Saturday Service: Week 6

Theme weeks are so often hard work to watch, and Halloween is the queen of theme weeks. Don't get me wrong, just like everyone else I love the hair and make-up and costumes. They team does an amazing job. I love the lighting and the props. But the routines. Oh the routines. They are so often a let-down after all the hype. And I'm sorry to say that this Halloween was no different.

A paso to Phantom Of The Opera could have been a show-stopper, until you realise that Katie & Anton will be performing it. I can't believe how many mistakes Katie made. She looked like she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. It was stiff rather than strong. Just awful. Perhaps the razzmatazz was too overwhelming...

Kirsty & Brendan's Charleston seemed to have lots of running about. The lifts were clunky, and Brendan didn't quite do a good enough job of styling out the missed lift. It was messy all around. Kirsty is definitely attacking the dances more, but she's still not hitting it out of the park.

I had high hopes for Jeremy & Karen's Thriller salsa. It could've been brilliantly bonkers. Sadly, it wasn't really much fun to watch. It was messy, and a bit stiff. I haven't really enjoyed Jeremy's performances since the first couple of weeks. The lifts were pretty good though, at least.

I was worried that having the waltz wouldn't be great news for Anita & Gleb. Being a slow dance with little wow-factor, I was expecting it to get lost in the dirge. I was wrong. The choreography was brilliant. The routine had fantastic musicality. They totally owned it. The only thing that baffled me was the judges' scores. Why is Anita always under-marked?

Jamelia & Tristan's jive (or joive, as Tristan calls it) started well, but very quickly lost energy. The routine seemed to be too quick for Jamelia, she seemed to be trying to catch up. As Bruno mentioned, she needs to point her toes more, they are ugly and hooky. She was also too heavy in places. Like Kirsty & Brendan's routine, there seemed to be a lot of running about and not enough joiving.

Jay & Aliona's American Smooth was nice enough. Jay continues to lead Aliona, and they cover the floor well. I have to agree with the judege's comments about the lack of emotional connection to his routine, though. Technically, there isn't much to fault, but he needs to sell it more now. He's a bit of a Gethin Jones at the moment. He needs to create characters, and think about them. His Big Bad Wolf wasn't really bad enough.

Kellie & Kevin's paso had lots of strength. The routine had too much time out of hold for my liking. And Kellie was pulling some weird face throughout the dance. It was just OK for me. Not bad, not amazing.

The rumba is always a difficult dance. It really is. Not 'this is a hard dance' difficult. Genuinely difficult. So Carol was in trouble right away. The amazing make-up and dress, and a green Pasha were not going to distract us. The whole thing lacked passion. It was ploddy. It wasn't a sexy rumba. It wasn't a romantic rumba. It was just odd. In fact, I can't remember when I have enjoyed a rumba by a female celebrity less.

Thank goodness that misery was soon washed away by Georgia & Giovanni's tango. All credit to Giovanni. Despite the dodgy Ghostbusters theme, Giovanni got down to matter of the tango in good time, and the routine was great. Georgia looked great, and it was so good to see another proper tango. It was my favourite dance of the night.

I really enjoyed Peter & Janette's foxtrot, but I seemed to be in the minority on Twitter. I thought it was a return to form for Peter. Janette's choreography was great, and it picked up the accents in the music really well. OK, so maybe his topline is still a bit dodgy. Maybe I only enjoyed it because so many of the others were so poor...

Helen & Aljaž's samba was very cleverly choreographed. Aljaž worked Helen's stiffness into the routine, which limited the amount of time Helen had to attempt the samba hip action. To be fair to Helen, the limited amount of samba action she had to do was pretty good. It's a very difficult action to perfect, and few celebrities have mastered it, but Helen did OK.

The top two are easy to pick out this week - Anita and Georgia without a doubt. Almost everyone else was pretty terrible, so a bottom two is harder to choose. I think it would have to be Carol and Kirsty (I think I've said that almost every week), but Jamelia, Katie and Jeremy could easily be in the bottom two, too.

