely!) foot in it.

Because of the lack of dancing on tv, mostly only dancers had any idea of the standing of the pro dancers on the show. To a lot of other people they would have seen them as on a par with the old Come Dancing dancers (who were amateurs when they danced on that show). In trying to explain the standing of the pro dancers, John said "we are the dancing equivalent to Robbie Williams...." [or something similar].

True, but Big Mistake. Sounded too much like blowing his own trumpet, etc. A lot of us cringed at the time, and were not entirely surprised - saddened but not surprised - he and Clare were then voted off.

Another thing is, at the end of the semi final, the public got tobgote for which dance they wanted to see again from each couple. Did they do that in any other series.

I can't remember, but it would be a nice thing to repeat, don't you think?

On the results show of DWTS they have a judges "pick" (or at least they still did when I last saw it) when the judges choose one dance from the main show that they would like to see again. It wasn't necessarily the best dance, it might be the most entertaining, or perhaps the celeb who had most improved. I think that would be a nice thing for Strictly to do.