Key events<\/p>\n
Strictly zoo dancing<\/p>\n
We kick off with a movie-themed group routine from the pros. This Zootropolis number is soundtracked by a medley of Shakira\u2019s Try Everything and Zoo.<\/p>\n
Jowita is playing Officer Judy Hopps and Julian is Nick Wilde. Animal fancy-dress all round, like a children\u2019s party with an over-enthusiastic face-painter. Ginger Neil klaxon!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Cue titles!<\/p>\n Still adjusting to the new-look title sequence. Lawrence Robb gives Jowita a piggy back! John Nellis flexes his bicep! Turkey hand from Will Best! Glittery gobble gobble!<\/p>\n Share<\/a>And we\u2019re off!<\/p>\n Roll the traditional movie-themed VT. A Top Gun spoof this time. I feel the need. The need for speed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Salt or sugar your popcorn. Switch your phones to silent. Pop open that \u201csharing\u201d box of Maltesers. We\u2019re about to go live to Elstree Studios\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Craig was in a meaner than usual mood<\/p>\n He\u2019s statistically the harshest judge, of course, and Craig Revel Horwood\u2019s average paddle-raise last Saturday was just 4.6 points \u2013 his lowest week one scoring since 2020.<\/p>\n Something tells me that totals will be higher all round tonight. They usually are in a theme week. It\u2019s just five minutes until the director calls \u201cAction\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Celebrity Inner Circle is just finishing up on BBC1. By the magic of prerecorded TV, contestants include Strictly\u2019s very own Will Best. Hope he\u2019s got his dance shoes on and a taxi waiting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Talk about running time bloat. Tonight\u2019s show clocks in at an epic 155 minutes \u2013 five minutes longer than last Saturday\u2019s opening live show. Assume that extra time will be filled with film-themed fluff. It\u2019s like a choreographic Chrisopher Nolan film.<\/p>\n Not long now until the Pearl & Dean tune\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>On your dance cards tonight<\/p>\n The 15 Movie Week routines include the first Charleston and Couple\u2019s Choice of the series. Too soon? Quite possibly.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also much more ballroom tonight, with nine traditional numbers to please the purists. A mere 15 minutes until spangly showtime\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Eyes down for Movie Week bingo<\/p>\n Tick them off as you spot them! Take a drink for each! End up tearily texting your ex! Here\u2019s your 10-point spotter\u2019s checklist for Movie Week:<\/p>\n Repeated, verging-on-criminal misuse of the word \u201ciconic\u201d<\/p>\n Awkwardly long pause when presenter on balcony hands back to the studio floor<\/p>\n Celebrity unconvincingly claims they\u2019re paying homage to their all-time favourite film. (Ratatouille? Really?)<\/p>\n Emma Willis inhabits Tess Daly by saying \u201cThe crowd are on their feet!\u201d<\/p>\n Anton Du Beke harks back to his own Movie Week routines of yore<\/p>\n Film-themed VT with Craig playing the villain\/Shirley as the fairy godmother<\/p>\n Judges have no literally no clue how to mark Couple\u2019s Choice, so dish out random high scores<\/p>\n Celebrity is damned with faint praise as \u201chaving fun\u201d, \u201ctelling a story\u201d or \u201cembracing the character\u201d<\/p>\n Craig isn\u2019t happy with the ankle swivel during this year\u2019s first Charleston<\/p>\n First theme of the series is flogged to within an inch of its life<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Public get to have their say<\/p>\n There was no viewer vote last time out, so this is the first chance for the Strictly audience to back their favourites \u2013 and the first couple will be cruelly voted off.<\/p>\n Last Saturday\u2019s judgely scores will be carried over, then combined with tonight\u2019s totals and the public vote. The bottom two will be consigned to this year\u2019s first dreaded dance-off and somebody will be sent home with the sparkly-handled wooden spoon.<\/p>\n Any predictions? Shaun Wright-Phillips is the hot bookies\u2019 tip but Dame Sarah Storey, Melanie Walters and Chris Appleton could also be in the danger zone. Stock up on \u201cconcessions\u201d, it\u2019s 25 minutes to screening time\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Does it take three hosts to tango?<\/p>\n Last week saw the live debut of all-new presenting trio Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe \u2013 and safe to say it didn\u2019t go entirely smoothly.<\/p>\n There were some satellite delay-style pauses in the handovers. Jojo could barely be heard above the balcony crowd. Poor \u201cJoshy\u201d got a critical mauling in the press, with claims that he looks like a spare part.<\/p>\n It\u2019s by no means a crisis yet. Give them a chance to settle in. But BBC<\/a> bigwigs will certainly be hoping that things are slicker and snappier tonight.<\/p>\n Buckle up, Barry Norman. Clunk-click, Pauline Kael. It\u2019s less than half an hour until the film cameras start rolling\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Strictly shakes up Movie Week<\/p>\n Lights, camera, ballroom action! Yes, Strictly Come Dancing has surprised us all by shifting Movie Week to the contest\u2019s first full weekend. As if this series hadn\u2019t featured enough changes, they\u2019ve switched up the dancefloor diary too.<\/p>\n Evening all and welcome to the second live show of the series. I\u2019m Michael, your torch-wielding, ice cream-selling usherette for tonight\u2019s show. You are cordially invited to watch along with me as the red carpet is rolled out for the premiere theme week of 2026.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s inaugural live show saw John Nellis foxtrot to the top and a three-way tie down the bottom. Now, for the first time in Strictly history, all 15 pro-celebrity couples will get their Movie Week close-up because the themed special has been brought forward from its traditional week three slot. They\u2019ll be performing routines inspired by Hollywood films in their bid to avoid this year\u2019s first elimination, so expect a feast of fancy dress and novelty props.<\/p>\n On Sunday night, their scores will be combined with last Saturday\u2019s, plus the first public vote of the series, before the credits roll on one couple\u2019s competition. So whose routine will be a box office blockbuster? And which flop will go straight to the Blu-ray bargain bin?<\/p>\n It\u2019s showtime at 6.15pm on BBC<\/a> One. I\u2019ll be liveblogging from 5.45pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and heckles from the back row of the cinema. So stock up on exorbitantly priced pick \u2019n\u2019 mix and I\u2019ll see you on the front row of the cinema.<\/p>\n As ever, I\u2019d 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<\/a> and the comments section below is back open for your Movie Week musings. I\u2019ll foxtrot down where from time to time to gauge your reaction and report it up top, so please do share your thoughts.<\/p>\n Saturday night at the movies, anyone? It\u2019s nearly time to staaaaaart cinematic dancing!<\/p>\n