Sunday Service: Week 10

Week 10? Where is the time going?

After the big production of Blackpool, it feels quite cozy to be back in the studio.

The show started with a performance from Bruno Tonioli, which I can only assume is filler because we are one couple short. Rumour has it it's Criag's turn next week.

The first couple on the floor were Saffron & AJ with a samba. Samba is the AJ killer, eliminating him from the last two semi-finals. Choreographically, I liked their samba. It was very traditional, the kind of routine we would have seen in the early days of Strictly. Unfortunately, it wasn't that well executed by Saffron. Her timing was out in a few places, as if she didn't really understand the rhythm. It was fine, but this late in the competition, with so few couples left, it send you home.

I desperately wanted to see a different side to Karim in his contemporary routine. I wanted some light and shade, some emotion, something more adult. I felt that the routine was on the way to that, but didn't nail it. It was a showcase of his technical ability, no question. But parts of it were so frantic is was overwhelming. Perhaps Craig was right about the lack of emotion. Did Karim really connect with Amy? It just so happens that I watched last year's final yesterday, and seeing Ashley & Pahsa's contemporary showdance just highlighted how good the style can be. I think that may have clouded my judgement of Karim's routine.

Alex & Neil had the first Argentine tango of the series, and I wanted it to be brilliant, but it was totally spoilt by her upturned toes. If she had pointed her toes, the performance would have been a whole lot more beautiful. The first lift was really laboured and the ending was awkward. I did feel that there was chemistry, which was good. The performance just needed to be slicker.

Kelvin & Oti's Northern Soul themed street commercial routine was very sweet. I'm definitely going to dance around the kitchen next time I'm waiting for the kettle to boil! Kelvin looked relaxed and was in the groove of the routine. It wasn't flashy, it was just fun and easy-going. A nice step-change from the intensity of contemporary and Argentine tango. I'm just sad it didn't have any of those famous Northern Soul spins and drops. That really would have been the icing on the cake.

Emma & Anton's quickstep was very much like their American smooth, but without the added interest of the additional dancers. It seemed to have some issues too. I wasn't sure if the hesitations were choreographed, or came after errors where they had to wait to catch back up. There was gapping again, an issue which seems to have plagued all of their dances and something which is rare for Anton. I'm afraid, that I didn't like it.

After a night of somewhat underwhelming routines, I found myself really enjoying Chris & Karen's paso because it had some passion and spark. Chris actually looked as though he was leading Karen. Admittedly, some of the shaping wasn't quite right, and it was stompy in places, but after a night of mediocrity, Chris shone. He's probably done enough to avoid the dance-off.

My favourites last night were Chris and Kelvin. I voted for Alex as well, because I really like her and her routine, even if it didn't quite hit the mark.

Emma was easily the least entertaining, and Saffron was probably the weakest technically. So they would be my bottom two, although I am not sure who I would send home between them, But with so few couples left, anyone could be in the dance-off.

Book Review: Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2020

It's Strictly Come Dancing Annual time again!

Of course, the main objective of the annual is to provide profiles of the celebrities and dancers participating in the show each year. This year there are also interviews with Strictly newbies Motsi, Rylan and Nancy. But the most interesting part for me is the behind-the-scenes articles.

This year, there is an interview with warm-up man Stuart Holdham. You will have seen Stuart if you have been to see the show, or went to the first couple of arena tours. He explains how he has to be entertaining, as well as giving out health & safety information. And he talks about his now legendary array of sparkly and shiny suits, which are the envy of Craig Revel Horwood himself.

There is an interview with new executive producer Sarah James, who has been with the show for five years. The interview gives the sense that while the show has to continue evolving, she is not out to reinvent it.

There is an article introducing the whole Strictly band and singers. Most people know Dave Arch, the singers and Trevor 'The Hat' (who runs the band's Twitter account), but now you get to meet everyone else. Dave also explains that some spots change if they need particular instruments for certain songs.

