The Greatest Dancer
The Greatest Dancer is a British dance competition television series created by Simon Cowell and produced by Syco Entertainment. The first BBC programme created by Cowell, The Greatest Dancer sees previously undiscovered dance acts perform live weekly for Cheryl, Oti Mabuse, Matthew Morrison and Todrick Hall and a studio audience in a competition to win £50,000 and a chance to perform on Strictly Come Dancing.
The first series aired on BBC One on Saturdays from 5 January to 23 February 2019, and was won by 14-year-old solo dancer Ellie Fergusson from Livingston, West Lothian, who was mentored by Oti Mabuse. A second series premiered on 4 January 2020, with the addition of Todrick Hall to the judging panel, and Curtis Pritchard replaced Amelia Wilson as the receptionist. The series ran until 7 March 2020, when it was won by Latin and ballroom dancers Michael and Jowita, also mentored by Mabuse. On 28 April 2020, the BBC announced that were no plans for any further series of The Greatest Dancer.
Series overview
- Series 1: 5 January – 23 February 2019
- *Auditions: 5–26 January 2019
- *Live shows: 2–23 February 2019
- Series 2: 4 January 2020 – 7 March 2020
- *Auditions: 4–25 January 2020
- *Live shows: 1 February–7 March 2020
Format
A non-televised pilot for the show was filmed in February 2018 at Hammersmith Apollo in London.Auditions
The auditions for the first series took place at ICC Birmingham in August of the previous year and were divided into three episodes in 2019, and four in 2020, airing each Saturday. Auditioning acts were allowed to consist of any number of members, and each person participating was required to be at least 7 years old. Each auditioning act performed in front of a one-way mirror and each audience member had a light to turn on during each audition that they liked; only acts for whom at least 75 percent of the audience turned on their lights would qualify for the callbacks. The format was adapted from the Israeli television music competition franchise Rising Star. In the second series, at the end of each audition show, one Dance Captain chose their 'Greatest Dancer Of The Day', an act of their choice which advances straight to the live shows.Callbacks
The callbacks aired as a separate show in 2019, and immediately after the fourth round of auditions in 2020. From the acts that had qualified for the callbacks, the Dance Captains each selected three to join their team.Live Challenge
Each Saturday, the final acts performed to stay in the competition. Each act was assigned a different challenge, which they had to incorporate into their performance. Much like the auditions, each audience member had a light to turn on during each performance that they liked. After all acts had performed, the public were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite acts. Either one or two acts were voted off each week, eventually leaving four to compete in the final show.Final
Each of the four acts in the final firstly perform a collaboration with their respective Dance Captain, and the act that received the fewest votes from the public finished in fourth place. The three remaining acts then each performed a reprise of the dance they performed in the auditions stage. The act that received the most votes from the public was crowned the winner and received £50,000 and a chance to perform on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.Series 1 (2019)
Live show details
Acts
| Act | No. of members | Hometown | Genre | Dance Captain | Result |
| 1 | Livingston | Contemporary | |||
| 2 | Various | Contemporary | Cheryl | ||
| 8 | South Wales | Latin formation | |||
| 2 | Hatfield, Hertfordshire | Contemporary | |||
| 9 | Various | Contemporary | Cheryl | ||
| 4 | London | Street | Cheryl | ||
| 14 | Various | Commercial | |||
| 13 | London | Street | |||
| 5 | London | Commercial |
Week 1 (2 February)
- Group performance: "The Greatest" with Dance Captains
- Guest performance: Freya Ridings with Rambert Dance Company
| Order | Act | Song | Challenge theme | Studio votes | Result |
| 1 | James & Oliver | "Sing Sing Sing" | Stairs | Advanced | |
| 2 | Frobacks | "Toccata and Fugue"/"O Fortuna"/"Candy Shop"/"September"/"I Just Want to Make Love to You" | Classical | Advanced | |
| 3 | Company Jinks | "Unsteady" | Chair | Advanced | |
| 4 | The Globe Girls | "Salute"/"Crazy in Love"/"Shake It Off" | Sport | Eliminated | |
| 5 | Prospects Fraternity | "A Sky Full of Stars"/"Here We Go Now"/"Colour" | Colours | Advanced | |
