Goodbye, Sir Bruce

Like most Strictly fans, I was sad to hear the news this afternoon that Sir Bruce Forsyth has died at the age of 89. Bruce has been on TV for my whole life, from the game shows like Play Your Cards Right and You Bet! and the revived Generation Game, to the Sainsbury's ad where he's "I'm An Entertainer" catchphrase began, and on, of course, to Strictly.

I want to share my own memory of Sir Bruce.

I was in the audience for Strictly Come Dancing. It was the first series where the results was pre-recorded. Everyone had been called back into the studio and settled in ready for the recording to start. There was a technical hitch, which delayed things. And then delayed them some more. As the minutes rolled by, the audience became disinterested and restless.

Sir Bruce, ever the entertainer, knew more about audiences than anyone in the business. He turned to the band, and told them to start playing something. He proceeded to sing a song, I forget which one but it was something from the first Strictly album. By the end of the song, the tech issue had been resolved, and Bruce had got the whole room back on side and excited for the recording, which then promptly began.

That was a side of Brucie that you didn't see on Strictly. A total pro, the like of which we will never see again.

Goodbye, Sir Bruce. Keep dancing. You're my favourite.