The 'Strictly' super spoiler speaks out: I'm providing a service to viewers

The Strictly Come Dancing mole has defended leaking the result of the dance-off online every week, insisting he is "providing a service" to fans of the show.

Though the elimination show of the BBC dance contest airs on a Sunday evening, it is filmed 'as live' straight after the Saturday episode.

And since 2012 superfan Dave Thorp has been leaking the result of the dance-off on a Saturday evening on his website Strictly Spoiler, with links on social media.

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Thorp, 42, told The Daily Mail: "I'm just providing a service and am not spoiling anyone's enjoyment.

"I don't put the results for everyone to see and they have to search for my site to find out the results.

"There is an appetite from people who want to know the results before Sunday.

"It could be argued that the BBC is to blame for recording something which is of massive interest the day before."

Strictly is filmed live at Elstree Studios in North London on a Saturday night.

Audience members consist of friends and families of those taking part, and members of the public who have entered a ballot to win tickets. They all have their mobile phones taken away during filming.

Thorp said: "I find out the result by audience members there on the night contacting me or from the other strictly spoiler sites around."

The Strictly Spoiler website now makes money from advertising and has over 57k followers on Twitter.

When Strictly began in 2004 it was aired live over two evenings. But the BBC began filming the dance-off episode on a Saturday in 2008 when filming live two nights in a row become too much for the late host Sir Bruce Forsyth, then aged 80.

It is now hosted by Tess Daly, 53, and Claudia Winkleman, 50.

Thorp has said he set up the website in protest at the BBC airing the dance-off as a pre-recorded show, instead of filming it live on a Sunday.

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He said he has had discussions with the BBC about his website.

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