Here are the videos...

Katie & Anton



Kirsty & Brendan



Jeremy & Karen



Anita & Gleb



Jamelia & Tristan



Jay & Aliona



Kellie & Kevin 



Carol & Pasha



Georgia & Giovanni



Peter & Janette



Helen & Aljaž

Is Tristan Frustrated With Jamelia?

Tristan MacManus is reportedly frustrated with Jamelia's lack of commitment to training, after she was late to rehearsals.

A source told the Daily Mirror: “They’re really feeling the pressure after finding themselves in the bottom two last week and it has caused a bit of friction. Jamelia has been late for rehearsals several times and doesn’t seem to be putting in as much effort as Tristan. He’s one of the new dancers and is super-keen to win.”

There could be some truth to this. All of the pros come from a competitive background, fighting to win competitions, fighting to win jobs, and will expect the same from their partners. Why should any pro put everything in, when they don't feel the same level of commitment from their celebrity partner? The best pairings are those who have the same work ethic.

Take Kellie for example. She is working all hours on EastEnders, and is still doing all she can to fit in training.

I appreciate that Jamelia is also working on Loose Women, and is a single mum, but she at least has to show commitment to Tristan when they are in the training room together.

Sunday Service: Week 5

Apparently it was Family Week on Strictly. We saw mums, kids and friends aplenty throughout the night.

Georgia & Giovanni kicked the night off with a salsa, which was pretty good. I liked the armography,  and the lifts were great. I wasn't floored by the routine, but it was solid. The underarm turns which Craig liked were pretty good, except she started to lose her balance toward the end. 

It was great to see continued improvement from Carol. She didn't seem to be clinging on to Pasha as much as she has in the past. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it was a pleasant routine, and Carol danced it as well as she did the paso. She needs to make sure she closes her feet properly. I've enjoyed them more in the last couple of weeks than previously.

I really enjoyed Anita & Gleb's tango. It certainly wasn't traditional, but the choreography was great. It was unlike anything we've seen before, and that made it interesting. Anita had great intensity and intent. Perhaps there was a little bit of gapping, but it was still brilliant. Anita is consistently good, and I think she might top the leaderboard at some point.

I kind of liked Peter & Janette's rumba, but it was a bit 'small'. Ian Waite mentioned earlier in the week on It Takes Two that Peter should lunge out further and make everything longer, and unfortunately he didn't. Emotionally, it was lovely. I still don't think Peter has topped the first couple of weeks. I really want to see him smash it, but no male celebrities smash the rumba. I think the scores were fair.

The use of the stairs was a clever waste of time for Kirsty & Brendan. I think the judges over-praised Kirsty a bit. The performance was OK. Her head was a little too far to the left. It was actually less skippy than Katie last week in my opinion, but I didn't see what the judges saw. Always happy to see a fleckerl. 

I know Ainsley is the oldest man in the competition, he doesn't let us forget it, but the jive didn't have enough energy for me. It was more Rock 'n' Roll than jive. The timing was a bit iffy at the start too. And hid feet were a bit 'kipper-y' as my dance teacher used to say - he didn't point his toes enough. It was fun to watch, but as the judges said, it was a bit untidy. I liked the Elvis notes which Natalie added.

I really wanted to like Jamelia & Tristan's foxtrot this week, but it was a bit messy. Her footwork wasn't very good, and Craig was completely right about her not bringing her feet together. It was a bit disappointing. I also didn't like that Tristan's shirt didn't match Jamelia's dress...

So, Katie & Anton went on the seemingly annual trip to the salsa club. Did it help? Hmm... Well... The salsa wasn't quite smooth and fluid enough. The arms were OK, but it was bumpy. She seemed to be having fun, but I didn't have fun watching. It got worse at the end with the lifts. The lifts were like the lifts in my office building - at least one is out of order, and sometimes you're scared to get in.

