Christmas Special 2013 Strictly Come Dancing

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Oh, the weather outside is frightful

# But the fire is so delightful

# And since we've no place to go

# Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

# Man, it doesn't show signs of stopping

#And I've bought some corn for popping

# The lights are turned way down low

# Let it snow! Let it snow! #

MUSIC: Jazz version of "Let It Snow"

MUSIC ENDS APPLAUSE

Welcome to our winter wonderland.

This is Strictly Come Dancing, the Christmas Special.

MUSIC: "Strictly Come Dancing" Theme

Please welcome your hosts, Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Got her! You're not going to get away. You're not going to get away.

-I'm not!

-What a lovely welcome. Thank you so much.

Good evening, ladies, gentlemen and children,

welcome to a very special Christmas Strictly Come Dancing.

-It's nice to see you, to see you... ALL:

-Nice!

-Yes.

-Lovely.

-And it's nice to see you, Brucie.

And I hope all of you at home are having a wonderful Christmas Day.

-What an amazing routine.

-Wasn't it good?

-All filmed in Lapland.

-Lapland?

-And that's Lapland in UK of course.

-Mm-hmm.

Oh, I forgot to tell you before, but thank you for the lovely presents.

You know, it's lovely to get such a personal gift.

What's personal about a long pair of socks?

QUIET LAUGHTER

These are not long socks.

I'm going to use them as chin warmers.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

-It could work.

-And if it's really cold, I'll put two on.

-Think of the warmth. Here we go!

-Well, we've got a sack-load of fun for you at home tonight,

-haven't we, Bruce?

-I think so.

Six brand-new celebrities will be dancing with our professionals,

-including a couple of faces from Strictlys past.

-That's right.

And it wouldn't be a festive show without a Christmas sing-along.

So we've got a very special performance

from a young man with the voice of an angel.

Thank you, Tess.

LAUGHTER

-Please! And, for my first Christmas song...

-No!

-What?

-Not you, Bruce.

-What?

-Choirboy Jack Topping is here.

-Oh!

APPLAUSE

-I hope I didn't seem pushy.

-Of course not!

-Good.

It's going to be the perfect Christmas treat tonight, Bruce, I can feel it.

It certainly is. Now, let's open our presents because it's time to meet...

Catch it? Right? LAUGHTER

..the stars of our show.

APPLAUSE

West End legend Elaine Paige and her partner Pasha Kovalev.

EastEnders star Ricky Norwood and his partner Janette Manrara.

DJ Sara Cox and her partner Robin Windsor.

Comedian and actor Rufus Hound and his partner Flavia Cacace.

From The Saturdays, Rochelle Humes and her partner Ian Waite.

And finally musician Matt Goss and his partner Aliona Vilani.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

There they are!

-Gorgeous!

-Yes, there they all are.

There they all are. And, before we start,

I'd just like to say you're so much better than last year.

LAUGHTER

But I do say that every year, so don't get too carried away.

A very Merry Christmas to all of you for being here

and helping us out at Christmas.

-Doesn't it come round quickly, Christmas?

-It sure does.

It seems like only yesterday I was wrapping up presents

and putting them under the tree.

Hang on a minute, it was yesterday. LAUGHTER

We're expecting lots of festive frolics on the dance floor this evening.

The vote lines are taking a well-deserved Christmas break, so they won't be open tonight,

and instead our studio audience will choose their favourite.

Their votes will be combined with the judges' scores

to decide who will be our Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champion.

Shall we get on with the show, Bruce?

-I'm glad you got that bit.

-Me too.

-It was too long for me!

Right, our first couple tonight is EastEnders' Ricky Norwood...

APPLAUSE

-There he is!

-..and his lovely partner Janette Manrara.

-Janette, lovely.

-Pretty in pink.

Now, at the start of their routine, Ricky will be skiing.

So I asked him, when people go skiing,

how do they get up the mountain?

He said, "Oh, well, you sit on this seat and it takes you right to the top."

I said, "I've got one of those at home."

LAUGHTER That's not funny!

That's not funny. You'll see, you'll see.

I play golf and everything, but that's just a little help.

Anyway, this is what's been happening to them.

APPLAUSE

# Christmas! #

Award-winning soap and theatre actor Ricky Norwood

is best known for his role as Fatboy in EastEnders.

Oh, you've got to love Fats as a character. 'Aren't you clever?'

