For the past couple of years, the Strictly final has meant basically two to three hours of crying. I wasn’t expecting it this year, because whilst I love the remaining couples, none of them had that emotional impact for me. And yes, we’re saying goodbye to Tess and Claudia but they’ve always said it’s about the couples not them, so that won’t be too bad either, will it?

The semi-final, and whilst the quality remains incredibly high, and the dancing very entertaining this felt like a bit of a letdown of a show - because the conclusion was so foregone. Given recent dance offs, it was entirely obvious who would be in the bottom two, and thus who would be going home. However, before all that, the dancing had to be done and this time we have two turns per couple!

Musicals week, the final theme before the final and oh, it’s always a good one. This time, there was a big opening number where each of the couples took a turn in the spotlight. It was so much dancing before the proper competition had even begun - where they just bored this week or what? I loved it though, a great medley! George & Alexis - Argentine Tango (Phantom of the Opera) I feel like this was really difficult music to dance to, but George did an incredible job. There’s no way he could have done this a few weeks ago, before the serious side of him came to the fore. It was really good, some tiny wobbles, but very impressive.

Back from Blackpool and everyone has been talking about their being a dip in energy, so I wasn’t expecting absolute perfection from this week’s performances. Plus there’s that new gimmick, Instant Dance, in which the couples get a dance style, a new piece of music, quick choice of clothing, ten seconds to think about it, and then go go go. It’s going to be a disaster.

We make quite a lot of fun of the build up to Blackpool but I feel bad for that now because this weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing show was spectacular and worth all the hype. You kick things off with an incredible Steps medley with professionals, contestants, extra dancers, and the judges all taking to the sprung floor, and you know you’re on to a winner. Then you have the downside of the judge’s dance. It’s terrible every week but when you add in Shirley desperately trying to get Claudia to go in the right direction and failing, well that’s next level.

Hmm, in case you hadn’t realised, next week is Blackpool. I tried to count the mentions during this episode and got to 27 - half of which were within the first ten minutes of the show. A very good job I didn’t go for the drinking game I was considering! On with the pre-Blackpool show, then. Balvinder & Julian - American Smooth The technique seemed to have improved, there was good footwork and it felt nice and gentle. The lifts were either wrong, or just lacking in confidence, but the performance was good and fitted the song perfectly.

We’re halfway through the series and the quality of the dancing is getting better and better each week, as you would expect. But how can we live up to the highs of last week, where we saw the first 40 of the year? Let’s find out! Lewis & Katya - Cha Cha Cha This was good, obviously, and not annoyingly good - it was completely watchable and a great dance. The technique looked pretty impressive, considering the cha cha is notoriously tricky.

Halloween night and the judges went all out on their costumes. I genuinely didn’t think I was going to be able to get through a whole night of looking at Shirley like that! And I saw a video afterwards of Motsi having to take that make-up off… was it worth it, I ask you?? Meanwhile, on with the spooky set of dances this week! Vicky & Kai - American Smooth They had the benefit of an incredible song, and it was a really engaging dance. I think some of the leg positions could have been more shapely, but all the lifts were great. The atmosphere was very intense, too. I loved it!

Strictly Come Dancing this week featured an Icons theme, which I had thought was a one off last year but apparently is now an annual thing. It’s fine, a great idea, but it does lead to some questions over who is and isn’t an icon. What even makes someone an icon in the first place? Is it global superstardom? Is it just being that person for one specific contestant? Given that Vicki Patterson chose Cheryl, I think Strictly is leaning into the latter.

Lots of news this week. When the Claudia & Tess story broke, someone said to me ‘have you seen the Strictly news?’ and my immediate reaction was ‘WHAT NOW?’ This show can’t catch a break. And the presenting duo leaving overshadowed the sad news that Stefan had to withdraw from the show due to injury, a shame after he had just come back from sickness. But he achieved what he set out to do, be able to dance with his wife, so that’s a win.

No theme this week, no extra guest mentors, no messing about, we’ve got a full house and a collection of dancers who are ready to prove what they can do. So let’s just get on with the show! Karen & Carlos - Quickstep The training VT made this look great, and it was fab on the floor too. The frame slipped on a few occasions, but it was a lot of fun with plenty of style and sass. Very fast, and the tiny slip at the end, but who cares? It was great!

It was nice to be back in the Strictly party watching sort of live on a Saturday rather than a day delayed, and what better way to celebrate than with Movie Week! Hooray! The best part of this is guessing the movies as the celebrities walk down the stairs, and then by extension what song they’re going to be dancing to. We really will make a quiz out of anything.

I ended up watching this show late, picking it up on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday night party. It was weird, but did mean that I could go straight from the live show into the results show, so that was fun! This was the final time we’d see all fifteen couples competing, with the first vote, the first dance off, and one person facing leaving the competition at the first hurdle.