Jeremy & Karen's waltz was quite nice. It was controlled and calm. I didn't like the drag across the floor which was ugly, but otherwise it was nice enough. There was a bit of gapping between them. It didn't flow as much as it could have, but I liked it better than the manic jive last week.

I really enjoyed Helen & Aljaž's quickstep. They covered the entire floor. It was effortless. Cool and clean, elegant and easy. They looked gorgeous together. Tonnes of choreography - Helen didn't have it easy, but she nailed all of it. Totally deserving on three nines.

I was very skeptical when I heard that Jay & Aliona would be doing a paso to It's My Life. However, it was brilliant. Jay is just so stylish. He looks great on the floor, and he and Aliona compliment each other so well. The paso had great passion and intent. Loved it.

Kellie & Kevin's jive was energetic and slick. We saw how good their side-by-side work can be in the Charleston, and that continued in the jive, and in hold too. Lots of traditional content, and Kellie coped with the fast pace really well. They also deserved the three nines. 

Anita was a highlight early on among the dirge, and Helen, Jay and Kellie brought it home. It's difficult to pick a bottom two, but I think I might have to go with Kirsty and Ainsley. Neither was terrible, but I think they were the weakest. Jamelia could also be in danger, and maybe even Katie, although I think voters will keep her in.

Here are the videos...

Georgia & Giovanni

Carol & Pasha

Anita & Gleb

Peter & Janette

Kirsty & Brendan

Ainsley & Natalie

Jamelia & Tristan

Katie & Anton

Jeremy & Karen

Helen & Aljaž

Jay & Aliona

Kellie & Kevin

Sunday Service: Week 4

Whoever chose the songs for this week's show needs to take a long, hard look at themselves. It has been truly atrocious this series, but last night was an all-time low.

Anita & Gleb kicked things off with an OK samba. It wasn't bad. Anita didn't really have the samba hip action down, but there are so few non-pros that have managed it that you can't mark her down for that. Hip action aside, it was a good effort which should see her through.

Daniel played the part of a pilot in his American smooth routine. Unfortunately, it was more "plain" than "plane". Daniel is actually a solid ballroom dancer, just a bit dull. If I was in a class with him, I'd probably think he was quite good. But on Strictly, he completely lacks pizzazz. There was a little mistake at the beginning. He lifted Kristina twice during the routine, but if you blinked, you probably missed them.

Kirsty & Brendan's paso didn't flow very well. Kirsty's performance was a bit 'internal' - she needs to learn to perform for the audience. Her eyeline was down a lot of the time. There were glimpses of something better, but not enough. If nothing else, her confidence has improved. And it was a POOR song choice.

There was no way that Georgia & Giovanni could be accused of lacking content this week. Their quickstep routine was full-on. Georgia's footwork was decent. I loved the little ball-changes in the chorus section. Georgia just needs to make sure her posture doesn't slip towards the end of such a grueling routine.

Jeremy continues to channel his inner 'newsreader on Children In Need'. The jive was a bit ploddy and heavy. Jeremy & Karen continue to be entertaining, but I'm not sure how much more of them I need to see now.

Kellie & Kevin did a lovely foxtrot routine. I loved the use of a little social foxtrot at the top of the routine before they got into it. There was a lovely heel turn. I just wished Kellie had released her toes on the backward steps. That would have really pushed the number over the top. They did a really nice job, though. Just a shame her hair was so distracting.

Jamelia & Tristan's Charleston was easily their best dance to date. It was a fun and light. Charleston doesn't have the same rules over technique, which meant Jamelia could throw herself into it and not worry. She has great timing, and she nailed it.

Jay & Aliona's quickstep was never going to live up to last week's jive, but it turned into a bit of a disaster. Jay lost it several times, and never really looked completely in control. It was very disappointing. But Jay is still one of the strongest in the competition. Again, POOR music choice.

I did actually enjoy Carol & Pasha's paso more than I've enjoyed any of her other dances. She seemed a little less lost than usual. It was quite strong, for Carol.

