Behind the Glitterball: In conversation with BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing team

Join WFTV for a conversation with some of the team behind BBC One’s multi-award winning Strictly Come Dancing, made by BBC Studios. We’ll find out what goes into producing the nation’s favourite dance show, shining a spotlight on some of the amazing women making the glitter, glamour and glorious dancing happen.

In this panel discussion Sarah James, Executive Producer, Motsi Mabuse, Judge for Strictly Come Dancing, Professional Dancer and Broadcaster, Nikki Parsons, Series Director, Jo Wallace, Senior Commissioning Editor, BBC Entertainment, and Kate Jones, Production Executive will be in conversation with host, Emma Bullimore about their roles, producing such a complex live show during a pandemic, the journey of the 2021 series and the joys and challenges of creating one of the UK’s favourite TV shows.

Biographies

Sarah James – Executive Producer

Sarah has been Executive Producer for Strictly since 2019 before which she was the Series Producer from 2014.  Having worked on several high-profile entertainment formats including The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Big Brother, Sarah cites Strictly as the absolute highlight of her career mostly because of the incredible team who work alongside her, including some amazing women also joining this panel. Since taking over as Executive Producer in 2019 Sarah has managed to steer the ship whilst also having her first child and of course dealing with a global pandemic!

Kate Jones - Production Executive

Kate’s TV career spans 18 years working across a variety of genres and on BBC’s flagship shows. Kate joined Strictly in 2016 as Line Producer and in 2020 became Production Executive.  Since taking the production reins, Kate has made significant improvements to the structure of the production, including designing a programme budget that ensures the show gets the most on-screen value, developing diversity trainee initiatives both in production and craft teams, and prioritising the welfare of crew and production to create an environment that everyone wants to return to year on year. Not to mention navigating two seasons of Strictly through the challenges of the pandemic.

Motsi Mabuse – Judge, Strictly Come Dancing, Professional Dancer and Broadcaster

Motsi Mabuse is an esteemed TV personality with an illustrious dancing and broadcasting career spanning over 20 years. She is widely known as a professional dancer whose talents have catapulted her to the top of the world rankings in Latin Dance. As well as this, she has proven to hold an exceptional eye for judging talent – first appearing on the judging panel of RTL’s Let’s Dance in 2007 and then the German version of Stepping Out in 2015. She has since quickly become a UK favourite on BBC One’s hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing where she has dazzled viewers with her charm and infectious energy as judge. Motsi also released her memoir ‘Chili im Blut: Mein Tanz durchs Leben’ in 2014 and runs her own dance school ‘Motsi Mabuse Taunus Dance School Academy’ in Germany.

Nikki Parsons – Series Director

Multi Camera Director of Entertainment & Live Events, RTS & BAFTA award winner. Recent credits include Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice, Britain’s Got Talent, BAFTA Awards both Film & TV, So You Think You Can Dance, Trooping of the Colour and the Funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Jo Wallace – Senior Commissioning Editor, BBC Entertainment

Jo Wallace is a Senior Commissioning Editor within Entertainment Commissioning in Content Division. She is responsible for commissioning and developing peak time entertainment programmes, including across the BBC’s terrestrial and digital channels, including Strictly Come Dancing and Top Gear.

Jo joined the BBC in 2004 and is responsible for a breadth and range of work within BBC Entertainment. Jo works closely with the Controller of BBC Entertainment to generate and develop creative ideas and oversee shows from conception to transmission.

Jo’s recent work includes the UK’s biggest Saturday night entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear – the world biggest motoring entertainment show which recently moved to BBC One, Little Mix The Search, BBC Three series I Like The Way U Move and brand-new competition series Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars.

Prior to her current role, Jo was an Executive Editor within BBC Entertainment. Outside of the BBC, Jo was Director of Original Programmes at Sky. Before that, Jo spent 10 years as Head of T4 and Music at Channel 4.

Host, Emma Bullimore

Entertainment journalist and BBC radio presenter, Emma Bullimore has been writing about television for more than a decade, for national publications including The Independent, Radio Times, TV Times and The Mirror. She frequently appears on radio and television, including BBC Breakfast, BBC 5Live, Times Radio and Radio 4's Front Row, as well as being the resident TV critic on Jo Whiley's Radio 2 show. She regularly chairs live events for the likes of BAFTA, the BFI and the BBC.

Event Schedule:

17:55: Please join the webinar waiting room

18:00: Emma leads conversation

18:45: Attendee Q&A opens

19:00: Finish

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