Strictly reaches end of an era as Claudia and Tess depart – so what now for the BBC's most glittering jewel?

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s Strictly exit marks more than a hosting change – it’s the end of an era for British Saturday night TV.

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly stood next to each other smiling ahead.

BBC/Ray Burmiston

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Another day, another Strictly headline that contains no mention of dancing. This time it was the announcement that hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have decided “the time is right” to step away from the show they have co-presented since 2014.

My journalist pal reports a collective gasp in the newsroom when the news broke this morning. For sure, it doesn’t compete with some of the news headlines from recent weeks (and months, and years) for global significance – nevertheless, for the fragile and precious eco-system that is British entertainment, it is, indisputably, a big deal.

Ffor a decade the pair have presented the last remaining Saturday night ratings juggernaut. With a suitable nod to original Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, we can’t overlook the importance of them as two women in this high-profile primetime role. Daly and Winkleman stepped into shoes previously worn by Bruce Forsyth (and before him Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies etc) and have made the show comprehensively their own.

And what a show it is. In its 21st year, Strictly continues to defy viewing trends that saw off all competitors from around the time it started – Fame Academy, Pop Idol, X Factor, even Saturday Night Takeaway – its simple formula of "celeb meets professional, learns to ballroom dance, wows audience, wins glitterball" is something familiar, yet endlessly novel with the new pairings and stories. And it transcends borders, cultures and languages. Shown around the world in more than 60 overseas territories, it remains one of the BBC’s finest (and most lucrative) crown jewels.

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for Strictly Come Dancing, both wearing white and smiling at the camera, stood in the studio.

BBC/Guy Levy

And yet… like other shows, its dance-floor has shown cracks. Years after we enjoyed the efforts of John Sergeant, Anne Widdecombe and Nancy Del’Olio, the dancers have become increasingly high-profile, the celebrities increasingly competitive. With that has come scrutiny and pressure, culminating in last year’s unedifying catalogue of behind-the-scenes allegations of bullying and worse. In what should have been its celebratory 20th year, the show had to conduct internal inquiries and make sweeping changes to ensure care and good treatment for all involved. I said then: the BBC would be crossing fingers that the actual show would weave its customary magic and make us forget all that business – and so it proved, with the inspiring blind comedian Chris McCausland wowing us all.

Five weeks into this latest series, the BBC would usually be hoping that the same thing would happen, that debates — such as whether politically-minded Thomas Skinner should be allowed to participate, or if replacement celeb Amber Davies' previous West End training made it a fair dance-floor for other contestants — would evaporate in favour of our oohs and ahhs about Alex Kingston’s Rumba.

Throughout all those recent highs and lows, the stabilisers on this sometimes wobbly, sometimes wonderful bus have been our hosts Daly and Winkleman. No doubt someone high up at the BBC already has a few names scribbled on the back of an envelope wish list, the BBC press office will spin into life and discuss the value of the opportunity this creates for a rebrand, but with so many other "opportunities" like this coming the BBC’s way in recent months – Match of the Day, MasterChef – TV chiefs could really have done with one less thing to think about.

Instead, arguably their most valuable juggernaut of all has just lost two of its wheels, elements they will have to replace with the utmost care and thought if the bus is not to veer completely off the road.

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Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 25th October at 6:20pm.

Authors

Caroline Frost

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