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Musicals Week for Strictly Come Dancing 2025 is in the bag as the final five danced to memorable tunes from iconic musicals.
Kicking off the show was YouTuber George Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr who danced an Argentine Tango to the song “The Point of No Return” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. The duo impressed the judges, praising its “intensity” and “seriousness”, and awarded them a score of 35.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the musical, gave Clarke a message from “the opera ghost” and said in a video: “I congratulate you on choosing the music of my legend tonight, I trust that your conversion to musicals is now complete, lest a disaster should occur beyond your imagination”.
Next were fan favourites Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, who danced a Samba to “The Rhythm of Life” from Sweet Charity. Despite the former England footballer admitting that this was the dance she struggled with the most the judges still enjoyed the performance and gave them a score of 34.
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(BBC)
The third couple was EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon, who danced a Viennese waltz to ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman. The emotionally charged performance was highly praised by the judges, prompting Sopal to break down in tears as she was consoled by judge Motsi Mabuse. This resulted in Sopal’s highest score of the season so far with 35.
The penultimate couple, Amber and Nikita, ultimately topped the leaderboard after scoring a perfect 40 for their Charleston to “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls. “There’s nothing left to say. This was so brilliant. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this,” said Anton Du Beke.
Lastly was early favourite Lews Cope and his partner Katya Jones. They danced a lively and punchy Salsa to The Dance at the Gym” from the iconic West Side Story. Although the judges agreed that it wasn’t Cope’s best dance of the series, it was still “fantastic” and pushed his limits physically and awarded the couple a score of 35.
Here is the leaderboard from Musicals Weeks in full:
Amber and Nikita: 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40
George and Alexis: 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35
Balvinder and Julian: 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35
Lewis and Katya: 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35
Karen and Carlos: 8 + 8 + 9 + 9 = 34
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Strictly’s Musicals Week leaderboard (BBC)
The next eliminations will be confirmed on Sunday’s elimination show.