BBC EastEnders cuts Len Goodman joke from episode after Strictly legend’s death

BALLROOM dancing legend Len Goodman passed away at the age of 78 from cancer.

A BBC One viewer pointed out EastEnders bosses made a last-minute change to last night’s soap instalment, to avoid scandal.

BBC

Ben Mitchell shared a sweet moment with his daughter Lexi last night[/caption]

BBC

He missed out on one of her recitals as he took part in a boxing match[/caption]

Getty

He made a reference to the late Len Goodman – which was cut out of the instalment[/caption]

Desperate to get his father Phil’s approval, Ben Mitchell decided to take part in a boxing match, forgetting all about his daughter Lexi and her dance recital.

During last night’s trip to Albert Square, the mechanic portrayed by Max Bowden made it up to the schoolgirl and shared a sweet moment with her as he tenderly brushed her hair.

However, one detail left a viewer scratching their head as they compared the episode that was aired with the instalment made available on BBC iPlayer.

As shown on Twitter, Ben is brushing Lexi’s hair when she asks him what score he would have given her had he taken her to her dance recital.

Ben responds by impersonating Len Goodman, who found fame as the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing.

While the soap fan was able to find the segment online, TV viewers would not have seen it as the scene was cut out of the episode before airing.

“This was a strange coincidence”, the viewer penned.

“Ben making a Len Goodman reference in last night’s episode. But it was cut from the live version! Bit of a confusing decision as it could’ve been a tribute to him.”

The Strictly star died on Saturday (April 22, 2023) at a hospice in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Len breathed his last surrounded by his family after battling bone cancer.

A former ballroom dancer, Len appeared in Strictly Come Dancing from its launch in 2004 until 2016.

His critiques and humour made him a fan favourite but his enthusiastic delivery awarding a score of seven points contributed to making him a TV icon – it even became his catchphrase along with “it’s a ten from Len.”

Len also appeared in the US version of the program, Dancing with the Stars from 2005 until 2022.

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Daniel Jones - The Sun

Len Goodman was a Strictly icon[/caption]

PA

He appeared in both the UK and US versions of the show[/caption]