I think Len competed in both, but there's an hilarious clip of him shown on ITT every year, and the still photo shown on DWTS of him dancing a Jive from the early 70s!! I laugh like a drain everytime I see it, I LOVE it!! He's got this amazing smile on his face, and the choreo is soooo nostalgic and retro!!

Oh yeah, I remember seeing that now

Len did of course do Latin and Ballroom but was noted for his showdance more than them and in judging/teacing before SCD did more in the freestyle world than ballroom one. He was also well known for his instrucitonal videos which is probably more the reason he got the job at the BEEB

Personally would love to know how they arrived at choosing Len with so many more higher qualified judges than him out there. But this is the BBC who used Peggy Spencer as the authority on dancing years after her sell by date

If a judge were to be replaced it would be Bruno for me. He's a character but doesn't bring much as a judge IMHO to the table.

Thanks

I always had the feeling that SCD was 'looked down on', in a sense, by influential members of the dance world, and that was why the producers chose the judges they did - they were the ones willing to do it, rather than being the best in their fields.

I wondered that, will have to try to find out why those four. Maybe they were the only ones who wanted to do it at the time and they have stayed. Will ask the question though.

Bendy! How can you possibly knock the Countess of Penge?!

The woman is a Legend! Terry Wogan will be after you!!

Was that a clip of him in this kind of jumpsuit with a waistcoat top and a neck scarf type of thing?

His legs are going about 20 to the dozen.

I know that Matthew Bourne turned them down.

That's the one! Classic! Really diggin' that 1970s music he was!

I can knock the countess because she was NOT that good and was still touted by the BEEB as an expert when her formation teams were not even in the top three in the UK let alone Europe.

As for Terry, I'll take my chances

I know some high profile people turned it down, but how they arrived at who they diod would love to know think I will ask around too - know a few people in the upper ranks of the dance world too

It's just because from the BBC's point of view, the show is about entertainment, and they know no-one expected Natasha Kaplinsky, say, to carry on dancing the way it is expected that the winner of X factor carries on singing. The fact that a huge country like the USA use Len and Bruno as their judges (with Len as head judge again) shows the producers are primarily concerned with ratings.. "Like Simon Cowell, if they worked well in the UK they'll work here.." Craig had worked for them in Fame Academy and maybe the others have connections at the Beeb, but we must remember this show didn't start off as big as it is now.

Ah, but Peggy Spencer was the one who took Paul Killick through his first steps in the world of ballroom dancing . . . I can be grateful to her for that !

I have no objection to the Beeb using him just touting him as some great big EXPERT when he was never considered that just another good teacher and judge end of

Paul Killick is fab but many teachers over the years have taught him and of course he had loads of natural talent

Well, they're not exactly going to say "head judge Len Goodman, who isn't very highly rated in the world of ballroom dance but is all we could get..."

Of course they cant do that paso but neither do they have to big him up so much either - in USA they make him out to be the be all and end all of UKdance

But thanks to SCD Len is now the public the face of Ballroom dancing in the UK.

This thread sparked a lot of comment over 40 posts in about an hour!

And what a great shame !!!!

in my view to stop the programme going stale - and for me it is going stale is swap the pro dancers and judges each season - I will now beat a hasty retreat as I know what a storm it causes saying anything about the pro dancers on DS

He has probably been taught by the majority of the biggest names in the world, but it was definitely Peggy who was his first ever ballroom dancing teacher. I'm glad that she got him hooked on it - imagine if he had joined the royal ballet instead of progressing with Latin. What a loss that would have been!

I just love the man, probably far more than is normal! And yes I agree, without the natural talent he had it would not have been possible to have been simply just 'taught' to dance the way that he did at the height of his career.

Sorry, but I don't agree. IMHO without Len on SCD ballroom dancing would not have the public profile it now enjoys.

No need to apologise Buddy we all have our own opinions but for me the person who devised the show should get that credit - and anyone I meet (I run a dance school) from the public who come to learn never mention Len they mention the dancers