Strictly viewers all spot same problem as they brand show 'unfair' and 'a travesty'

There are many important aspects of Strictly Come Dancing that make the fan-favourite BBC series what it is. Each week, viewers watch celebrities and their professional partners take to the ballroom’s floor to compete for the Glitterball trophy, dancing to some of the biggest hits. But another key part of the show is the much-loved Strictly band, led by Dave Arch. It is instrumental in setting the atmosphere for the competing dancers and their professional partners.

But now on a DigitalSpy Forum titled 'The Upside down money injustice', fans have been debating how much Strictly workers get paid - and whether it's fair, with many calling it 'a travesty.'

The thread read: " On the basis that the band/singers and the Pro's are THE people who contribute most by a country mile. On that basis why on earth do the judges and announcers get more money? Its wrong and its in the realms of ridiculous to be frank..............Not just more money but A LOT more money for about 30 hours work."

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The thread opened the debate about whether the judges and hosts, including Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, get paid more than the show's band, professional dancers and singers.

Musician Dave, who has worked on Strictly since 2004, has worked with big names including Tina Tuner, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney. However, in more recent episodes Strictly fans said they were disappointed after noticing that the live broadcasts were missing a key musical component.

Another user replied: "Of course it's a travesty, but that's the way of things since the beginning of recorded history and no amount of teeth gnashing or outrage is going to change it. The ones who actually do the work will never get anywhere near the compensation of those who sit around judging the work."

While a third fan called it 'unfair', writing: "The earnings levels are obviously unfair but what really gets my goat is the pros being dictated to in terms of what dance they and their partner do each week and in terms of what song they dance to."

At the beginning of October, one social media fan shared: "What has happened to the wonderful band? Only a few playing now, no brass at all, such a shame!"

The band accompanies the contestants and their pro partners during the live dances on each show. But a spokesperson then told OK! Magazine that due to budgetary restrictions, the brass section will not be featured as prominently in the shows.

The spokesperson clarified: "We are proud to be one of the last remaining shows to still use a live band and singers and remain committed to doing so. "

They continued: "We have increased the use of the Strictly Come Dancing House Band's brass section in the current series for three live shows covering themed weeks such as movies and musicals and one other show to be confirmed - in addition to the annual visit to Blackpool - where classic song choices require more frequent use of these instruments.

"For editorial reasons, and to ensure the best value for money for audiences, we are unable to support a brass section for the entire series as we did pre-Covid."

The BBC spokesperson also confirmed that the last full series of Strictly that had a brass section within the house band for its entire run was 2019, but the show does still have a fully live 12-piece band in studio every week.