Want to know the future of Strictly? Watch the American version

Ihave never paid much attention to the American version of Strictly Come Dancing . I haven’t missed an episode of Strictly in about a decade, but despite their overwhelming similarities, Dancing with the Stars , as it is rather inelegantly titled over there, has always seemed to me a much less appealing proposition: louder, brasher, less classy, less rooted in tradition and missing the idiosyncrasy, affection and occasion that make Strictly and its attendant dramas a matter of such national importance.

While Strictly is a cultural behemoth, the BBC’s flagship entertainment programme, and a declaration of a certain kind of British value, Dancing with the Stars , which began in 2005 and is in its 34th season, has always been just another reality show . It’s less popular than