There's an article on this year's The Professionals tour, which returns again in 2020, a look at lighting and more information about the couple's choice dances. And there are a few quizzes to get you thinking on Christmas Day while you're waiting for the Christmas Special to start!

As always, you could do a lot worse than buying this book as a Christmas present for the Strictly fan in your life.

The Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2020 is available now.


Disclosure: Thank you to the nice folks at Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of the annual for me to review.

Book Review: Moonlight Over Mayfair

Moonlight Over Mayfair is Anton du Beke's follow-up novel to 2018's One Enchanted Evening.

The book picks up pretty much where the previous one left off. It's the late 1930s, and a new war is looking imminent. The threat of war is making things tough for the Buckingham Hotel, which is increasingly struggling to make ends meet, and is looking for investment to keep it going.

Like the first book, all of the principle characters have secrets to keep from each other. As the reader, we are privy to most of the secrets, and watch the characters agonise over what to tell and what to keep secret.

The bulk of the story surrounds principle dancer Raymond de Guise. Successful recent meetings in California have opened up the possibility of a career in Hollywood. Raymond dreams of starting a new life in the US with chambermaid girlfriend Nancy Nettleton, but what does she want?

The disappointing thing about this book is that there are few surprises for the reader. You can pretty much see where things are going all the way through the book. A more experienced novelist would add a few more twists and turns, but Anton pretty much leads you through the plotlines so you cannot fail to see what's coming next. It's a reasonable enough story, the characters are engaging enough, and I did care enough about them to read on. I just felt that as though I wanted to be moved a bit more emotionally.

Moonlight Over Mayfair is available now.

Disclosure: Thank you to the nice folks at Bonnier Zaffre publishing who kindly sent me a copy of the book to review.

Sunday Service: Week 9

Blackpool! Blackpool! BLACKPOOL!

It's rammed down our throats so hard that I'm always fearful of an anti-climax. Will it meet expectations? This year, though, it actually looked as though Blackpool was going to be a show to remember.

Chris & Karen kicked things off with their salsa. I love Chris' energy and enthusiasm. I enjoy watching his routines. But this routine lacked content. It was clearly put together to be a spectacle rather than worry about the dance they were performing. We were almost at the chorus before they really did any salsa steps at all. There was about as much content as Abbey & Aljaž's infamous 'disco salsa'. Chris' dance was more 'funk salsa'. Chris seemed to spend a lot of the dance holding the female dancers up, and little time moving his feet. It was fun and entertaining, but there wasn't enough dance content for me. Chris is so endearing, he kind of gets away with it.

Like Michelle last week, Emma had the advantage that she had already done a foxtrot, which makes the American smooth a bit easier. The routine was OK, and Emma seemed to light up when she got to dance with the additional dancers. As you would if you'd been with Anton since August! It was clean and well danced, but I wasn't wowed. It had a about 10 minutes of pivots at the end, which Anton always seems to put in. I felt like it was overmarked. I don't think it was a 10 routine. 

I loved Alex & Neil's paso. Choreographically, it was excellent. It had some actual paso content, but it had lovely nods to Beyoncé as well. Alex was able to shine with her squad of additional dancers, whom she was in sync with. Neil was there just to present her and show her off. It was amazing. My only criticism was that Alex failed to close her feet together on some of the poses, which made it look a bit ungainly. But it was everything a Blackpool dance should be - spectacular and entertaining.

I was concerned that Kelvin might be a bit heavy footed for the jive, but he did a really good job. I loved the press-up-ography! There was lots of jive content, and he kept the energy level up from start to finish. He mirrored Oti well. He was a little pigeon toed, sadly, and his knees were a bit too bent on the pivots. But a brilliant routine.

I think the quickstep was probably Saffron & AJ's best dance of the series. Loads of quickstep content, with a sensible amount of the routine in hold. It was cheeky and fun. I wanted to go to their Marvelous Party! Saffron really performed from head to toe in this one. I think she is finally hitting her stride, and it couldn't come at a better time in the competition.