I thought Ainsley & Natalie's waltz was just OK. It was solid, but not very interesting. Despite all the emphasis on his frame in the VT, he still wasn't able to maintain his frame throughout the dance. It was sweet and pleasant, but it not going to set the world alight.

I loved the final lift in Helen & Aljaž's salsa routine, but I felt like she was trying too hard in places. She was grinding and gyrating, but it all felt a bit clinical. I didn't really like the facial expressions either. These kind of 'dirty' latin dances are always going to be a challenge for Helen.

Peter & Janette should have had a fairly easy week this week, because moving from paso to tango isn't too much of a stretch, at least in  mood. But their tango didn't do it for me. It was solid, but didn't have wow factor. Peter had a funny posture, and quite odd footwork at times. Yet another POOR song selection.

Katie & Anton's Viennese waltz was incredibly skippy. I really don't know why they topped the leaderboard, although of course I am happy for Anton that he's finally done it after 13 series. Katie looked like she'd gone a little wrong at the beginning, and her timing was off in places. Way too skippy to be enjoyed. She was grimacing through the 16 million pivots. At least there was a proper fleckerl.

My favourites this week were Kellie, Jamelia and Georgia. The bottom two could be picked from a number of couples. The poorest dancers in my opinion now are Carol and Jeremy, but Daniel and Ainsley were quite dull and could also go home, and I didn't enjoy Kirsty either. I would put Kirsty and either Carol or Jeremy in the bottom two. I would quite like to see Carol go home, but I wouldn't be sorry to see any of the above go home.

Here are the videos...

Anita & Gleb



Daniel & Kristina



Kirsty & Brendan



Georgia & Giovanni



Jeremy & Karen



Kellie & Kevin



Jamelia & Tristan



Jay & Aliona



Carol & Pasha



Ainsley & Natalie



Helen & Aljaž



Peter & Janette



Katie & Anton

Is Helen A Diva?

Is Helen a prima donna?

That's the acusation made in The Sun this week, which suggests that she won't talk to any of the cast except Aljaž. The Metro reports that a source told The Sun: "She’s a prima donna, but she’s very sweet when the cameras are on."

However, a Metro source denied the claims: "These reports are laughable, the cast this year are the friendliest bunch yet and they all get on extremely well both on and off camera."

Frankie Joins Strictly Tour

Frankie Bridge has been announced as the first celebrity to join the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour.

Frankie had to pull out of the 2015 tour because of her pregnancy, and the severe morning sickness she suffered. She said: “I was so disappointed not to be able to perform in this year’s Strictly Tour, as I’d been so looking forward to continuing my Strictly journey. But following the birth of my son in August, I’m thrilled to have been asked to join the 2016 tour. It will be great to get my dancing shoes back on and be part of the Strictly family again. Roll on January!”

It's likely that she will be reunited with partner Kevin Clifton, as Kellie Bright is unlikely to feature in the tour because of her EastEnders role.

Anthony: It's "Hard To Compete" Against Trained Dancers

Eliminated Anthony Ogogo has apparently complained about having to compete against celebrities who have already had dance training.

BT.com reports that Anthony said: "I think when you’re up against Jay McGuinness, who’s done ballet, and Helen George who’s done ballet, and Peter Andre who’s been a pop star – it’s very, very hard to compete with those guys. People want to see entertaining dances, they want to see people do well, but also I think people like to see a journey. And I think my journey could have – if given more of an opportunity by the powers that be – I think my journey could have been good."

While I appreciate Anthony's frustration, this is a debate which has raged since Series 2. Winner Jill Halfpenny had done ballet classes in childhood, and this was seen by some as giving her an unfair advantage.

To be honest, I don't think Anthony would have gone that far because his injury would have prevented him from realising his full potential anyway.

The Daily Mirror reports that Anthony told The Sun that he thinks race might have contributed to his early exit. He said: "I didn't think that the BBC would put us together because we're black or mixed race. I honestly thought they would spread the minorities around."