| 6 | Dane Bates Collective | "Runnin' (Lose It All)" | Doors | Advanced | |
| 7 | KLA | "Samba de Janeiro"/"I [Like It Like That (Pete Rodriguez song)|I Like It Like That]"/"Aquarela do Brasil" | Carnival | Advanced | |
| 8 | Ellie | "Bird Set Free" | Fairytale | Advanced | |
| 9 | Harry & Eleiyah | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Doctor Who | Advanced |
Week 2 (9 February)
- Guest performance: Years & Years with BalletBoyz
| Order | Act | Song | Challenge theme | Studio votes | Result |
| 1 | KLA | "Viva La Vida"/"A Million Dreams" | Ice | Advanced | |
| 2 | Dane Bates Collective | "What a Wonderful World" | Hollywood | Advanced | |
| 3 | Prospects Fraternity | "Rapper's Delight"/"Will 2K" | Tables | Eliminated | |
| 4 | James & Oliver | "I Dreamed a Dream" | Les Misérables | Advanced | |
| 5 | Harry & Eleiyah | "Sail"—Awolnation | Four Walls | Advanced | |
| 6 | Company Jinks | "Good Luck" | Toys | Eliminated | |
| 7 | Ellie | "Experience"—Ludovico Einaudi | Orchestra | Advanced | |
| 8 | Frobacks | "Let Me Entertain You"—Robbie Williams / "Black Magic"—Little Mix / "Strip That Down"—Liam Payne | Social Network | Advanced |
Week 3: Semi-final (16 February)
- Guest performance: The professional cast of Strictly Come Dancing and the Dance Captains
| Order | Act | Song | Challenge theme | Studio votes | Result |
| 1 | Harry & Eleiyah | "Beneath Your Beautiful" | Circus | Advanced | |
| 2 | KLA | "It's Raining Men"/"Proud Mary"/"Walking on Sunshine" | Umbrella | Advanced | |
| 3 | Dane Bates Collective | "Shake It Out" | Night and Day | Eliminated | |
| 4 | Frobacks | "Le Freak"/"I Got You (I Feel Good)"/"I'm Coming Out"/"Around the World"/"Celebration" | Boxes | Eliminated | |
| 5 | James & Oliver | "Salva Mea" | Space | Advanced | |
| 6 | Ellie | "Let Go for Tonight" | Chandeliers | Advanced |
Week 4: Final (23 February)
- Guest performance: Jess Glynne with breakdance crew The Ruggeds
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Result |
| 1 | KLA | Oti | "Last Dance"/"Run the World (Girls)" | Finalist |
| 1 | KLA | Oti | "The Bongo Song"/"Cuba"/"Live and Let Die"/"Rip It Up" | Finalist |
| 2 | Harry & Eleiyah | Cheryl | "Game of Survival" | Finalist |
| 2 | Harry & Eleiyah | Cheryl | "Say Something (A [Great Big World song)|Say Something]" | Finalist |
| 3 | James & Oliver | Matthew | "On Broadway"/"New [York, New York (On the Town)|New York, New York]"/"You Can't Stop the Beat" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Ellie | Oti | "Never Enough" | Winner |
| 4 | Ellie | Oti | "In This Shirt" | Winner |
Series 2 (2020)
The second series started on 4 January 2020. In a change from last year, at the end of each week a different coach was chosen to pick an act from that week to join their team. The choices were as follow:Auditions
Week 1
was selected to choose a Greatest Dancer of the Day.| Act | No. of members | Genre | Song | Result |
| Ross and Travis | 2 | Street | "Let Me Clear My Throat"/"Will 2K"/"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Los Rumberos | 6 | Latin | Advanced to Callbacks | |
| Lily and Joseph | 2 | Contemporary | "Rise Up" | Cheryl's Greatest Dancers of the Day |
| Sam and Mash | 2 | Afro Dance | "Dangote"/"Karaoke" | Eliminated - 70% |
| Tom | 1 | Contemporary | "Turning Tables" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Giovanni | 1 | Northern Soul | Advanced to Callbacks | |
| Waack This Way | 8 | Street | "In the Hall of the Mountain King" | Eliminated - 15% |
| Soar Kids | 12 | Street | "Finesse" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Patrick and Laura | 2 | Irish Dance | "I Want It That Way" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Miss J | 1 | Street | "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"/"Pyro Ting"/"Hey Mama/"16 Shots" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Dinkie Flowers | 1 | Tap | "Singin' in the Rain"/"Hawaii Five-O theme" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Harrison Vaughan | 1 | Contemporary | "Enter the Circus"/"Game of Survival" | Advanced to Callbacks |
Week 2
was selected to choose a Greatest Dancer of the Day.| Act | No. of members | Genre | Song | Result |
| Michael and Jowita | 2 | Latin | "Lollipop"/"Rock Around the Clock"/"Hey! Baby"/"Jump, Jive an' Wail" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| JJ Acrobatics | 16 | Acro Dance | "Toxic" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Jake O'Shea | 1 | Irish Dance | "Traditional Irish Music"/"Diva" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Womanhood | 5 | Commercial | "Ain't Your Mama" | Eliminated - 41% |
