'IT'S ALL WARM, SPARKLY, NICE AND A LAUGH'

We go behind the scenes at Strictly to find out how the on-stage magic happens

- ANNA BAILEY

It's easy to forget that the sparkle we see on stage every Saturday night on Strictly Come Dancing is the result of meticulous planning, grafting and the odd last-minute transformation behind the scenes.

Every one of the routines, from Angela Scanlon's moody Argentine tango to Bobby Brazier's 80s jive, is brought to life with creative sets that appear to magically change between each performance.

The duo making it happen? Performance designer Catherine Land and scenic supervisor Mark Osborne.

"I design the set for every routine," says Catherine when we catch up for a chat ahead of musicals week, which airs tonight. "If we start in front of a fish and chip shop, I design the fish and chip shop."

"And I put it on stage and take it off very quickly," adds Mark.

But of course it's not that simple. Mark's team has a tight window to get the stage ready for the next act. "Around 90 seconds, sometimes less," he tells us.

The big group pro numbers can be equally challenging.

"Last year we did a whole Encanto house for movie week," Catherine tells us. "Behind it was an absolute maze of platforms and tubes. We worked out routes for everybody, so it was like, 'Right, you squeeze through this hole."

Luckily the pair are not working alone. "Between us we have two carpenters and a painter," says Mark. "And I have two assistants," Catherine adds.