The question of race is nothing new to Strictly, either. Of 12 past winners, only three were not white - Mark Ramprakash, Alesha Dixon and Louis Smith. Although, by my calculation only 18% of all Strictly participants (excluding the current series) were not white, so three winners is actually higher than average (25%). Make of that what you like. 

I'd really like to hope that race isn't a factor. But when three out of four celebrities in the bottom two have been black, it's hard to make a case against it.

Congrats, Nat!

Congratulations to Natalie Lowe, who has announced her engagement to businessman boyfriend James Knibbs.

Natalie told Hello! magazine that the proposal "was a complete shock".

The couple's engagement pictures will appear in this week's Hello! magazine.

Sunday Service: Week 3

I'm feeling poorly at the moment, which might mean I am a little grumpier than usual. I was certainly underwhelmed by the majority of the performances last night, but I often find that theme weeks are a bit of a let-down.

Carol & Pasha didn't start the evening well. Their quickstep was littered with mistakes and iffy timing. Carol has a very lazy top line, which she needs to fix, and she needs to make sure she keeps her head to the left. It looked like she was struggling to keep up with Pasha, and was hanging on for dear life. Len might have enjoyed it, but I didn't.

Anthony & Oti's paso was quite good. He had some nice lines and lots of command on the floor. I thought his shaping was OK, and I liked the boxing theme to the routine. I just wish he wasn't injured. I would love to see what he could really be capable of.

Katie & Anton's cha cha was quite dull. Katie's balance seemed to be off throughout the routine. I'm glad that Anton asked the judges not to judge Katie on the choreography - I've been saying that for as long as I can remember. But it really showed up how bad Anton is at latin choreography. It's Laila all over again, who professed not to like latin, but I think that was Anton's influence. I think we need to get Anton some help the next time he does latin. Maybe he should call in Erin or Ian next time. There was a missed opportunity to put cha cha walks in at the opening of the routine, even I could see that.

Kellie & Kevin's Charleston was brilliant. Their mirroring of each other was almost flawless. It was a fantastic routine, superbly danced. Kellie is so talented, and I expect her to be around for a long while. It's just a shame they didn't discard the lightsabers earlier, because it meant that they didn't do as many crazy lifts as some couples.

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy Ainsley & Natalie's cha cha. Ainsley's timing was terrible, and there were lots of errors. The whole routine was too disco, with some Charleston too, and those were the parts that were OK. The cha cha parts, especially in hold, were pretty terrible.

I had been looking forward to Georgia & Giovanni's rumba, but it was really disappointing. Georgia's movements didn't flow very well. It was all a bit spikey, and didn't flow very well. The drop was lovely, though. Georgia made that look easy. All the elements were there. I'd love to see it performed again with slightly less aggression.

Helen & Aljaž's foxtrot was very nice. Helen totally channeled Marilyn Monroe. It was all Hollywood. Helen has lovely footwork and beautiful lines. It was very clean.

Daniel & Kristina's cha cha was quite sweet. It was gentle and plodding. There was some decent basic content. Daniel was a bit flat-footed, but he's doing an OK job. He's generally quite inoffensive.

I so wanted Kirsty & Brendan's American smooth to be better, but the whole thing was a bit woolly. Kirsty has quite lazy legs and bent knees. She needs to keep her legs closer together, so they brush past each other when she dances. She also needed more heel leads. She stumbled quite a few times. It wasn't as watchable as it could have been.

Peter & Janette weren't quite as impressive this week. Their paso had lots of drive and drama, but Peter was a bit stampy in places. He didn't quite have the paso shaping, and needed to get his hips further forward.

My overwhelming sentiment after Jamelia & Tristan's salsa was "Oh dear...". However, watching it a second time, and it wasn't as bad as I remembered. At least, not to being with. Jamelia definitely lost her way as the dance progressed. It was messy and confused, and generally a bit frantic. Her legs were still too bent. She just didn't own it. And we'll gloss over Tristan's hair pull. Perhaps he wanted Fifty Shades... instead of Charlie's Angels.

