The Departure of Dancing with the Stars Judge: Len Goodman

Len Goodman, the head judge of the British television dance competition "Strictly Come Dancing" and the overseer of its American version "Dancing with the Stars," has passed away at the age of 78, according to the BBC on Monday. Goodman was a professional dancer who won awards during his participation in dance competitions in Britain in his late twenties before retiring and founding a dance school. He later chaired the judging panel of "Strictly Come Dancing" from its launch in 2004 until 2016, as well as the judging panel of the American version for most of the period from 2005 until 2022. Born and raised in London, Goodman previously mentioned that he only began dancing reluctantly at the age of 19 after a doctor told him that dancing would help him recover from a foot injury. The dance competition "Strictly Come Dancing" was one of the most famous entertainment programs on BBC television, attracting an average of over 11 million viewers at its peak in 2010. Some episodes of the American version of the show in its early seasons drew as many as 27 million viewers.