So You Think You Can Dance is set to launch on BBC One tonight and judge Nigel Lythgoe says that many of the auditionees can dance better that he ever could.

Nigel told The Mirror that he started dance lessons as a child, only after his father made him take boxing lessons at the same time.

He said: “I was a terrible, nervous boxer. Every time I threw a punch I farted.

“The only time I won was when a kid slipped on the canvas and hit his head on the post.

“I loved dancing… and it was a great place to meet girls and chat them up. I wasn’t given a stigma of ‘our kid’s a fairy’.”

On the young people who have tried out for his hugely successful dance show, Nigel said:

“I’ve seen some amazing young talent, much better and more athletic than I ever was,” he says. “They’re kids who work their socks off, not for a million-dollar contract, but because they want to win.

“This show will give British dancers the platform of a TV programme that’s inspirational to millions. It allows people to really live their dream.”

So You Think You Can Dance, BBC1, tonight, 6pm.