Key events
Angela Rippon in another dance-off
This year’s oldest contestant is consigned to the dance-off for the second week running. La Rippon was joint third from bottom on last night’s scoreboard, so slipped down a notch after the public vote. But who will she face? Krishnan? Annabel? Even Bobby?
Ellie Leach is Blackpool-bound
So are Angela Scanlon and Layton Williams.
Dreaded red lightbulb of doom
Scarlet spotlight incoming. Time to find out who’s booked their bargain seat on the Blackpool Megabus and who might be left at home with a serious case of fish-and-chip FOMO.
Always nice to hear Anton pronouncing “sarr-mba”.
Last night’s live show recapped
A whizz through Saturday’s action on-screen now. Bobby Brazier’s stairs-and-suitcase-ography! Angela Rippon’s imperious paso! Annabel Croft and Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s disco sambas! Angela Scanlon and Nigel Harman’s return to form! Ellie Leach’s romantic rumba! Layton Williams’ show-stopping Argentine tango to Eurovision-winning Loreen!
Douze points! Where’s Mel Giedroyc’s gurning, Polish butter-churning milkmaid when we need her?
Frockwatch
Here’s our hostly duo, so a quick frockular comparison. Tess Daly is in a mesh black bodice. Claudia Winkleman is in a black shoulder-padded jacket. Both have prominient poppies. Claud wins.
Back home, she receives a telegram – but is it good or bad news? Kai and Lauren are former dance partners, of course, so have great chemistry.
These VTs were shot back in August, then cleverly interwoven with the studio segment. Beautifully done. Bravo.
Remembrance routine pays respects
We open with a Remembrance Sunday routine from the pros, honouring service people past and present. It’s a tribute to the naval side of our military, with the story mixed between three locations, intercut with studio segments, soundtracked by a stripped-down version of Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle
Homegrown pros Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley take the lead, playing a couple who meet in the park and fall in love before he goes off to war as a naval officer. Choreographed by the ever-excellent Matt Flint, it’s simple, lyrical and contemporary in style, full of emotion.
We’re off!
Cue clap-along credits. Seven of these couples have already bitten the sparkly dust. Who’ll become the eighth in, ooh, approximately 35 minutes?
Prepare for more mentions of Blackpool than a guided open-top bus tour of Lancashire’s premier seaside resort.
We’re about to go back to the Elstree Studios ballroom…
Nature series Planet Earth III drawing to a close on BBC1 right now. Did those Sri Lankan crocodiles leaping out of waterholes to devour deer remind you of Craig Revel Horwood pouncing on a “spatulistic” hand? Or Shirley Ballas on a turned-in toe?
Mere minutes until we go from Attenborough to Anton…
Layton was one point from perfection
Last night saw the joint highest score of the series so far – 39 points for Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin’s passionate Argentine tango. Fast, furious and full of intricate footwork, it was only a Craig Revel Horwood point away from a maximum 40.
I suspect the big tease is saving his 10 paddle for Blackpool. It matched Layton’s own salsa and Ellie Leach’s American smooth as this year’s highest scoring dances.
Ten minutes until that ba-ba-da theme tune rings out again…
