Ooh, this intense, and I’m transfixed by AJ’s sparkly merkin. Lovely staccato footwork from AJ and some nice armography too. No idea if that was a good Paso from a technical standpoint, but I really enjoyed it either way.
13:56
Next up it’s AJ and Kai!
This week they’re dancing the Paso Doble to ‘Game of Survival’ by Ruelle. Ooh, this is going to be good, isn’t it? If anyone can give us a powerful Paso, it’s these two. I want PASSION and FIRE and absolutely NO POLITENESS WHATSOEVER.
Loving AJ’s mum, she’s immense.
13:54
You may have noticed that I never bother mentioning the Terms & Conditions. No plans to change that any time soon.
13:51
Shirley thought Tilly did the Quickstep very well, but it looked a bit heavy in places and it was a bit out of sync. Anton thought Tilly’s frame has improved, but her spine needs to be tipped to the left. Craig thought it could have been lighter and the footwork was sloppy, but her personality came into its own. Motsi thought there were improvements but now Tilly needs to focus on the details.
13:48
Goodness, this CGI set is busy. Another ugly outfit for Tilly, and most of the intro to this Quickstep is actually Charleston, which I know is A Thing but I don’t like it. She’s got a nice top line at the start, but her feet are turned in and her footwork looks a bit scrappy in places. Love the enthusiasm, but this feels under-rehearsed to me. Not Tilly’s best week, I don’t think.
Updated
13:46
Up first tonight – Tilly and Nikita!
Tonight they’re dancing the Quickstep to ‘I Won’t Dance’ by Damita Jo. I mean, you probably should, Tilly, now isn’t the time to throw in the towel. Last week’s Paso put Tilly in the dance-off, so she needs to rediscover her mojo with this Quickstep.
13:44
Out come the judges! Loving Motsi in neon yellow.
Out come the stars! Highlights include Dan in a dapper suit, John and Johannes in shirts made from early 90s ethnic-print curtains, and Giovanni in institutional grey pyjamas.
13:42
Tess and Claudia Dress Watch!
Tess in wet-look pleather body armour, Claudia in cutesy red polka-dots and white stilettos. Weird.
Updated
13:41
And we’re off! The pressure continues to grow, and everyone’s upping their game because nobody wants to go home. They’re all pushing each other, which is probably not advisable in a pandemic. Just saying.
13:22
Get ready for tonight’s Strictly Come Bingo!
It’s a Tess and Claud special tonight – take a swig of something sparkly and fabulous for any occurrence of the following:
Black sequins
Assymetric hems
Look at their little faces
They’re on their feet
Early mentions of Musicals Week
13:16
Heidi’s Hunches – an update!
It’s getting tough to separate out the pack now – I think Rose, AJ and John would have to have a seriously duff week to end up in the bottom two, but any of the others could be going home tomorrow. The competition’s getting fierce, but I’ve put Rhys in the bottom two with Dan because he’s never quite lived up to his early potential, and his Charleston could go either way. But I’d probably say the same about Sara’s disco Argentine, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Group 1: one eye on the final – Rose and Giovanni, AJ and Kai, John and Johannes
Group 2: hot on their heel leads – Tilly and Nikita, Tom and Amy, Sara and Aljaz
Group 4: dodging the dance-off – Dan and Nadiya, Rhys and Nancy
13:08
In shameless self-promotion news, if you’re a fan of this (or any other) liveblog, you might be interested in my bit on Radio 4’s Front Row on Thursday, where I talked about ‘the art of the liveblog’. Yes, it’s officially an art form, because Radio 4 says so. I don’t make the rules.
I’m the last ten minutes, although the rest of it is actually really interesting. Also the people at Radio 4 are delightful and made me very welcome despite me being a cultural wasteland and making the place look untidy.
Updated
13:05
Waltz this way for Week 8!
Evening all, and welcome to this week’s Strictly liveblog! We’ve made it to Week 8 (well done everyone), and only eight couples remain – usually at this point we’d be getting ready for Blackpool next week, but the coach trip has been cancelled for the second year. But no matter, because Strictly is doing Musicals next Saturday instead, a week earlier than usual.
Kick off tonight is at 6.40pm, so please gather your family and gird your loins for another rainbow glitter explosion. The wine is chilling, the snacks are ready and the comment box is open – let’s do this thing, shall we?