The Times column which changed Strictly history

When he first placed his less than dainty feet on the dancefloor nine weeks ago, John Sergeant was hoping for a little fun in his “rather quiet life”.

But yesterday after weeks of woeful waltzing, withering criticism and waves of public adoration, he decided enough was enough. Flanked by his Siberian-born dance partner and the Controller of BBC One, the retired journalist announced that his tempestuous time on Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing was up. Politicians lamented, entertainers cried foul and the judges, who had likened Sergeant, 64, to a “dancing pig in Cuban heels”, repented.

At a press conference, which even news heavyweights such as Jeremy Paxman attended, Sergeant said that he was bowing out before the fight got bloody. Despite 9.5 million viewers having taken him to their hearts and repeatedly voted him through to the next round, to the fury of the judges and more talented competitors, Sergeant said he realised yesterday morning that “enough was enough” because there was a danger that he might win the competition.

And the catalyst?

“I think really when I noticed that The Times had a leader about me.” he said. “There was a column saying, ‘He should go.’ “It’s incredible. At that point you realise that, hold on a minute, this is going to be a bloody battle. I’m not prepared to inflict casualties. This is meant to be light entertainment.”

The transformation of the programme from easy watching to the nation’s talking point was illustrated by those bemoaning his departure. A desolate David Cameron said he was “devastated”, adding: “Strictly will not be the same without him.”

Cilla Black, once the doyenne of Saturday night television, said: “I think it is an absolute disgrace because it is a public show, it is supposed to be entertainment — so yes, the judges judge on the dancing, but at the end of the day it is the public that pays money for the licence and it is up to them to judge who they want on the show.”

Mr Paxman heckled his former BBC colleague throughout the press conference and asked at one stage: “Are you a man or a mouse?”

When Sergeant insisted his public support was getting “less funny as the weeks go on” Paxman declared his friend’s involvement “a brilliant piece of entertainment”. He said: “There had been a wonderful sense of the public blowing a collective raspberry.”

Lord Mandelson, in a nod to his election victory speech in 2001 after his own well-documented troubles, said: “John Sergeant should not bow out. He has become the people’s John Travolta and he should be a fighter, not a quitter.”

Fighting, however, was not what Sergeant intended to do. “The time to leave a party is before the fights start,” he said. “I think that’s really what’s happened on this occasion. You can have fun dancing, and dancing is a wonderfully enjoyable thing. But if the joke wears thin, if in fact people begin to take things seriously, if people really are getting so wound up that it’s very difficult to carry on with the joke, then I think it’s time to go.”

The judges, who had for two months excoriated his lack of grace, tried to make peace.

Len Goodman, the head judge, who had told Sergeant that the programme was not “help the aged”, said: “If it’d been me I would have stayed in and just had a good laugh about it all.”

Arlene Phillips had said of Sergeant: “His posture’s wrong, his feet are turned in, he hasn’t got the rise and fall, his head’s on one side. We’ve never had anyone this bad who has gone this far. It is a little bit disheartening when the public are voting for a non-dancing Mickey Rooney.” After the announcement of his departure, she said: “If you look back, we have actually been quite nice on this programme.”

This Saturday, Sergeant had planned to dance to Murder on the Dancefloor, by Sophie Ellis Bextor. “It ends up with me firing imaginary bullets at the judges, which certainly would have amused me and lots of people in the audience,” he said. “But some people would say, ‘Here we go — not more John Sergeant ruining a marvellous dancing competition’.

“The idea that we would then go on doing this week after week, irritating and annoying people and causing controversy, that is not what I’m about and that is not why I wanted to join the show, which was to entertain and give people good reason to stay in on a Saturday night.”

Sergeant said that he and his partner, Kristina Rihanoff, had been delighted to be voted through the earlier rounds, but the shine had worn off when his presence was at the expense of Cherie Lunghi, a former favourite whom he ousted last Saturday.

He said: “Three weeks ago when we got through, Kristina and I danced here backstage because we were so happy. Two weeks ago we were a bit more subdued, and on Saturday the awesome power of the voters rather got to us.”

To scotch any suggestions that Sergeant had been forced out, the BBC put up two senior executives. Jay Hunt, Controller of BBC One, said: “John felt very, very strongly that he’d reached the end of the line. He was not pushed.” Elaine Bedell, the Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, added: “We tried to dissuade him but his mind was made up.”

It was reported last night that the BBC had confirmed it would refund anyone who voted for Sergeant last Saturday. Voting charges are 15p from a BT landline or up to 80p from a mobile.

Fans can tune in this Saturday to see Sergeant perform one last waltz.

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