The upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing is set to be the priciest in its history, with a source claiming 'there is no room for error'. This follows the BBC's decision to hire numerous chaperones and welfare producers for the 22nd season, which will reportedly add hundreds of thousands of pounds to the budget.
The development was reported by the Times after Kate Phillips, the BBC's director of unscripted programming, vowed "decisive steps" would be taken to bolster protections for stars and dancers on the show. This move comes in the wake of abuse claims from former participants such as actress Amanda Abbington and reality TV personality Zara McDermott.
In response to these allegations, the BBC has introduced two welfare producers dedicated to the show and ensured that a production team member will always be present during rehearsals to monitor for any signs of misconduct or abuse. Long-standing judge Craig Revel Horwood has endorsed the changes, calling them a "good idea".
Strictly Come Dancing, which regularly captivates up to ten million viewers as celebrities vie for the glitterball trophy, typically employs around 200 staff members. However, with the new welfare measures, this number is expected to rise, pushing the budget up by several hundred thousand pounds, according to the Times.
Despite the increase, the additional costs are said to still represent a small fraction of the overall expenses for the show. Each episode of the 14-week competition is estimated to cost over £1 million, factoring in flashy sets, costumes, music rights and hair and makeup.
"Personnel [are] always the biggest cost and given [that] at the start there are 15 participants who rehearse for several days each week, the costs will quickly add up," one show producer revealed, as reported by The Times. "Whoever they put in the rehearsal rooms will need to be sufficiently senior that they will be listened to if they need to call out any bad behaviour. Runners or researchers won't have sufficient authority to tell people if filming needs to stop."
Another producer suggested that welfare costs can amount to around £200,000 for the "big beasts", but argued it's a small price to pay compared to the costs of a legal and PR disaster. "There'll be no room for error. The eyes of the press and the public will be on the show more than ever this year," they warned.
"The producers will also probably have to factor in more breaks and make the culture a bit kinder, which all takes time and pushes costs up. It will add hundreds of grand to the bottom line, which is manageable. But they had no choice - they had to do something about it."
Strictly bosses have also insisted all pro dancers complete anti-bullying training ahead of the new series. In what some perceive as a cost-saving measure, the BBC announced this week that it would not be reinstating a full live band to the show.
For safety reasons, the brass section will be recorded in a studio session prior to the show, as was done during the Covid-19 pandemic. Accusations of abuse and bullying have been levelled against professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, both of whom have defended their actions.
