Champagne & Chocs For Strictly Inventor

The person who came up with the idea for Strictly only received champagne and chocolates, and a nominal bonus, for her efforts.

The Independent reports that Fenia Vardanis told the Sunday Times that inspiration struck at a commissioning meeting in 2003: “I suddenly said, 'wouldn’t it be funny if we did celebrity Come Dancing...' In those days there were annual staff bonuses and I didn’t get anything extraordinary. I got a staff bonus which I probably would have got anyway. The only thing I got was a bottle of Champagne from BBC Worldwide. I also got a box of chocolates which spelt the words Strictly Fantastic and I’m not saying this in a bitter or twisted way at all. The champers and the chocolates were very nice.”