Soprano Lesley Garrett singing the praises of Strictly

So Christmas has gone, new year beckons and finally it is behind us. No I’m not talking panto here I’m referring to Strictly Come Dancing which surely has to have been one of the great success stories of lockdown ( or at least pandemic restricted) telly.
Not only was the show a technical triumph but it delivered with such grace and elan. It was entertaining, surprising (in all the best ways)  and heart-warming. The rivalries and bad vibes that can so often be detected completely vanished. The contestants were supportive and encouraging of each other. Bill Bailey winning, which I wrote about last week, was the icing on the cake. But what a cake it was.
Intriguing then to tune in to BBC Radio 4’s The Reunion this week which invited some of the key figures from the very first Strictly 16 years ago to remember what early days of were like,
It reminded us that this programme, which has become the nation’s favourite Saturday night show, watched by more than 10 million of us every week, was initial.ly considered by many to be a seriously bad idea.
Not least by news presenter Natasha Kaplinsky who went on to win the first series. She admitted that she was terrified that it would compromise her reputation as a serious journalist.
Others took the opposing view lime our good friend and regular Clive Conway Production’s contributor Lesley Garrett.
The soprano was delighted to be invited to join the show saying she had just become interested in ballroom dancing and Strictly offered her the chance for some top end practice and what amounted to a series of master-classes with her professional partner Anton Du Beke. Just how timely Lesley’s appearance on the show was may have been indicated by her her tongue in cheek claim that claim that she’d even bougt her husband  a stick on hairy chest and a bottle of fake tan.
Not sure we believe a word of that but, suffice to say, Strictly did the trick and Lesley and Anton came third in that 2004 final.Meanwhile Lesley Garrett will be back in action with CCP next summer appearing in a series of An Audience with Lesley Garret shows throughout May and June 2021. Check this website for further details.