Strictly’s first live show of the year and we are back in action baby - technical gremlins and all. The show opened with a rather self-indulgent but still lovely dance through the decades, and then we were introduced to our judges (still insisting on doing the dance and shimmy over to the chairs despite the fact they never manage to get their on time, I’m looking at you Shirley). Our couples took to the floor, with the exception of Dani Dyer who has to sit this year out due to injury and is replaced by last minute super-sub Amber Davies.

This time last year, I wrote about how I was heading into the new series of Strictly with mixed feelings. There had been endless bad news coming from the Strictly camp and the selection of celebrities didn’t have me jumping up and down with enthusiasm. I said: Guess how long it was into the launch show before I was giddy and clapping and bouncing around the room? About ten minutes, if I’m being modest, five minutes if I’m being truthful

It’s an expectation at this point, to go into the Strictly Come Dancing final, and now you’re going to be in floods of tears. This one took a little while to get me, but once the emotional showdance VTs started, I was there, I was with Motsi, any notion of appearing cool was out the window. It was nice to have four finalists again, and although we all sort of knew what the outcome was going to be before we started, I was ready to enjoy the show.

Semi-final time and wow, what a spectacle this was. Right from the start it felt like a final, the standard was so high, the drama was enormous and the emotions were real. This was the first time the couples had to learn two full routines in a week (if we’re not counting the sambathon madness), and you could tell that the extra pressure was starting to take it’s toll.

This show got off to an incredible start for me, because we have only just watched Little Shop of Horrors and lo and behold, they open the main show with a fantastic group dance based on that very musical. Best timing ever. Follow that up with the appearance of Miranda, who promised to be in the audience in November and just managed to squeeze it in before December hits. Well, how can the dancing live up to this great opening? Let’s find out!

More facts dropped by Claudia at the top of the show - every couple left in the competition has scored at least one 10. But at this point we hadn’t seen a 40, despite the sheer quality across the board. No gimmicks this week, just seven couples trying to get through to the quarter finals, and musicals week. As they descended to the floor, I realised how empty it is now and that prompted me to come up with predictions for the final: Tasha, Sarah, Chris and Jamie. I want Sarah to win it but really do think Chris is in with a chance.

Oh Blackpool you say? Well why not. Did anyone actually count the number of times it was mentioned during the weekend? Still, the lights looked good, the floor was sprung, and the Pet Shop Boys were there! Seriously, I loved this dance so much, it’s some of my favourite group dance work in a while! Anyway, on with the competition!

There’s no theme this week so the dancers are just doing their own separate things, but with one thing on their mind (apparently) - getting to Blackpool. The B word is so over-used at this point in the competition that you really just want this week over so we can get there and get it done with. But apart from that, another great week of dancing gets underway!

Icons week is finally here after quite the build up. It feels odd going from one theme week directly to another, but actually if you dig into it, this isn’t so different to other weeks - a variety of different songs by a variety of different artists. The big news this week was poor Amy, taken ill at the end of last week’s show. The legend is on the mend but has Lauren stepping in for her this week with JB.

Halloween! The timing of this theme week feels a bit off as Halloween isn’t actually until Thursday, five days after this special goes out. But never mind, we’re always ready for a bit of costume and make-up. It can be a challenging week this one, because if you don’t recognise the couple it can be harder to connect to them, but I don’t think that will be a problem this time out.

It was quite nice this weekend that there was no theme, there was no drama, no injuries, it was just straight on with the business at hand. Judges appear, couples down the stairs, let the games begin! JB & Amy - Jive Using polaroids as a learning tool is interesting, I know it was to tie in with the theme of the dance, but actually seems to work quite well. There was something a bit off about the knees or the feet or something here, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Still a competent dance and he looked like he was having fun.

This week, the action seemed to get straight underway, and I was glad of it because had started watching the show late and didn’t want it to go on all night! Nick was back on the dancefloor after a flurry of injuries, and so we get a bit of bonus movie week in a non-theme weekend. Let’s go! Shayne & Nancy - Cha Cha Meh, not bothered by this one. It was a bit boring for a cha cha. Also, the bowling ball bounced which isn’t really supposed to happen! He seemed more relaxed than previously, but I still don’t buy them as a partnership. Judges seemed to like it.

Movie week! Always a fun week, guessing the movie as the couples walk down the stairs, admiring the costumes and makeup, and generally relishing in how many films we’ve watched and how many more there are still to go! Nick Knowles was absent this week after picking up another injury, that’s concerning for him at such an early stage, will have to see how well he recovers. And after the surprise elimination last week of Tom & Nadiya, all eyes on the dancefloor for who will be next to exit stage right.

There were the tiniest of tweaks to the format of this show that for some reason I found really unsettling. Tess and Claudia were already there bang on screen after the credits, rather than walking out to meet each other. And let’s not talk about what a mess the judge’s little dance section is these days! But anyway, they are tiny things that just help to distract from the fact that we’re saying goodbye to our first dancer this week!

