‘Dancing pig’ lightens Brits’ spirits
Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 1:50 PM
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London, England
By Chris Hampson, NBC News Director of International News
LONDON – Amid the economic gloom and coming pall of winter, it is perhaps unsurprising that we British are looking for a glimmer of light to brighten our damp and dreary evenings.
Quickstep forward our very own ray of sunshine – in the unlikely shape of John Sergeant, a roly-poly former political reporter for the BBC.
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John Sergeant and his dancing partner Kristina Rihanoff seen in a promotional photo for "Strictly Come Dancing."
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Sergeant, 64, made his name in the hallowed corridors of Westminster, interviewing such political heavyweights as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.
It is only fair to point out that, in the intervening years, Sergeant has become something of a heavyweight himself.
He was also born with two left feet.
All of which makes it somewhat unlikely that he would become a national pin-up.
But for six weeks now, thousands of TV viewers have defied common sense to keep Sergeant on "Strictly Come Dancing," the British equivalent of "Dancing with the Stars," booting off more accomplished contestants.
Some two dozen Facebook sites now are devoted to keeping him there.
‘Winnie the Pooh in sequins’
The professional judges are increasingly in a rage. The newspapers are filled daily with righteous indignation that more accomplished hoofers keep getting booted off the show week by week, while Sergeant stays – well – rooted to the spot.
His style has been likened to "Winnie the Pooh in sequins," a "dancing pig" and a "rhino on the rampage." His dancing has been described as "less American smooth, more British lumpy."
The highlight of his paso doble dance was to drag his beautiful Siberian-born partner Kristina Rihanoff across the floor "like a sack of potatoes."
He stands accused of spending too much time reading the newspapers instead of training.
Without doubt, Rihanoff does the work for both of them, reminding me of the truth of the oft-quoted remark that the fabulous Ginger Rogers did everything her legendary partner Fred Astaire could do – but backward and in high heels.
But still they vote for this chubby-chopped icon of Middle England. The bookies’ odds on him winning the entire competition have shrunk from 100-1 to 16-1.
Two-stepping through the deepening gloom
Sergeant jokes that the whole British Cabinet is behind him, and he has said he expects Prime Minister Gordon Brown to vote for him to win the series.
He can’t be serious?
Of course not. It’s TV. It’s hype. But, most of all, it’s fun. And, by jove, we can use some of that right now.
UPDATE:
John Sergeant has hung his sequined shirts back in the closet. He's quit.
In a statement released Wednesday, he said it was always his intention to have fun on the show and stay as long as possible.
But, he said, "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far."
He thanked his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff , "and all those viewers who have been rooting for me."
Winter nights in the U.K. just got darker.