| Ainsley Ricketts | 1 | Contemporary | "Shine On You" | Todrick's Greatest Dancer of the Day |
| DN12 | 15 | Commercial | "Wind It Up"/"Spice Up Your Life"/"Heads Will Roll" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Aimee | 1 | Modern Jazz | "Rain Dance" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Vale | 16 | Contemporary | "The Untold" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Tony and Mandy | 2 | Latin American | "Let's Get Loud"—Jennifer Lopez | Eliminated - 45% |
| Renako Collective | 5 | Contemporary | "Human"—Rag'n'Bone Man | Advanced to Callbacks |
Week 3
was selected to choose a Greatest Dancer of the Day.| Act | No. of members | Genre | Song | Result |
| Dancepoint | 16 | Contemporary | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Laurence Cooke | 1 | Street | "Feel Good Inc." | Eliminated - 73% |
| The Queens | 7 | Jazz | "Does Your Mother Know" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Hannah Martin | 1 | Contemporary | "Here with Me" | Matthew's Greatest Dancer of the Day |
| Ryan Gibson | 1 | Commercial | "Look What You Made Me Do" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Young Dream Chasers | 12 | Street | "Phenomenal Woman" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Tom and Jo | 2 | Latin | "Muevete Duro" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Resilience | 4 | Ballet | "Power" | Eliminated - 74% |
| Darius and DJ G | 2 | Commercial | "In the Morning"/"Flowers" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Jordan Crouch | 1 | Tap | "All of Me" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Brothers of Dance | 9 | Contemporary | "Wicked Game" | Advanced to Callbacks |
Week 4
was selected to choose a Greatest Dancer of the Day.| Act | No. of members | Genre | Song | Result |
| Alex & Jacqueline | 2 | Ballroom | "Hurt" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Elite Dance Juniors | 9 | Jazz | "I [Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)]"/ "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"/ "Please Mr. Postman"/ "Do You Love Me" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Yassaui Mergaliyev | 1 | Ballet | "Feeling Good" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Jelli | 15 | Commercial | "Donatella" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Jessica Larch | 1 | Street / Afro Dance | "Boasty" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Legacy Funk | 5 | Street | "Treat 'em Right" | Advanced to Callbacks |
| Nonsuch Dancers | 6 | Historical Dance | "Dancing Queen" | Eliminated - 23% |
| Dark Angels | 12 | Hip-hop | "Beggin'"/"I Need a Girl (Part Two)"/"A Milli"/"Slow Motion"—Trey Songz / "Can't Hold Us"—Macklemore & Ryan Lewis /"I'm Fly"/"Dreams and Nightmares" | Oti's Greatest Dancers of the Day |
Live show details
Live Challenge Shows
Challenge Show 1
- Theme: Best of British
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Challenge Theme | Studio Vote | Result |
| 1 | Dancepoint | Todrick | "Friend Like Me" | Pantomime | Last To Be Called Safe | |
| 2 | Michael and Jowita | Oti | "Kissing You" | Shakespeare | Safe | |
| 3 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Somebody's Watching Me" | Royalty | Safe | |
| 4 | The Queens | Cheryl | "A Nice Cup of Tea"/"I Believe in a [Thing Called Love (EP)|I Believe in a Thing Called Love]" | Afternoon Tea | Eliminated | |
| 5 | Ainsley Ricketts | Todrick | "No Light, No Light" | Weather | Safe | |
| 6 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "Runaway Baby" | Seaside | Safe | |
| 7 | Vale | Oti | "Arrival of the Birds" | Queueing | Safe | |
| 8 | Ross and Travis | Matthew | "Boasty"/"Tragedy"/"Big for Your Boots"/"Cry Me a River"/"Where Are Ü Now"/"O Fortuna" | Secret Agents | Safe | |
| 9 | Hannah Martin | Matthew | "Lost Without You" | Telephone Box | Safe | |
| 10 | Dark Angels | Oti | "Earthquake"—Labrinth / "Shutdown"—Skepta / "Dance Off"—Macklemore & Ryan Lewis / "High Hopes"—Panic! at the Disco | House of Commons | Safe | |
| 11 | Ryan Gibson | Todrick | "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"/"Soul Bossa Nova"/"Work It Out" | The Sixties | Eliminated | |
| 12 | Brothers of Dance | Cheryl | "Red Right Hand"/"Glory" | Peaky Blinders | Safe |
Challenge Show 2
- Theme: Props
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Challenge Theme | Studio Vote | Result |