I didn't enjoy Jeremy & Karen's Charleston as much as their last couple of dances. I thought the song choice and theme was odd for a Charleston. It didn't have the cheek and tricks that we expect. It was all just a bit boring, and didn't have the usual Jeremy charm. Solid, enough though.

Anita & Gleb's American smooth had lots of emotion, and was generally very good. For someone who is a presenter, Anita is doing amazingly well. She just needs to watch her head when she is in hold, the angle is sometimes a little weird. But that's being very nitpicky.

Jay & Aliona's jive made me say "Wow" out loud. Especially those turning kick ball-changes. Phenomenal.  So much content. Craig got out his nine, for heavens sake. In week 3! My only criticism was that I thought that Jay was carrying some tension in his upper body. He needs to make sure he's relaxed throughout his body. But wow. It was brilliant.

So Jay, Kellie and Anita were easily at the top for me. But the bottom two? I think it would have to be Carol and Kirsty and I would send Carol home. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamelia back in the bottom two either. She did little to redeem herself this week.
Here are the videos...

Carol & Pasha



Anthony & Oti



Katie & Anton



Kellie & Kevin



Ainsley & Natalie



Georgia & Giovanni



Helen & Aljaž



Daniel & Kristina



Kirsty & Brendan



Peter & Janette



Jamelia & Tristan



Jeremy & Karen



Anita & Gleb



Jay & Aliona

Get Well Soon, Sir Bruce

Sir Bruce Forsyth is at home resting following a fall at his home earlier this week. He suffered a mild concussion and facial abrasions, and was taken to hospital for tests.

Sir Bruce's agent, Ian Wilson, told the Daily Mirror: "He is a lucky man, really, because he fell and he is alright. He has got ­concussion so you have to be very careful. All the tests which were ­substantial came up fine, but at the same time, at any age when you fall and bash your head it is not good.”

Rest up and get well soon, Sir Bruce.

NTAs: Long List Vote Open

The National Television Awards' long list vote is now open, so it's time to vote for Strictly Come Dancing, which is listed in the Talent category.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are both listed in the TV Presenter category, which sadly means you have to choose between our lovely presenters.

You can also support other Strictly stars from this series.

Kellie Bright is nominated in the Serial Drama Performance category for her portrayal of Linda Carter in EastEnders.

Helen George is nominated in the Drama Performance category for her portrayal of Trixie Franklin in Call The Midwife.

Len's series Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman is nominated in the Daytime category.

Make sure you click here to cast your vote.

Sunday Service: Week 2

Week 2, and someone has to go home, but who?

Jamelia & Tristan kicked things off with the cha cha. Jamelia was fierce, but that was all that was good about it. Her legs were so bent that the dance didn't look very nice, and she didn't close her feet together. It was a bit cowboy-like. Loved the attitude, though.

Daniel & Kristina's Charleston was fun, but not very interesting. Daniel has a good sense of rhythm, but he didn't attack it enough. I agree with Craig that it didn't have enough swivel. It was all just a little flat. And he needed more facial expressions.

Kirsty & Brendan's salsa appeared to be a series of poses. Kirsty makes pretty lines, but the steps in between were awkward. The lifts were very good, though, and Kirsty was fearless in that respect. The dance was better than last week, but I don't think she'll be around for very long.

Jay & Aliona's waltz was lovely. Jay has a lovely, balletic was about him. His turns were stunning, and very technical, he spotted like a pro. He connected very well with Aliona, it was full of romance. He needs to pull back his shoulders just a little more in hold, but otherwise it was gorgeous. I just can't wait to see his progression over the series.

Iwan has lots of showmanship, and all the parts that weren't actually dancing were great. I loved the poses, the breakdancing and the knee slide, but it was quite a way in before I could actually work out that he and Ola were doing a cha cha. The dancing parts were not pretty.