At the very start of the show, Claudia introduced the contestants about to come out, telling the live audience that they were bound to be super nervous and needed big cheers as they descended the stairs. Well, when they came out, not a single one of them looked nervous! They were all dancing and jigging about and looked like they were having a great time. Long may it continue!

A month ago, I was feeling quite grumpy about Strictly Come Dancing. There was all the bad news, and the new contestants weren’t hugely grabbing me, and whatever, maybe I could just give it a miss this year. Guess how long it was into the launch show before I was giddy and clapping and bouncing around the room? About ten minutes, if I’m being modest, five minutes if I’m being truthful. How can you hate on the Vengabus and the 90s tunes that followed?

I guess just power on through it and keep going as if nothing happened? It feels a bit odd that this year’s batch of contestants have been revealed over the past week or so, at the same time that the accusations of mistreatment from former guest dancers continues unabated. It’s an unexpected situation we find ourselves in, one that leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth, but at least there are some safeguards in place for this year’s willing participants. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed by the names announced (Sarah Hadland excepted, OBVIOUSLY) and sort of wonder if there have been more people declining the opportunity due to the ongoing furore.

I listened to the audiobook of this, read by the author Shirley Ballas. It was an eye-opening insight to Shirley’s life. I, like many, didn’t know of her until she was hired as the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, and recently they did a small video that looked into her life and it sounded really fascinating - full of hard work and difficult decisions, and fighting your way in a male dominated world. This book is more of the same, well told, honest and insightful. I really enjoyed it.

I was not necessarily as geared up for this final as I was hoping - it all just seemed so predictable, and I knew it wasn’t going to be the emotional rollercoaster that other finals have been. However, I kept telling myself that stranger things have happened and Ellie might not just run away with it, right? Great opening dance, by the way, so lovely to include both Amy and Nigel when their dancing was limited by injury.

After the slightly disappointing quarter final in which an injured Nigel withdrew and no public vote was held, we’re back at the sharp end again. With each couple doing two dances tonight, there will be three scores from the judges added together, although our remaining couples are so close, you have to wonder how much difference that will make. We’re at that point where the start of this competition seems so long ago - remember Nikita and Jody?? But now there are just four couples and eight dances to secure a place in the final. Let’s do this!

So close to the end now and the show descends into chaos! We were all really looking forward to five brilliant dances on Musicals week that would then send four couples through to the semi finals, only to find that Nigel injured himself and couldn’t perform. This late in the day, that means he’s out of the competition! There are contingencies in place for this, of course, and instead of someone else leaving the competition this week, there would be no public vote, these four couples go through to the semi finals and the judges scores roll over. Disappointing but still, musicals - hooray!

We’re at the point now where the floor suddenly seems very empty even when all the couples are there - just six dances to get through tonight, and then only five couples making it through to next week. But hooray, the next show is the musicals special and with the quality of dancers we have left, we should be in for some brilliant entertainment. But that’s next week, let’s focus on our six special couples and how they got on.

The big ol’ Blackpool ballroom is our home for this week and it always feels like it really should just be the home of Strictly anyway, it is a really beautiful place, the atmosphere is amazing, and sure, we want it as a one off special occasion, but also, imagine opening and finale episodes here? Oh well, for now it can be our mid-season treat, and talking of treats, Kelvin Fletcher was back to do the terms and conditions. There seemed to be lots of people in the audience, star-spotting throughout the show, whilst also, obviously, watching closely all the dances.

The only intro I can offer for this post is the same as Claudia said in the actual intro to the show: Blackpool. That is the fifth mention, we have been on air for two minutes. Krishnan & Lauren - Samba I like Lauren’s teaching method of bow and arrow for helping Krishnan understand the shapes. Initial thoughts are only yellow trousers and fists for hands, but once in hold it got a bit better. The out of hold bits were not good and he really just looked surprised all the time, oh, I’m in a dance! Judges comments were mostly along the line of ‘you gave it a go.’

I’m sure last week they were referring to the half point of the competition but that appears to have been this week - they may have mentioned it once or twice, you’ll have noticed! We’re coming down from the stress of Halloween week and are without a theme for a couple of weeks now until everything heads north to Blackpool. We’re left with some really good dancers, and although there are still a few couples who look like they could go home over the next few weeks, it’s really getting hard to predict who is going to do well or not each week.

I quite liked the intro to this week’s Halloween show, particularly where Krishnan got to have a go on Dave’s keyboards - what an honour! Anton wins the costume competition amongst the judges, Shirley’s was a bad choice as it restricted her ability to talk, and Motsi’s hair was flipping about all over the place. But the contestants had great costumes throughout, although is it a rule that someone has to be green at least once a season?