| 1 | Brothers of Dance | Cheryl | "Live Like Legends" | Chessboard | Safe | |
| 2 | Michael and Jowita | Oti | "Crazy in Love"/"Bang Bang" | Canes | Safe | |
| 3 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Perfect" | Jewellery Box | Safe | |
| 4 | Vale | Oti | "Time" | Clocks | Last To Be Called Safe | |
| 5 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "A Million Dreams" | Books | Safe | |
| 6 | Ainsley Ricketts | Todrick | "Unspoken" | Bench | Safe | |
| 7 | Ross and Travis | Matthew | "September"/"Steamy Windows"/"Instruction"/"This Is How We Do It"/"I Just Want to Make Love to You"/"Sweet Lovin" | Ladders | Eliminated | |
| 8 | Hannah Martin | Matthew | "Alive" | Silk | Safe | |
| 9 | Dark Angels | Oti | "La La La"/"Gecko" | Mobile Phones | Eliminated | |
| 10 | Dancepoint | Todrick | "In the Air Tonight" | Mirror | Safe |
Challenge Show 3
- Theme: Around the World
| Order | Act | Mentor | Song | Challenge Theme | Studio Vote | Result |
| 1 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "You Are the Reason"—Calum Scott | Iceland | Safe | |
| 2 | Ainsley Ricketts | Todrick Hall | "Giant (Calvin Harris and [Rag'n'Bone Man song)|Giant]"—Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man | Rio de Janeiro | Eliminated | |
| 3 | Vale | Oti Mabuse | "Insomnia"—Faithless | Cairo | Safe | |
| 4 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew Morrison | "Smile" | Paris | Safe | |
| 5 | Dancepoint | Todrick Hall | "Gravity" | Beijing | Safe | |
| 6 | Michael and Jowita | Oti Mabuse | "Get the Party Started"—Pink | Monte Carlo | Safe | |
| 7 | Brothers of Dance | Cheryl | "Sparrow"—Emeli Sandé | The Amazon | Last To Be Called Safe | |
| 8 | Hannah Martin | Matthew Morrison | "Where We Come Alive" - Ruelle | Athens | Safe |
Challenge Show 4 (Quarter-Final)
- Theme: Dance Fusion
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Challenge Theme | Studio Vote | Result |
| 1 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)" | Tap | Safe | |
| 2 | Vale | Oti | "Soon We'll Be Found"—Sia | Ballroom | Eliminated | |
| 3 | Lily & Joseph | Cheryl | "You Can't Stop the Beat" | Rock'n'Roll | Safe | |
| 4 | Hannah Martin | Matthew | "Havana"—Camila Cabello | Latin | Safe | |
| 5 | Brothers of Dance | Cheryl | "Don't Start Now"—Dua Lipa | Commercial | Safe | |
| 6 | Dancepoint | Todrick | "Swan Lake" | Ballet | Last To Be Called Safe | |
| 7 | Michael & Jowita | Oti | "Your Disco Needs You"—Kylie Minogue / "You Should Be Dancing"—Bee Gees / "Le Freak"—Chic / "Boogie Wonderland"—Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions | Disco | Safe |
Challenge Show 5 (Semi Final)
- Theme: Coaches' Pick
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Challenge Theme | Studio Vote | Result |
| 1 | Dancepoint | Todrick | "Get Happy" | Classic Hollywood | Last to be called safe | |
| 2 | Michael and Jowita | Oti | "Do You Love Me" / "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" | Dirty Dancing | Safe | |
| 3 | Hannah Martin | Matthew | "Clubbed to Death"—Rob Dougan | Ocean | Eliminated | |
| 4 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "A Sky Full of Stars"—Coldplay | Childhood Dreams | Safe | |
| 5 | Brothers of Dance | Cheryl | "Rumble" | Military | Eliminated | |
| 6 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"—Elton John | Elton John | Safe |
Grand Final
| Order | Act | Dance Captain | Song | Result |
| 1 | Dancepoint | Todrick | "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels"/"Dem Beats" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "Pure Imagination" | Top 3 |
| 2 | Lily and Joseph | Cheryl | "Rise Up"—Andra Day | Top 3 |
| 3 | Michael and Jowita | Oti | "The Ballroom Blitz" | Top Of Public Vote |
| 3 | Michael and Jowita | Oti | "Get the Party Started"—Pink | Top Of Public Vote |
| 4 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Soda Pop" | Top 3 |
| 4 | Harrison Vaughan | Matthew | "Enter the Circus"/"Game of Survival" | Top 3 |
Judges, receptionist and presenters
Overview
;KeyPresenters
On 19 July 2018, it was announced that Alesha Dixon and Jordan Banjo would host the programme.Dance panel
On 10 August 2018, it was announced that the show's Dance Captains were Cheryl, Matthew Morrison and Oti Mabuse. For the 2020 series, dancer Todrick Hall joined as the fourth Dance Captain.International versions
The format has been sold to broadcasters in China, Denmark, Spain and Belgium.| Region/country | Local title | Network | Winners | Dance Captains | Presenter |
 China |