Oh, Michelle. I love Michelle. I love that she is shining a light on the LGBTQ+ community on prime time BBC One. I love how down-to-earth and real she is. I had such high hopes for her street/commerical routine to Vogue (although I am slightly baffled as to why they didn't call it theatre/jazz, since it was so theatrical). I wanted to love it. I really did. But it was little more than walking and a few vogue arms. I wanted more. I wanted something to rival Johannes in the Fame routine. Why did she spend so long sitting on a piano? I actually enjoyed watching Giovanni more than Michelle. It was fine. It just didn't blow me away.

Karim & Amy's Charleston was fast, energetic and fun. I could have lived without the entrance from the ceiling, as it just seemed to take up music and didn't really serve any purpose (other than the producers' desire to have someone 'fly' because it's Blackpool). Karim suits the zoot-suited character dance, and he gave it everything. 

I feel I have to comment on the additional dancers this year. For once, I felt as though they complimented the couples, rather than drawing focus. Both Emma and Alex's routines really benefited from having them there, and I think they were a good addition to all of the routines.

My favourites this week were Alex, Saffron and Kelvin. 

Michelle was good, but I was expecting so much that I ended up not enjoying her routine. I wasn't that taken with Emma this week, and Chris' routine lacked content. I think Michelle's army of fans might save her this week, having seen her in last week's dance off. If it comes down to Emma and Chris, I would expect Chris to be packing his bags. But it's all so close, who knows?

Panto Round-Up 2019

It's becoming a tradition of its very own. Here is a list of where you can see Strictly stars past and present in pantomime this Christmas.

Shirley Ballas (judge), Jack & The Beanstalk - Darlington Hippodrome, Darlington

Craig Revel Horwood (judge), Snow White - Opera House, Manchester

Katya Jones (pro), The Wizard of Oz - New Theatre, Peterborough

AJ Pritchard (pro), Peter Pan - Grove Theatre, Dunstable

Joanne Clifton (ex-pro), Cinderella - Lyceum Theatre, Sheffiled

Brendan Cole (ex-pro), Aladdin - New Victoria Theatre, Woking

James Jordan (ex-pro), Jack & The Beanstalk - Harlequin Theatre, Redhill

Ola Jordan (ex-pro), Jack & The Beanstalk - Harlequin Theatre, Redhill

Ian Waite (ex-pro), Cinderella - The Pavilion, Worthing

Robin Windsor (ex-pro), Aladdin - Theatre Royal, St Helens

Lesley Garrett (Series 1), Cinderella - New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon

Claire Sweeney (Series 1), Snow White - Floral Pavillion, New Brighton

Julian Clary (Series 2), Golidlocks & The Three Bears - Palladium, London

Mica Paris (Series 4), Beauty & The Beast - Broadway Theatre, Catford

Brian Capron (Series 5), Aladdin - Gracie Fields Theatre, Rochdale

Matt Baker (Series 8), Golidlocks & The Three Bears - Palladium, London

Anita Dobson (Series 9), Cinderella - Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Simon Webbe (Series 12), Aladdin - Hull New Theatre, Hull

Lesley Joseph (Series 14), Snow White - Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham

Ore Oduba (Series 14), Cinderella - Fairfield Halls, Croydon

Brian Conley (Series 15), Cinderella - Theatre Royal, Plymouth

Debbie McGee (Series 15), Sleeping Beauty - Beck Theatre, Hayes

Ranj Singh (Series 16), Mother Goose - Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Faye Tozer (Series 16), Snow White - Alhambra, Bradford

Charlie Brooks (Christmas 2011), Dick Whittongton - Hawth Theatre, Crawley

Su Pollard (Christmas 2011), Dick Whittington - Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

Bobby Ball (Christmas 2012), Peter Pan - Lyceum Theatre, Crewe

Sunday Service: Week 8

Are they going to Blackpool next week? I don't think anyone mentioned it...

