Sunday Service: Week 5

 After the highs of last Saturday night, I wondered if the BBC 100 episode of Strictly could even come close to being as good. Surprisingly, it held up well.

Helen & Gorka kicked things off with their hornpipe-inspired Charleston to the Blue Peter theme. It was energetic and fun. The side-by-side parts were really synchronised and Helen confidently danced several parts on her own. I loved the use of props as well. It was a brilliant, bright, bubbly start to the show.

I really enjoyed Tyler & Dianne's Doctor Who tango. Tyler was intense. He had drive and movement. His posture wasn't quite right. His left arm was slightly too far forward. But I loved the drama. His timing was very good. A really good job.

Fleur & Vito did a jive to Eurovision favourite Waterloo. I really loved the routine, it was packed with jive content. I love how Fleur has grown as a dancer. She's much softer and more musical than she was before. She needs to watch her shoulders, she was raising them up quite a bit last night. And she could have been higher up on the balls of her feet.

Amy & James' foxtrot to the EastEnders theme was very sweet and romantic. James had clearly worked hard on his footwork and I thought he led Amy pretty well. There was a bit too much choreography out of hold for my taste, it felt more like an American smooth. But James performed it really well. I loved the storytelling. James continues to get better.

I loved Ellie & Nikita's paso to Montagues & Capulets (the theme tune to The Apprentice). It's a fantastic piece of music, and they did it justice. The choreography was fantastic. It had drama and intensity. Yes, it did have an illegal lift, but I don't really care. Ellie started off the routine with her chin down, as many celebrities do in the paso, but she raised it pretty quickly and I don't think she did it again.

The trouble with Couples' Choice, is that the judges don't know how to mark it because they don't know what they are looking at or for. I thought Mollie & Carlos' routine to the Grange Hill theme was decent enough. It was clean and relaxed. It was fun. There really isn't too much to say outside of the choreography, which the couple have no control over.

I liked Hamza & Jovita's Planet Earth-inspired quickstep. It was light and bright. They covered the floor well and his footwork was good. Craig is right about his pigeon toes, and I think he could have pulled his shoulders back a little. But it was very cute and I love watching them. I really hate when they dress the couples in the same dark colour as it makes it difficult to see where one person ends and the other begins.

I loved Ellie & Johannes' tango to the Casualty theme. The comedy at the top of the routine was brilliant, but there was nothing comical about the routine. They had attack and drama. Perhaps it could have been slightly more dynamic and staccato, but I absolutely loved it. Like James, Ellie continues to get better.

I wanted more from Jayde & Karen's Charleston to Victoria Wood's The Ballad of Barry & Freda. Jayde spent too much time standing still while Karen danced around her. I want more energy and more quality from Jayde. As Motsi said, she has all the performance but needs to work harder on the dancing. I think Jayde has been coasting on performance for too many weeks now.

It was great to see Will back on form again. I loved his and Nancy's dramatic Viennese waltz to the Line of Duty theme. It had lots of drive and intent. Will has such star quality on the dancefloor. The fleckerl was really well executed. I loved it.

I wasn't a fan of Tony & Katya's cha cha to the Grandstand theme. It was really chaotic and really didn't flow very well. The expression on Tony's face was painful to look at. Tony had made real progress in the last few weeks, and it seemed to totally fall apart this week. I know everyone likes Tony, but I really didn't find him entertaining this week.

Kym & Graziano closed the show with their Come Dancing quickstep to Ballroom Blitz. It was just OK for me. It was a little flat. It didn't seem to have enough movement. It was fine, but it was a bit of a whimper of a finish to a big programme.

My favourites this week were Ellie T, Ellie S and Fleur. Will, Tyler and Helen were also great.

Tony was definitely bottom for me. I'd probably put Jayde or Kym with him, but really has has to be Tony who goes home for me. I think he's reached the end of the road.