IT began 13 years ago, in a haze of sequins and fake tan.

With Sir Bruce Forsyth at the helm, Strictly Come Dancing brought the glamour and glitz back to Saturday nights on the BBC and quickly began competing with its ITV rivals as the family show of choice.

This year's series, starring Scots Joe McFadden and Susan Calman, has become the most popular in the show's time on screen.

It has attracted an average 11 million viewers every weekend in 2017, beating by a whisker last year's all-time high of 10.9 million.

With a huge audience likely for this Saturday's grand final – featuring McFadden, Debbie McGee, Alexandra Burke and Gemma Atkinson – the figure is likely to rise even higher.

A win for McFadden would be the first time a Scot has lifted the glitterball. Previous contestants have included Kenny Logan, who performed the Paso Doble in a kilt, Judy Murray, who took part in 2015, and Carol Smillie, who lasted until week nine in 2006.

Strictly has not only broken its own records in 2017.

It has also enjoyed a bumper ratings lead over The X Factor, regularly pulling in about 4.6 million more viewers than its ITV rival.

The gap has grown every year since 2012, when Strictly first began to move comfortably ahead of The X Factor.

The figures show how Strictly has become one of the BBC's biggest success stories of recent years – and how The X Factor has tumbled in popularity since the start of the decade.

And as well as being as a massive success for the BBC, the show has also helped the careers of some of its previous winners.

The list includes seven men and six women.

Series 1 - Natasha Kaplinsky was the first winner, with Brendan Cole, with whom she was rumoured to have a romantic relationship. The broadcaster went on to present the second series of Strictly with Sir Bruce while Tess Daly was on maternity leave.

Series 2 - Jill Halfpenny, who was most famous for her role in EastEnders, won both the main series and a Christmas special. She has gone on to carve a career on the West End stage.

Series 3 - Darren Gough, the cricketer, won despite never scoring the highest marks from the judges. He has also since appeared in two Christmas specials.

Series 4 - Mark Ramprakash followed in the footsteps of Gough as the second cricketer in a row to win the series.

Series 5 - Alesha Dixon famously became a judge on Strictly after her success on the show, controversially replacing Arlene Phillips. She has gone on to judge Britain's Got Talent on rival channel ITV.

Series 6 - Tom Chambers, actor, scored the lowest marks from the judges but after complaints about problems with the voting system, all three couples were put through to the final. He beat S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens to win the show.

Series 7 - Chris Hollins, a BBC presenter, was up against another man, Ricky Whittle, in the final and won, despite never having scored higher than him during the series.

Series 8 - Kara Tointon was the second actress to win the series and has since worked on the West End, playing Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion.

Series 9 - Harry Judd, a member of the band McFly, did not come top of the leaderboard week seven but went on to score 40 twice in the final.

Series 10 - Louis Smith lifted the glitterball just months after competing in 2012 London Olympics.

Series 11 - Abbey Clancy, the model and TV presenter, achieved a perfect 40 with her salsa and later described Strictly as "the most perfect experience".

Series 12 - Caroline Flack scored perfect 40s on every dance during her final. She has gone on to present ITV’s The X Factor and Love Island.

Series 13 - Jay McGuiness, a member of the band The Wanted, beat Georgia May Foote and Kellie Bright in the final, describing the competition as "one the most special things I’ve done".

Series 14 - Ore Oduba, a BBC presenter, is the reigning champion and has said he is still taking dance lessons, adding: “I want to get better, I want to incorporate it into something I can call work, a career, somehow.”