Is it just me or did this week’s Strictly live show have a very weird feeling about it? Of course we were one contestant down with Amanda Abbington absent for non-specific medical reasons, but the remaining pairs seemed very tense and making a few mistakes. And the judging was all over the place! We are at that point in the competition where it swings from ’this is a good score for a non-dancer trying their best’ to ’now we expect greatness and nothing else’ but still, it felt like a rollercoaster of a show.

The week after a theme week, when we go back to normal and a random collection of dances and songs, always feels a bit flat. But this week there’s a really interesting selection of songs that mean I’m on board to see who can pull out all the stops and earn another week of dancing. Ellie & Vito - Samba I’m quite enjoying that each week Vito comes up with a new way of pronouncing something. This week, his attempt at peacock. Anyway, the dance, I felt like it was a bit frantic and I don’t know if it was the character but she didn’t look like she was enjoying herself. A good and entertaining dance for the samba, which is notoriously tough. All the judges mentioned her turned in feet, something to watch for in the future.

Movie week! Disney celebrations. Incredible costumes. And lovely AMY!! Overwhelming and we’re only minutes in. Let’s go! Nigel & Katya - Jive (Batman) I like the glitterball bat signal but I do not like this dance. I guess expectations were high as Nigel’s been so good for two weeks but this just wasn’t his dance. The kicking wasn’t great, and there were quite a few mistakes. He wasn’t put off by them though and the character was good. The judge’s comments were surprisingly positive, although agree it did get better as it went on.

Obviously, Johannes Radebe is a huge favourite of mine from being a Strictly fan, and I was curious what his autobiography would reveal. I listened to the audiobook of this, and it took a little bit longer than I would have liked to settle in to the rhythm of it - it’s not Jojo’s native language and the phrasing was a bit different but I soon got into it and then totally loved it. It’s a story of a passion, of how dance can not only fill you with joy but bring you so many opportunities - but also of a loving but difficult childhood and the challenges that come with being different. Well told and plenty more story to be told in future too, I’m sure!

Maybe I was just keen but it felt like the show just dived straight in and got on with it. Opening dance, traditional welcomes, couples down the stairs, and let’s go. Of course at this point in the competition, the show is super-size in length anyway, and it was also hugely obvious towards the end when they’d given the judges the hurry up and one word answers were all we were getting. Seems unfair on those couples towards the end, but that’s live TV for you!

The competition has started properly now, with our first full week of dancing - each couple taking to the floor and showing us what they can do. No one gets voted out in the first week, which means they get one more chance to impress us next week, but if I’m honest… I was impressed by almost everyone anyway! The start of the show was lovely, first featuring Amy in the opening credits, fingers crossed she can join in the series in some capacity at some point, and then the gorgeous location of Scottish castle ruins as the opening professional dance number. Then, the dancing got less professional as the contestants took to the floor.

I’ll be upfront about it - I’m not expecting great things from this year’s Strictly. Part of that is that I don’t know many of the contestants, although that’s not a dealbreaker. The last few years have seen me fall in love with lots of the contestants that I had previously never heard of, so not being too excited about the lineup at first glance might not be a problem.

I’m going to be honest, going into this final I really wasn’t very excited. Two of the four finalists weren’t my favourites. I feel like they’ve all been so good at the dances that we’re not going to learn much by seeing the same dances over again. And we all knew right from the start that Hamza was going to win. The guy was trending first thing in the morning, it was never going to go another way.

Semi-finals and two dances each, this week is a real challenge. Although technically the dances had a bit more time due to the earlier than usual scheduling last weekend and the later than usual scheduling this weekend. Thank goodness it’s the final next week so we can stop getting sompletely confused about what day it is. On with the dances! Fleur & Vito - Paso Doble Shirley: “Fleur, Paso Doble, and Vito. That has got to be a winning combination.” It’s good but it felt like a long 90 seconds. We had a chat about Moloko instead. Too much power to my eyes, but Anton said it was her best dance so far.

We’ve reached the quarter finals and it’s Musicals week, one of the best on the Strictly calendar - hooray! Kym & Graziano are back in action so it’s a full house… although there are only six couples remaining at this point, so it’s a slimmed down show that will see who gets through to the semi-finals. The opening montage of various musicals was fantastic - Johannes as a Pink Lady is everything I never knew I needed. Love that Oti was back as choreographer, too. Anyway, on with the shows!

Back from Blackpool and in the ballroom we know and love, this is a regular dancing week before we hit another theme next week - Musicals week! Sadly Kym couldn’t perform today due to testing positive for Covid, so she technically gets a free pass to next week and at this stage in the competition, I really think that’s a huge advantage! Nevertheless, we still had six glorious couples dancing (oof it’s getting empty at the bottom of those stairs, isn’t it?) and this is how I thought they got on in week ten.