strictly dirty dancing

Dawn Porter presents a 60-minute programme celebrating the 20th anniversary of cult favourite ‘Dirty Dancing’.

The programme follows presenter, journalist and massive ‘Dirty Dancing’ fan Dawn as she goes on a comic pilgrimage to the USA hoping to fulfil her lifelong dream of doing ‘The Last Dance’ with Patrick Swayze. She heads off to the US armed with a pair of three-quarter-length white jeans, two water melons and a life-size cardboard cut-out of Patrick Swayze. Along the way, she uncovers the stories behind the casting and making of the film, visits the set, trains herself up as a dancer and generally wallows in ‘Swayzemania’.

Dawn has seen ‘Dirty Dancing’ over 100 times – and she is not alone. Two decades after the film was released, an online community of fans is still growing, and Dawn takes the ‘Dirty Dancing Trivia Test’ on the official fan site to prove her devotion.

She also swaps stories with fans whose homes are shrines to the film and who claim their lives have been transformed by the influence of this coming-of-age classic.

Straight after the programme is a chance to catch the classic film itself.