Len Goodman

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Len Goodman, (born April 24, 1942) is a professional dance judge, who also teaches ballroom and Latin dancing at the school he runs in Dartford, Kent, UK. Born in Bethnal Green in April 1942, he started dancing around the age of 20 after a short time as an engineering apprentice (for Harland and Wolff in Woolwich). He tried dancing only in an attempt to recover from a foot injury sustained whilst playing football. He turned professional, won various competitions, and retired from dancing after winning the British Championships' "Rising Star" competition at Blackpool in his late twenties. He married his dancing partner Cherry, and although they later divorced, they had one son, James, who is also a dancer.

During the 1970's and early 1980's his dance school in Dartford was home to a very popular Saturday night youth disco which helped to keep the majority of Dartford's young people out of trouble.^[1]

He is currently head judge on the BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing, hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. He is known for having a cheeky sense of humour, often lacing his comments with double entendres. He also makes regular appearances on the show's extra program Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, as well as the show's Christmas specials and one-off show Strictly Ice Dancing (which was an Ice skating version of the regular show). He also owns a dance studio in his hometown of Dartford, Kent, where he still lives.

The popularity created by Strictly Come Dancing has earned him a place as head judge on a similar US program called Dancing with the Stars, currently running on the ABC television network.

[edit] Strictly Come Dancing top ten scores

• Jill and Darren's Final Jive
• Colin and Erin's Waltz
• Colin and Erin's Final Quickstep
• Darren and Lilia's Final Foxtrot
• Zoe and Ian's Final Samba
• James and Camilla's Christmas Foxtrot
• Zoe and Ian's Christmas Foxtrot
• Darren and Lilia's Christmas Quickstep
• Matt and Lilia's Waltz
• Emma and Darren's Waltz
• Mark and Karen's Argentine Tango
• Matt and Lilia's Final Waltz
• Mark and Karen's Final Salsa
• Matt and Lilia's Christmas Waltz
• Colin and Erin's Christmas Quickstep
• John and Nicole's Salsa
• Alesha and Matthew's Cha Cha Cha
• Gethin and Camilla's Waltz
• Alesha and Matthew's Samba
• Gethin and Camilla's American Smooth
• Alesha and Matthew's Viennese Waltz
• Alesha and Matthew's Quickstep
• Gethin and Camilla's Paso Doble
• Alesha and Matthew's Argentine Tango
• Matt and Flavia's Waltz
• Matt and Flavia's Final Salsa
• Alesha and Matthew's Final Cha Cha Cha
• Mark and Karen's Christmas Jive
• Gethin and Camilla's Christmas Waltz
• Matt and Flavia's Christmas Rumba
• Darren and Lilia's Christmas American Smooth

[edit] References

1. ^ Jon Dennis - Personal Memories of Dartford Town

[edit] External links

• Times Interview
• Guardian Interview
• Goodman bio at BBC site
• Goodman bio at ABC's Dancing with the Stars site
• Len Goodman at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Strictly Come Dancing Series 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 Hosts Bruce Forsyth • Tess Daly • Natasha Kaplinsky (2004) Judges Craig Revel Horwood • Arlene Phillips • Len Goodman • Bruno Tonioli Celebrity Winners Natasha Kaplinsky • Jill Halfpenny • Darren Gough • Mark Ramprakash • Alesha Dixon Professional Winners Brendan Cole • Darren Bennett • Lilia Kopylova • Karen Hardy • Matthew Cutler Celebrity Runners-Up Christopher Parker • Denise Lewis • Colin Jackson • Matt Dawson • Matt Di Angelo Professional Runners-Up Hanna Karttunen • Ian Waite • Erin Boag • Lilia Kopylova • Flavia Cacace Related programmes It Takes Two • Dancing with the Stars (US version) • Dancing with the Stars (International versions)