ThisisBigBrother.com - UK TV Forums - Strictly Come Dancing: Strictly mutinous: ballroom show judges demand an increase to their £60k fee

Quote:

Strictly mutinous: ballroom show judges demand an increase to their £60k fee

s another stunningly successful series of Strictly Come Dancing reaches its climax tonight everyone associated with the show has the right to feel like a winner.

But not, it appears, the four judges.

Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli have had enough and are threatening to quit unless they get large wage rises.

The four receive £60,000 each for the 12-week run, which has pulled in as many as 12million viewers.

Tonight will be another huge ratings winner as odds-on favourite Alesha Dixon, a television presenter and singer, dances against Matt Di Angelo, the EastEnders actor.

But behind the scenes, the judges are trying to strongarm the BBC into a wage rise - not least because the Strictly format has been sold around the world, earning a fortune for the corporation.

Pay problems have, it appears, been simmering for a while.

Goodman and Tonioli are paid around £200,000 for the U.S. version of the show - Dancing With The Stars.

A source on the show said: "It is the flagship show on BBC's schedule - and has been an incredible ratings winner.

"At the same time they are acutely aware that on ITV's X Factor, the judges are paid more than 15 times the amount they are and that their pay keeps rising. Reports of Dannii Minogue being offered £500,000 for the next series of X Factor seem to have angered them more.

"Closer to home, other stars on BBC are being paid many many millions a year - the obvious example being Jonathan Ross.

"Also added into that mix is the fact that Bruce Forsyth is bound to be replaced on the next series - and a big-name presenter will have to fill that role. The judges are airing their grievances and staking their claim before they hire a big new expensive name to host the show. You can't blame them."

The source added: "Their agents have been working together and have approached the BBC. To their shock, the BBC told them that they could not be seen to be giving them a pay hike while the BBC was cutting costs.

"Making the problem worse is that the franchise has really taken off abroad. Their agents are getting calls to do the shows all over the world. Something has to give and, ultimately, it has to be the BBC."

Tonight's finale has seen gamblers piling their money on 29-year-old Alesha to win.

But she fears she will lose out to Di Angelo, 20, because she believes the audience has a bias towards support for good-looking men.

She said: "I was absolutely convinced that it was going to be an all-boy final. It has been for the past two years and why would it be any different this year."

Despite being technically the best dancer in the competition, she said she felt her dancing had to be of a higher standard to earn the same amount of votes.

She added: "I have faith in the girls but I feel we have to raise our game and we can't put a foot wrong."

Di Angelo denied that being a man would endear him to female voters but admitted that technically he was an inferior dancer.

He said: "I don't think we have an advantage with me being a guy. She is a phenomenal dancer. I'm just me but I'm trying to do as good as I can."

Source: Daily Mail