I can’t tell you how excited I am about the return of Strictly Come Dancing. Honestly, it kind of crept up on me, but now that it’s here, I’ve remembered how very much I love it (apart from Bruce). In last night’s results show, Tess spoke to Claudia Winkleman about BBC Two’s sister show, It Takes Two, and I got excited all over again that, for the next three plus months, I get a little bit of Strictly magic almost every day (and then it’ll be Christmas!).
The results show itself was the usual combination of recaps and waffle, but there was also a performance by Bette Midler, which seemed like it might have been a bit of a coup, but was ruined by a) the “comedy” exchange between Bruce and Bette, which was so painful I had to turn the sound off, and b) the fact that Bette performed the horrendous Wind Beneath My Wings.
Oh and there was a group dance by all sixteen couples, which was a bit all over the place. A few of the women again looked dodgy. Bruno commented that Andrew Castle looked like he was trying to pass a kidney stone (I genuinely thought they were about to announce he was carrying on despite an injury, so pained did he look). Again, only Lisa Snowdon and Rachel Stevens really shone.
And so it was to the dance-off (does anyone else want to call it the “pants-off dance-off”?) and, as I predicted, it was Phil Daniels and Don Warrington in the bottom two.
Both reprised dances were really poor and full of mistakes, but I felt sure that Phil should be the one to go. Despite all the errors, Don does look like he might make a bit of a dancer. Phil? Not so much. (Although it is difficult to compare a waltz and a cha cha cha!).
Anyway, two judges saved Phil and Bruno saved Don, so it was left to Len’s casting vote and he too saved Don and Phil went home on his scooter. To his big house (very big house) in the country. Probably.
Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One, Saturday 27 September, 18.45
It Takes Two, BBC Two, Weeknights, 18.30
