Another year, another Strictly Come Dancing final.
And another chance for fans to see what needs to improve.
I’ve got just the thing to spice up the show – in fact I think this change could salvage its whole future.
I’m not talking about doing the results show live or axing the live singers whose renditions of popular songs divide the internet each week.
I believe it’s time for Craig Revel Horwood to move two seats up the table and claim that coveted Head Judge slot.
Frankly he has the experience, the expertise, and the unflinching honesty to be perfect at the head of the desk.
Frequently dubbed the show’s Mr Nasty, the Australian-British choreographer is part of Strictly’s furniture, having been a mainstay of the panel since its inception in 2004.
In the 21 series since, we’ve had it all from Craig.
Whether it be clashes with fellow judges after disagreeing on technique, dishing out the lowest possible scores, or even the odd emotional moment from the famously stoic TV personality, no one can say he isn’t perfect Saturday night Entertainment.
Despite his longevity behind the judges’ desk, Shirley Ballas has acted as Head Judge since acquiring the Strictly gig in 2017, when she replaced Len Goodman.
At that point, series 15, won by Joe McFadden and Katya Jones, Craig had 14 years of Strictly experience under his belt. He’d handed out everything from a 1 to a 10 with his score paddle and watched 14 couples lift the dazzling Glitterball Trophy.
So, I ask, when is Craig going to receive his flowers?
Now, that’s not to say I don’t believe Shirley deserves her place on that panel. She’s a connoisseur with several world championship titles to her name and, most unfairly, has been subjected to vicious trolling online by die-hard Strictly viewers who haven’t shared her opinions.
Although I do believe there’s a conversation to be had about Shirley’s (and the other judges, at times) inconsistencies in scoring, which isn’t only wishy-washy but often borders on favouritism.
However, I implore Strictly audience members to stop drowning out Craig’s comments with boos and jeers each week and to acknowledge that, most of the time, he’s the one speaking sense.
For me, Craig is everything a Strictly judge should be. He’s the perfect dichotomy of harsh but fair, critical but empathetic. He strikes the balance of offering criticism where needed to help a contestant improve, but you also know that, when he’s building someone up, it truly means something special.
Craig doesn’t hand out perfect 10s willy-nilly or by succumbing to peer pressure. In all of series 22, it took him 13 weeks to award eventual winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell that golden number.
Week after week, he will lift his 9 paddle to a response of groans and eye rolls from the crowd, while his fellow judges Shirley, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke gleefully whack out the 10 to rapturous applause, making the total of 39 somewhat hollow.
But that means when Craig does lift that perfect paddle, it holds power. It’s the one everyone wants. It’s the Simon Cowell X Factor ‘yes’ and the Peter Jones Dragons’ Den ‘I’m in’ of the Strictly world.
In short, if you get a 10 from Craig, that’s the real stamp of approval. If you can win him over, what’s to say you can’t win the whole thing?
Craig is there for the dancing, not the gimmicks, the outlandish costumes, or the lavish set designs.
Of course, he’s a pantomime veteran and former drag queen; he knows how to have a laugh. But when it comes to Strictly performances, he’s dissecting them to within an inch of their lives because he cares.
If Craig notices a minor detail, whether it be for praise or condemnation, he’s telling you something worth listening to.
Craig also has a gooey centre. In 2023, in what was surely a Strictly first, he turned on the waterworks while reminiscing on the show’s history as he praised Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola’s show dance.
‘How far this programme has come… You’re amazing,’ he praised as Motsi reached out to rub his shoulder.
Then, in this weekend’s final, in the ultimate act of kindness, Craig melted the hearts of millions as he read a special poem for Chris, who made history as Strictly’s first-ever blind contestant and going on to win.
‘A heart that dances, pure and free / Is worth much more than a 10 from me / And Chris, you’re a light that shines for all to see,’ he said in part before rushing from his chair to embrace the Liverpudlian comic following his last dance.
At this point, I decided to ditch the tissues and let the tears flow, overwhelmed by emotion as the duo’s hilarious ‘feud’ came to an end in gorgeous fashion.
We all enjoy the stony-faced facade, even in the moments when his sarcasm and dry disparagement are irritating, but it’s safe to say that we also have a soft spot for Craig’s soppy side.
At his core, Craig adores Strictly; hence, he’s still part of it after 20 years. In my view, if Strictly wishes to continue holding such high status in the lives of the British public, offering him the long-overdue promotion is the first step.
Otherwise, I fear it shall descend into somewhat of a mockery as the 10 paddle loses all purpose, the wrong stars are sent home each weekend, and admiration from viewers wanes as they scream at their TV screens in disbelief at the hypocrisy from the supposedly unbiased experts.
He might be a Marmite character, but I really value how much Craig respects Strictly as an institution and how he loves what it represents and the people it brings together.
Bestowing Head Judge status upon him might seem pointless to some (‘why bother? He’s been there for two decades already,’ I hear you cry), but in my eyes, it would only make the dance show I cherish even more fab-u-lous, darling.
Strictly will only survive by making this one crucial change
