Is there anyone out there who is old enough to remember dancers John and Betty Westley on the original "Come Dancing"? It was an amateur talent show, and they were the stars. I think their heyday was in the 1960s. Very different from SCD, but I have fond memories of it just the same.

I remember Rosemary Ford (married to the actor Robert Lindsay) doing a dancing show when I was really young...was that ''Come Dancing ''?

I think she actually introduced it.

this is the earliest video I could find

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NQYLLnWwuo

Rosegrower, why do you remember them?

I think I can remember Angela Rippon introducing Come Dancing

I think she may have done. I know Judith Chalmers did. I remember them for the daftest reason. I am a Methodist, and I used to think they were John and Betty Wesley, not Westley. But they were very good - very much of a height, both tall as I remember, and elegant. They always seemed to dance as one. It was all ballroom in those days I think, and in hold.

I remember the Peggy Spence sequence dancers

I remember them...her dancers were really good...if I remember rightly.

oh dear I remember a lot of the dancers from most of Come Dancing from the late fifties to the early sixties till it ended firstly as a kid I went to comps with mum and dad when they were dancing then when friends were dancing on it till my brother dancing on the show

remember John and Betty Wesley competing in the sixties.

Am feeling very old right now

Peggy Spencer was famous for her formation team Penge although they were good, they were overtaken by others in the dance world (City of Manchester - Bob Dale) to name but one but the Beeb always pushed the Penge team

ha this is an abiding memory was at this episode of come dancing and Mark Lunn dancing with Karen Hardy )) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8ng-xsGRqs

Matt cutler and Nicole early on before they were married

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFv7_MiXKW8

I remember Rosemary, Angela and David Jacobs. I think Terry Wogan did it too. Ray Moore used to commentate. I can remember Alan & Hazel Fletcher and Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather. Andy Ross & His Orchestra! And, of course, Peggy Spencer's dancers. My mum and Dad were avid viewers

I found a YouTube video of a newsreel item reporting that John and Betty won the World Ballroom Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8i6BbsQPQE

Was she the one with the hairdo that looked as if it had been set with ..well I am not quite sure what? But very set.

ETA _ Oh no I just googled her and she is not who I thought. I wonder who I am thinking of.

Thanks Bendy, love the very young Bruce Lait too!

Fabulous, lovely to see them again.

That's not proper dancing. There's no props and no *rsing around for half the allotted time and worse than that, the costumes and music suit the dance.

Thanks for the link!

I remember watching Come Dancing with my Nana in the 1960's. She used to love the beautiful dresses they wore. She would get the vapours if she were alive today to see the skimply costumes they wear!

Really enjoyed that - I forgot they used to have two couples dancing at the same time - and here's a novel idea - the camera man focussing on the dance and footwork not whizzing around like someone on acid at a rave

I can just imagine what my Mum would say too! She even complained when snooker players stopped wearing ties. Thanks to everyone for the links. Nice to know I am not alone .

I've just spent the last hour on YouTube surfing from one link to another - what a pleasant way to spend a horrible Autumn afternoon

Do they still have formation teams competing with names like Home Counties, North east etc ?
if so there must be a great deal of travelling involved for rehearsals .

I'll bet your Mum is none too impressed with the snooker players being covered in sponsors' logos these days as well!

No, they don;t have formation teams with these area names any more. There are many formation teams in the UK, both ballroom and latin, but they are named as a group, ie "XS Latin formation team" or named after their coach/teacher. Quite a few Universities have formation teams and they also compete at the British Closed Championships, amongst many other comps.

My Mum is no longer with us, alas, but you are quite right! As for cricketers playing in what she called "those ridiculous pyjamas" the least said the better!