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Remember, remember, it’s 8th November bingo
Tick them off when you spot them! Take a drink for each! Wind up handcuffed to a confused policeman in Amsterdam! Here’s tonight’s 10-point spotter’s checklist:
The judges have no idea how to mark a Couple’s Choice so make it up as they go along
Craig Revel Horwood insists that a Charleston isn’t quirky or swivelly enough
Struggling celebrity plays the cute kid/nanna card in their VT
Shirley Ballas mentions footwork details and “fundamentals”
Lewis Cope unconvincingly denies that scoring a perfect 40 last week raised pressure or expectations
Anton du Beke coos over a classic ballroom number and says it’s the sort of routine he would’ve loved to dance
Vicky Pattison’s post-dance interview involves mention of her nerves/an animal reference
Motsi Mabuse pretty much tells Craig to shut up and stop nitpicking
The newly eliminated Vito Coppola becomes chief cheerleader on the balcony
Dave Arch’s band do well with a classic tune but make a right mess of a contemporary pop banger
ShareGet well soon, Amy
News this week that beloved Strictly pro Amy Dowden will sit out the rest of the series after undergoing a second mastectomy. The 35-year-old from Caerphilly was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast during her honeymoon.
She has reassured fans that the latest operation wasn’t related to a new diagnosis and that she’s “looking forward to rejoining the Strictly family” when her health has improved. We wish her well with her recovery.
It’s 20 minutes until that ba-ba-da theme tune…
ShareA Nitro vs Suki dance-off?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Balvinder Sopal and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey are the bookies’ tips for the bottom two this week, followed – slightly more surprisingly – by Amber Davies.
Can this endangered trio defy the odds? It’s 25 minutes until we get our first choreographic clues…
ShareWhose half-term report will say “see me”?
Someone won’t make it past the midway mark. Good evening and welcome to the seventh live weekend of Strictly Come Dancing 2025. I’m Michael, your virtual dance partner for tonight’s mercifully non-themed live show. You are warmly invited to watch along with me as our nine remaining couples reach the halfway point of the contest.
Last week’s Halloween Spooktacular saw some spookily high scoring. Lewis Cope got the first perfect 40 of the series for his stunning Couple’s Choice and Karen Carney also scored two 10s for her Peaky Blinders-themed Argentine tango. Down the bottom Balvinder Sopal was consigned to her third dance-off but Ellie Goldstein was sadly eliminated.
Tonight the nine surviving pro-celebrity pairings take to the floor again, bidding to get past the midway point and enter Strictly’s home stretch. Yes, it’s all downhill from here until Christmas.
It’s showtime at 6.25pm on BBC One. I’ll be liveblogging from 5.55pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and ooh-aah verbal fireworks. So light a sparkler on the hob, get your teeth stuck in a toffee apple and I’ll see you on the sofa.
As ever, I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, contact me on Bluesky or Threads @michaelhogan100, email me michael.hogan.freelance@guardian.co.uk and the comments section below is open for choreographic conversation. I’ll samba-bounce down there whenever I can to see what you’re all saying and quote your sage words up top. So please don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts.
It’s week seven and we’re going to hoofing heaven. Nearly time to staaaart halfway dancing!