Georgia & Giavanni's waltz was very nice, but I felt a little bit excluded from the party. The performance was too intimate, and I felt like they were dancing for each other and not me. Georgia needs more heel leads, and needs to make sure she keeps her shoulders down. Georgia is very classy, but despite her high standard she has a lot to work on.

If there was a dance that I thought would suit Ainsley, it was the salsa. Sadly, I didn't enjoy the routine as much as I hoped I would. There were couple of errors, and the final lift was uncomfortable. There were a lot of shimmys, but I would have liked more work together. There was not enough connection with Natalie. I wanted more armography.

Carol & Pasha's foxtrot was much better than their cha cha, but she has a long was to go. She seemed to just follow Pasha, and not know what was going on. There was a very noticeable mistake near the beginning. I really want to like her performances, but I don't think she'll go too far.

Kellie has so much potential. Her cha cha with Kevin looked easy, and being an actress she definitely gets the characterisation and stroytelling. However, I would like to see Kellie do more. She can dance, so I want to see her dance. There were too many poses for me.

Anthony & Oti's waltz was fine, but a bit dull. He still has pigeon toes, and he needs to work on his footwork. Like Georgia, he was lacking in heel leads. I didn't like it as much as the jive last week. There was too much tension in his upper body.

Anita & Gleb's Charleston seemed to take a while to get going, but once it did, it was quite good. Anita was fearless, and threw herself into the lifts. It's not going to go down in history as a classic Charleston, but it will easily see her into next week.

There is something so watchable about Jeremy. He's quite charming on the dancefloor. Getting American smooth before the foxtrot, in fact before any other ballroom dance, is really harsh. Jeremy's timing is excellent, and he knows where the dance is going. I think the judges were very hard on him. I really want to see more of him and Karen.

When I heard that Katie & Anton were dancing to Telephone, I was dubious. But a brilliant arrangement! There were times when Katie's head movements were not quite sharp enough, but overall it was great. She certainly had the attitude. I did find Anton's brown polo neck distressing, as it made it look like he wasn't wearing anything under his jacket. Katie is going to do well.

Peter & Janette's quickstep was lovely. Peter was like an excited puppy. He looked a little ahead of the music after the Charleston section, but otherwise it was great. He could have had straighter legs in some of the driving steps. He had very nice footwork. He's still the one to beat.

Helen & Aljaž's cha cha was delicious. She has gorgeous legs, although perhaps the judges are right that her legs are too straight. I loved the storytelling, and the balance of story and steps was great. There was actually a good amount of cha cha content.

My favourite of the weekend was Jay, and I liked Peter and Helen as well. The leaderboard seemed pretty bang on the money, except I would have Jeremy on more points than Carol. My bottom two were Iwan and Carol, and I would send Iwan home. Iwan had way more performance than Carol, which would usually swing it in his favour, but his dancing was so bad that I wouldn't be able to justify keeping him in.

Here are the videos...

Jamelia & Tristan



Daniel & Kristina



Kirsty & Brendan



Jay & Aliona



Iwan & Ola



Georgia & Giovanni



Ainsley & Natalie



Carol & Pasha



Kellie & Kevin



Anthony & Oti



Anita & Gleb



Jeremy & Karen



Katie & Anton



Peter & Janette



Helen & Aljaž

Radio Days...

I found myself being interviewed on BBC Radio Oxford again on Monday morning. I was a little unprepared, but it's always a pleasure to talk about Strictly. I could do it all day! I would if I could make a living out of it.

Listen here from 50 mins.

Mel Giedroyc To Host Strictly Tour

Presenter Mel Giedroyc has been announced as the host of the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2016.

Mel said: "Hosting the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is literally a dream come true. You do not understand how much I love live shows and how much I love Strictly Come Dancing, so having those two elements together and the idea of thousands of people filling those extraordinary arenas is just incredible."

Mel replaces Zoe Ball, who has hosted for the past two years.