Come Dancing started on BBC Television in 1949 and ran on and off until 1995.
It was invented by Eric Morley, who was also the person behind the Miss World competition. It wasn't until 1949 that the programme changed into a competition and later series saw regions of the country going head to head to compete.
The show has had numerous presenters during its time including Noel Edmonds, Peter West, Terry Wogan, Michael Aspel, David Jacobs and Rosemarie Ford.
In 2004, the series was revived with celebrities taking part under the name "Strictly Come Dancing" and was an instant hit for the BBC on Saturday nights as it seemed to provide real family entertainment again, something that many say had been lacking. Each celebrity was paired up with a professional dancer.
Bruce Forsyth was the new host and with Tess Daley co-hosting, the show pulled in between 6 and 8 million viewers each week – in the middle of the summer.
The show returned for a second series in 2004 and has returned each autumn ever since with the format also being sold to America and Australia.
As a result of the new show, interest in, and the popularity of, balloom dancing has risen dramatically.
At Christmas 2004, the BBC did a one-off spinoff called "Strictly Ice Dancing" where the celebrities learned to ice skate. In 2006, ITV decided to jump on the bandwagon and produce their own dancing show with celebrities called "Dancing on Ice".
It was invented by Eric Morley, who was also the person behind the Miss World competition. It wasn't until 1949 that the programme changed into a competition and later series saw regions of the country going head to head to compete.
The show has had numerous presenters during its time including Noel Edmonds, Peter West, Terry Wogan, Michael Aspel, David Jacobs and Rosemarie Ford.
In 2004, the series was revived with celebrities taking part under the name "Strictly Come Dancing" and was an instant hit for the BBC on Saturday nights as it seemed to provide real family entertainment again, something that many say had been lacking. Each celebrity was paired up with a professional dancer.
Bruce Forsyth was the new host and with Tess Daley co-hosting, the show pulled in between 6 and 8 million viewers each week – in the middle of the summer.
The show returned for a second series in 2004 and has returned each autumn ever since with the format also being sold to America and Australia.
As a result of the new show, interest in, and the popularity of, balloom dancing has risen dramatically.
At Christmas 2004, the BBC did a one-off spinoff called "Strictly Ice Dancing" where the celebrities learned to ice skate. In 2006, ITV decided to jump on the bandwagon and produce their own dancing show with celebrities called "Dancing on Ice".