It was lovely to have Alex back with Neil this week. Their jive was fast and free. There was lots of choreography, and Alex nailed all of it. I loved the leaning end position. The only thing which let it down was her feet. She really needed to point her toes. Her leg lines could have looked so much more attractive. I'm surprised that after a week of working with two pros that her toes were still not pointed. She could have had more retraction in the legs as well. But I am really enjoying this new Alex who is dancing for herself. It makes for a better performance all round.

It was clear that Mike had trained hard for the paso this week, but I think it was a dance too far. There was a bit of the Ola Jordan choreography school going on (keep your partner still while you dance in circles around him). He was in control, and there were no errors, but he just isn't up to the standard of the others. The final position was another 'wow' moment from Katya, though. She's always so inventive, and I love seeing what she is going to do. I'm glad she has been a part of the competition again this year.

I didn't really enjoy the 'get the Amy to Blackpool' narrative in Karim's VT this week. Blackpool means a lot to any pro who has competed there, so I am not sure why Amy was singled out. Maybe because Kevin is already out? Karim & Amy's Viennese waltz was too much out of hold for my taste. I miss the days of keeping it pure, it gets too much like American smooth otherwise. I didn't spot the mistakes that the judges referred to. Karim did a couple of lovely double pirouettes, but that's not a VW step. I love Karim, but I didn't love this routine.

I felt that Chris & Karen's tango was a bit 'small' Chris should have taken much longer steps, which would have given the routine more attack and movement. The pivots really highlighted the lack of stride. He also didn't emphasise the heel leads enough, which made his steps look flat. It was odd. I liked his characterisation, though. He got into the mood of the dance.

I can't help thinking that Michelle & Giovanni were given a bit of an easy ride this week. Having done the foxtrot a couple of weeks ago, they were now doing American smooth. The fact that she was already comfortable with the technique showed. It was a great routine. I really loved the choreography. Giovanni used the accents in the music so well. The run into the standing spin was divine. I would have liked to have seen a more daring lift. The storytelling was brilliant. Michelle is a fantastic actor and played the part of the sexy housewife to a tee.

Oh, Emma & Anton. What a disappointment. The chroeography they were given was really boring. I was hoping for something like Faye & Giovanni's theatre jazz routine, but it didn't come close. I feel really bad for Emma. She's had some pretty poor choreography from Anton, and in a week where she gets external choreographers, she still gets a turkey. Fair play to Emma, though. She performed what she was given well. A couple of small moments were not quite as slick as they could have been. I really feel like Emma was let down by everyone but herself this week.

Saffron & AJ's waltz was her best dance by a country mile. It was romantic. Her footwork was good. She didn't look unbalanced at all. Her lines were lovely (OK, her attitude leg wasn't perfect, but she's not a ballet dancer any more than she is a ballroom dancer). And the storytelling was there. I believed that this was a romance. And on top of all of that, her dress and hair were beautiful. She looked like a princess. Great job.

Kelvin & Oti's salsa (which I watched three times thanks to a drunken friend who kept claiming she hadn't seen it even though we had sat together and watched it!) was everything you expected it to be. Great hips, great timing and crazy lifts. Bruno even managed to rein in the perv-factor a bit this week.

My favourites were Saffron and Michelle this week.

It surely has to be the end of the road for Mike this week. Unless someone literally falls down in the dance-off, I can't see him putting anyone else out. I think Emma is the most likely to be in the dance-off with him. People seem to love Chris, and Emma was royally stitched up with a dull routine.

Strictly Christmas Special Line-Up

The participants for the Christmas Special were announced this week.

