Putting on THE GLITZ!

OSKAR ODIAKOSA and LAUREN CLAYDON on competing in Blackpool's famous dance contest

BLACKPOOL'S DANCE FEVER NEW MONDAY, 8 PM, BBC1 FACTUAL

As every Strictly fan knows, competing at Blackpool is the holy grail for any dancer. Now, BBC1’s one-off documentary Blackpool’s Dance Fever follows several couples from across the globe as they slap on their fake tan and sequins and head to the Lancashire seaside town to take part in the annual Blackpool Dance Festival.

Among them are Oskar Odiakosa and Lauren Claydon from Kent, who are entering the Amateur Rising Star Latin contest and hoping to impress the judges in the Empress Ballroom with their cha-cha, paso doble, samba and rumba.

TV Times joined accountant Oskar, 28, and lettings agent Lauren, 23, for an exclusive chat…

When did you both start dancing?

LAUREN I was five or six. I was shy, but I fell in love with it. Oskar and I have danced together for two years – the dance teachers at our studio saw something special and put us together. We get on very well, which is important because it’s like a relationship.

OSKAR I started dancing later than most – I was 13. I saw it on TV and liked all the big, impressive lifts, so I went to a dance class and it was so enjoyable and I loved learning the routines.

Lauren and I both work, so we appreciate that there’s life outside of dancing but we’re super-committed. It’s rare you both have that same drive and determination. But we don’t let ego take over.

For me, too, it’s special that we’re a mixed-heritage partnership. We represent a level of diversity that’s not often seen in this type of dancing.