Just as a matter of interest, how do do fellow people think it costs the BBC to use/hire the Blackpool tower ballroom? The lights/sets were brilliant!

I might be wrong on this but I think they cut back on the Blackpool set compared to previous years. I'm sure they used to put up the strictly arcs at the back?

The only thing I know is that it took 350 BBC employees to put on that superb show.

Wow!! That many! IMy daughter and I are inquisitive to know the hire cost of the ballroom though 😄

Sorry don't know but perhaps (since it was a massive advert for them) it was a freebie.

SCD series budget is six million, that for everything all series, there will be a deal as it's fantastic advertising for the ballroom, Blackpool and resort and the fee would be far far less than you would expect.

That's an average of 17.5k per person excluding all other costs. That doesn't sound right. Some must work all year

They probably pay the BBC.

Wow that is a lot but it was a great show.

That's the full series budget, and no they do not work year round, some like the judges most there not told anything until May each year.

If you search online there was a newspaper article on the budgets and comparing it to X a Factor, it was either daily Mail, independent or guardian.

Judges £100k Presenters £250k, Pros £31k, Celebs in stages from £25k if last four odd weeks, then £40k if last longer, to £60k longer and £200k for the winner,


Compare to the million pound deals on XF.

Its all a very large amount of money.

Sounds quite low to me.

They presumably economise very vigorously on guest singer costs?

Tony Bennet, Boy George, Annie Lennox, McCrap, Dame Shirl - all of them were so bad they should have paid the Beeb for the privilege of appearing!

Perhaps they do!

I thought that Tony Bennet, Boy George and Annie Lennox were all there just to plug their latest albums. A 2-minute slot on prime time Saturday night BBC can't come cheap.

Such a huge gap in salary between the presenters and the Pros, especially when you consider the talent and effort they put into the show. Between the pro dances, their choreography and the dances with their partners, they really are the show. And over time, they have become mini-celebs in their own right...quite often the public tune in to see them, rather than the judges or the pros. Such an unfair disparity between what they do and what the presenters do (introductions along with a few unfunny, predictable gags read from an autocue). The pros should be getting paid more imo.

That's show business (quite literally)!

I do agree that the pros are worth much more, but there are numerous instances of pay anomalies these days - professional footballers and city bankers come immediately to mind. Pay (paticularly in the entertainment business) is determined by market forces rather than skill and effort involved.

It certainly is mossy.

I doubt very much that there were 350 BBC employees involved. There might have been 350 people but most would be on contract.

I doubt very much that the BBC publish the amounts paid especially to the presenters. The tabloids are fond of saying that someone earned a figure when it can be an estimate of their total income.

But would the professionals be able to earn as much from their personal appearances and dance tours if they had not been on Strictly Come Dancing? Most would be unknown to the general public if it was not for Strictly Come Dancing.

That's certainly true - their earning potential has obviously shot up, with tour participation, their own shows, fitness videos, dance tuition etc. But I don't begrudge them any of it - the have certainly earned their success!

I thought the rule of thumb was OBs cost three times what a nonOB would.

At least it gives it more of a national than Londoncentric feel to the whole SCD event