Book Review: Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2018
The first thing you see when you open this year's annual is the dedication: "In loving memory of Sir Bruce Forsyth, 1928-2017." A lovely touch.
I always look forward to reading the Strictly Come Dancing Annual, but every year I think that there can't be anything left to talk about that we don't already know. Of course, the celebrity and dancer profiles are different every time, and we always hear from the presenters and judges, but the other pages have to be filled too.
An interesting feature this year looks at the highest and lowest Strictly scores ever. I was surprised that Anton didn't feature more often in the lowest. He is in there - three times - all with Ann Widdecombe. There are actually quite a few low scores from the earlier series, which is probably a combination of Arlene Phillips, who generally scored couples lower than her successors, and the generally improved standard in more recent series. The lowest ever? Quentin Wilson's cha cha (8 points). I met Quentin at Strictly once, probably around Series 3 or 4. He was very proud to be the lowest scorer. I bet he's especially proud that his record has stood the test of time.
Another interesting feature is about the Strictly cruises. They are a part of the Strictly calendar that many of us will never get to experience, so it was nice to hear a little more about them and the challenges they can pose to the dancers and production team. I've found it challenging walking around on a cross-channel ferry at times, let alone dancing at sea!
We also get to meet Dave Arch, who talks about the challenge of arranging orchestral music for a band of 16 musicians, designers Catherine Land and Patrick Docherty, who might have to source giant drums for a showdance or eight palm trees at short notice, and Louise & Kier Lusby, who created the original, iconic glitterball trophy.
The Strictly annual is a welcome shape under the Christmas tree. Any fan of the show will love it. I've been given more annuals for secret Santa over the years than you can shake a 10 paddle at.
Disclosure: Thank you to the nice folks at Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of the annual for me to review.
An interesting feature this year looks at the highest and lowest Strictly scores ever. I was surprised that Anton didn't feature more often in the lowest. He is in there - three times - all with Ann Widdecombe. There are actually quite a few low scores from the earlier series, which is probably a combination of Arlene Phillips, who generally scored couples lower than her successors, and the generally improved standard in more recent series. The lowest ever? Quentin Wilson's cha cha (8 points). I met Quentin at Strictly once, probably around Series 3 or 4. He was very proud to be the lowest scorer. I bet he's especially proud that his record has stood the test of time.
Another interesting feature is about the Strictly cruises. They are a part of the Strictly calendar that many of us will never get to experience, so it was nice to hear a little more about them and the challenges they can pose to the dancers and production team. I've found it challenging walking around on a cross-channel ferry at times, let alone dancing at sea!
We also get to meet Dave Arch, who talks about the challenge of arranging orchestral music for a band of 16 musicians, designers Catherine Land and Patrick Docherty, who might have to source giant drums for a showdance or eight palm trees at short notice, and Louise & Kier Lusby, who created the original, iconic glitterball trophy.
The Strictly annual is a welcome shape under the Christmas tree. Any fan of the show will love it. I've been given more annuals for secret Santa over the years than you can shake a 10 paddle at.
Disclosure: Thank you to the nice folks at Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of the annual for me to review.
posted by Loulabelle44 @ 10:13 pm
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