Bruce Forsyth thought Strictly Come Dancing "must be a wind-up"
The 87-year-old performer says he could never have guessed the "unlikely idea" would become "such a phenomenon" back in 2003
Back in 2003 when Strictly Come Dancing was just a twinkle in a BBC producer's eye, Sir Bruce Forsyth thought the concept must be a "wind-up."
"When I first heard about Strictly... I would never have predicted that it would become such a phenomenon. My first thought was this must be some kind of wind-up; it was such an unexpected idea," says the performer, writing in this week's Radio Times magazine.
"My thoughts were immediately drawn to The Generation Game, and the various dance-orientated games we had played," he continues, adding: "I began to imagine contestants tripping over each other, the chaos and laughs that would bring."
He soon realised the BBC had other, much more competitive, plans. "Add to that some much-needed Saturday-night glamour, four larger-than-life judges and the best band on television, and this unlikely idea worked," he says.
Brucie goes on to discredit recent reports that he didn't enjoy his time on the show.
"That is absolutely incorrect. The point I was trying to make was that when I first started on Strictly it was difficult for me because I had to learn a new craft. I was being asked to do something I had never done before in my career – to be just a presenter," he says.
Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times magazine, on sale from Tuesday 13th October
