Len Goodman wants ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ to return to its roots.
The former head judge – who left the BBC Latin and ballroom show in 2016 after 12 years in the hot seat – has compared the celebrity competition to a plant, and he insisted it should be nurtured rather than undergoing drastic changes.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Look, everything has to develop. It’s like a plant. If you want it to thrive you have to prune it a bit and change it slightly to let it thrive.
"But you don’t pull a plant up and chop off the roots, you just tweak it slightly. A little tweaking I don’t mind, but I liked ‘Strictly’ as it was."
The 75-year-old dance expert explained his issues with the show go beyond raunchy routines and sexy outfits, and he even disapproves of simple "props" being used as part of the show.
He added: "It’s not only sex, I used to hate it even if a swing was involved and they were sitting on a swing. And props, going down on one knee, giving them a rose. Get on with it!"
Len previously admitted he is an "old traditionalist" who is unsure about same-sex couples on ‘Strictly’, despite judging competitions in the past featuring "terrific" all-male and all-female pairings.
He said: "I’ve judged what they used to call pink competitions with ladies dancing together, and a load of guys. They were of a very high standard, terrific dancing actually. Somehow whilst you were judging it, you didn’t even notice.
"It wasn’t that one of the men was dressed in a frock or anything, it was done in a very tasteful way. So if it’s done in that way I think it would be OK. But that doesn’t change the fact I’m an old traditionalist.
"The thing is, it’s so difficult to please everyone. What I’m used to is traditional ballroom and Latin dancing. When I was judging on ‘Strictly’, if somebody did some outlandish movement I didn’t like it. I like it as it was, but everything moves on."
Len Goodman wants Strictly Come Dancing to return to roots
