BBC One The Greatest Dancer Preview

Following on from the success of Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One kicks off the New Year with a new dance-based talent show aimed at finding THE best dancer in the UK, regardless of their speciality.

BBC One The Greatest Dancer describes its range as going from ‘ballet to bhangra;‘ in other words, if you can move, whatever your style – and indeed, whatever your age! – then you’re in with a chance of winning the coveted title of The Greatest Dancer in the country, alongside a hefty cheque for £50,000.

The eight-part series is presented by audience darlings Alesha Dixon and Jordan Banjo, and features Dance Captains Cheryl, Obi Mabuse and Matthew Morrison. The Dance Captains will be in the audience throughout the competition, and will coach the final nine acts.

Dance has done well on television, a medium which enhances its power to provide feel-good entertainment and provoke lively discussion among judges and audiences. And so it’s hoped it will come to pass with BBC One The Greatest Dancer.

A big difference from other dancing contests such as Strictly, where expert judges make most of the decisions, is that this time the studio audiences are the final arbiters. They'll vote by turning on a light on their seat – all very visual again! – and their decision is final. The Greatest Dancer will be broadcast on BBC One every Saturday night and will be available to view on iPlayer.

In the expectation that The Greatest Dancer will capture the public’s imagination, and bearing in mind the growing popularity of podcasts, the BBC is issuing a companion podcast to the programme.

Every week BBC Radio 1’s Molly King and Jordan Banjo are joined by special guests for a post-show breakdown, including all the gossip, chatter and insider takes. Mollie and Jordan will follow the conversation around the show online and backstage. The first podcast, a curtain raiser to the show, will be available on 4 January.

You can subscribe to The Greatest Dancer podcast by downloading BBC Sounds.