Mark Wright - Series 12 finalist
Gemma Atkinson - Series 15 finalist
Joe Sugg - Series 16 finalist
Chizzy Akudolu - First eliminated in Series 15
Debbie McGee - Series 15 finalist
Richard Arnold - Sixth eliminated in Series 10

It will be interesting to see who is partnered with whom.

Karen is still in the competition, so Mark is unlikely to be paired with her again this time around. Likewise, for Debbie as Giovanni is still in. Richard and Chizzy's partners are no longer part of the show (Erin and Pasha respectively). So only Gemma and Joe could conceivably be paired with the their original partners. I think the internet will explode if Joe isn't paired with Dianne!

Saturday Service: Week 7

First off, I am gutted that Will had to leave the competition. He brought energy and positivity to the dancefloor and beyond. It is clear that everyone loved him and it's such a shame his time was cut short. I wish him well for his recovery, and hope he is still able to smash it in Tokyo next year.

On to the competition, and overall I thought it was a good night.

Karim & Amy got things off to a brilliant start with their quickstep. Beautiful lines, lots of energy which was sustained throughout. Clean footwork. Karim looked like he was leading Amy. No faffing about either, all killer no filler. They're finally treating Karim like an adult, and it's refreshing.

I really enjoyed Michelle & Giovanni's paso, possibly even more than their foxtrot last week. It had power and performance. I liked the slightly alternative take on the dance. I was concerned about the music choice, but they made it work. Fierce and fearless. Lovely shapes.

Emma & Aljaž's samba was very sweet, but Emma continues to lack something. An earthiness, perhaps. It was just all a bit uncontrolled and lacking tone - jelly-like as Bruno said. She needs more control and more attack. Emma is always too elegant. She needs to get more into the floor.

A slightly off week for Kelvin & Oti in my opinion. The Viennese waltz set out with a story in the intro, and we really didn't see that story again until the out. It lacked emotion in the middle. I didn't like the fleckerl, it was too up and down. Lovely frame, nice drive. It just lacked emotion for me.

Saffron continues to frustrate me. She still seems to lack core strength. Or maybe it's just that her shoes are too high. It's as if she could topple over at any moment. She never closes her feet together, which makes everything look untidy. I know the salsa is a more free dance, but it wasn't slick enough for me. AJ needs to work on the finishing. It needs more polishing.

Alex & Kevin's American smooth was cute. I was concerned that Alex would struggle to return to a traditional dance after two weeks of more freestyle routines, but thankfully now Alex is out of her shell she's not going back in. It was warm and engaging. The routine made me smile. Alex's footwork was nice. Maybe having two pros coaching her all week was helpful.

I'm not sure the judges were watching the same dance of me, based on their comments for Chris & Karen's street commercial routine. It just seemed like a lot of walking and pointing. I liked the nods in the choreography to PJ & Duncan's original routine. But it just didn't move me. I really like Chris, and I want him to be great. This routine wasn't as strong as the judges' scores for me.

Emma & Anton's rumba. Oh dear. It was quite difficult to get past the Carol Vorderman-esque hair for starters. I'm really starting to feel for Emma. With another partner she could probably be getting better scores. God bless her for throwing herself at Anton in the vain hope that it would pass for chemistry. I'm starting to wonder if Anton is even enjoying Strictly anymore. Emma made some really lovely shapes, and her basic steps were really nice. It was just a little... off...

Mike & Katya had a gift getting the Charleson this week. It's always a crowd pleaser, and I think Mike did a good job. There were a couple of errors, and he seemed to struggle with the swivels.  He gave good face, and brought the performance.  Surely Mike is going to run out of these character number soon.

Best of the night was easily Michelle for me this week. I also loved Karim and Alex.

The bottom two is always difficult to predict. For me, the Emmas and Saffron were the weakest for me, which reflects the leaderboard. I think it could easily be the two Emmas in the dance-off tomorrow. If that's the case, it could be the end of the road for Emma Barton. I can't see that routine making it out of the dance-off, no matter who the competition is.