Interview: Brendan Cole bringing Strictly magic to Northampton

You might think that after finishing a long series of a popular Saturday night show but Brendan Cole is one to persevere.
Brendan Cole will be coming to Northampton later this month.Brendan Cole will be coming to Northampton later this month.
Brendan Cole will be coming to Northampton later this month.

This comes despite our mobile signals only rarely aligned during our chat with the Strictly star ahead of All Night Long coming to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Friday February 17.

He said: “It is a big night out of entertainment, there will be lots of different styles of dance. If you like Strictly Come Dancing, then you will love this show.

“We got everything from the Argentine Tango to the Foxtrot and the American Smooth and should be a great night out.

Brendan Cole in a previous productionBrendan Cole in a previous production
Brendan Cole in a previous production

“Whatever you do, whether it is theatre or dance, it is always better when you see it live. There is so much more to see whereas when you are watching Strictly, there are camera angles and lighting, but to see it with your own eyes is something special.

“The other thing I really like is the audience and what they can bring to the show. We try and get the audience involved in the show and make it interactive.

And while he has a preferred style of dance, he tries to ensure everyone is catered for at the show.

Brendan said: “We always try and do a little bit of something old and something new both with the dances and the music so there is something for everyone.

Brendan Cole in a previous productionBrendan Cole in a previous production
Brendan Cole in a previous production

“We have just finished putting together a Vieneese Waltz and because there is no one else on the show, we are recording things in the studio and it just looks brilliant.

“I love doing the emotional dances and it just looks perfect.”

While he has plenty of enthusiasm for dancing now, it wasn’t always the case.”

Brendan said: “My mum got me into dancing. She said do I want to come ballroom dancing when I was six and initially I was no, but I was dragged along.

“I like to take opportunities so I played a lot of sport, I still love to sport but I really loved dancing and it went from there.”

And while Stictly has made him a household name, he said, part of the joy of the show is getting to go out and see people who otherwise couldn’t make the recordings.

He said: “I always get people coming up to me when they have watched Strictly and saying can we get tickets and obviously there is a very limited capacity at the BBC so this we are taking it to theatres with all sorts of capacities.

“One of the best things about the show is that in the middle of the first series, I received a fan letter from a lady who had got three children and they were squabbling and arguing and she had no way of keeping them under control.

“And then when Strictly came on, they watched it and gave them something to talk about and they really liked what I was doing.

“I mean we aren’t doctors, but to know we were bringing a family together and a little bit of joy into people’s lives, even if it is only for an hour on a Saturday night meant a lot to me.”

He also had an awkward situation when due to singer Anastasia’s injury, they were unable to take part in the first dance off of the series.

“It was a really awful situation and nobody was happy about it. We had seen the doctor and we were told we needed to take the lifts out and it was an awakard time for everybody including her, me and the production team.

“It didn’t help that having settled down, I then got a horrible chest infection which ruled me out for a week so this year certainly wasn’t my favourite season.”

And Brendan also threw his hat into the ring to replace the departing Len Goodman as a judge on the show.

“I would love to be a judge, I’d give my right arm to do it and it would be natural progression. I am sure there is a time when people won’t want to see me dance anymore but that is a decision for the BBC and the people who make the show.

For more on the show or to book tickets call 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

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