I've been lucky enough to win a few bits while I've been on EastEnders.

The National Television Award for Best Newcomer.

I got that within my first year.

And what would top it off for me would be if I got my hands on

that Christmas Strictly Glitterball.

Mmh!

I was so happy to hear I was partnered with Janette.

Oh, yeah! Ha ha!

Yeah, no, no, I'm a happy guy and she's a great teacher and, yeah,

I've been enjoying every single moment.

I have had a little bit of dance experience.

I used to do street a long time ago, but this is totally different.

I mean, the technique is totally different.

You've got to break every single rule within street to do ballroom,

you know, to do this quickstep. It's totally crazy.

Hip-hop and ballroom are polar and complete opposites.

The hardest thing for me to get to grips with is the posture thing.

That's it. Do you feel that?

Posture is hard for anyone, especially a hip-hop dancer

or someone like Ricky

who comes from more of a street background, you know?

-One, two, three.

-Janette tied a bar across my back...

-Keep it up.

-..To help with my posture.

-You just have to not move.

That really did kind of help know where everything should be.

-Yes, yes!

-We tried to do some lifts today

and they actually went pretty well except for one time

that he just slammed my face into his hand really quick

and I was literally hanging off of them like that!

-But he did well. He got me up there, so I was really happy.

-High-five!

I'm here and I get to meet Brucie.

I get to dance with a beautiful partner in Janette

and say Merry Christmas to everybody on Christmas Day.

APPLAUSE

Dancing the quickstep, Ricky Norwood and Janette Manrara.

MUSIC STARTS

MUSIC STOPS HE SCREAMS

MUSIC RESUMES

I'm so sorry!

MUSIC: "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!

SHE SHOUTS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good job!

-Very good. Come on!

-Yes!

-What about that?

-Was she supposed to knock his head off?

-Yes, sir!

-You were? Oh, good.

Because they asked me to do that.

Anyway, let's welcome our judges.

APPLAUSE

Now, I've got you all a present, OK?

Craig, I got your bottle of Chardonnay

because you're only happy when you're "wine-ing".

LAUGHTER

Darcey, I got you some soft-centred chocolates

because you're so sugary sweet.

-AUDIENCE:

-Ooh!

Len, I got you some satsumas because at times you can be a bit fruity.

You know you are. You do overstep the mark now and again.

And Bruno I got you some almonds and Brazils

because everybody thinks you're nuts.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

OK, Len, start us off.

Well, before we start, I've got to just explain the rules.

And the good news is there are no rules.

CHEERING

It's a free for all. Yes, anything goes.

If you want to lifts, swirls, whatever,

-it's totally up to each couple.

-Aw, that's nice to know.

-So that's good.

Because you did do a few lifts. And I must say the lifts were good.

APPLAUSE

I thought that quickstep was lovely.

It was a bit like a glass of champagne.

It was sparkly and bubbly.

A bit like me over Christmas, it started off great

and you lost a bit of energy as it went through.

BRUCE LAUGHS

But I've got to commend you. Look out.

You've gone from Albert Square to Berkeley Square. Honestly, you looked gorgeous.

-Well done. Great job.

-Thank you.

-APPLAUSE

-And the lovely footwork. Beautiful.

-Thank you.

-Bruno.

Well, for me it really was, I have to say,

it was like a wonderful glitzy hamper

full of surprises and tasty morsels.

And so on trend.

I liked the fact you were there cutting shapes in the snow. Oh, yeah! Keep it now, keep it current.

And there was a little bit of Charleston which was very good,

and you managed to put a bit of a flare of a jive there.

It had a lot of content and I really, really enjoyed it actually. I think you did very well.

Thank you very much, Bruno. Thank you.

APPLAUSE Good start to the show. And Craig.

I felt like you were using your shoulder

to lead this particular dance.

-There were some gapping problems.

-AUDIENCE: Boo!

-It's OK.

-Also a few posture problems.

-But I rather enjoyed you snowboarding in, darling.

-Thank you.

It was all very snappy. I thought it was lively, it was bright,

loved the little street section and actually you're a very good dancer.

-Thank you, Craig, sir. Thank you.

-APPLAUSE

But who helped him? Janette.

And Darcey, finish us off.

Well, for me, it was a sugary, crisp, very light quickstep.

I really enjoyed - as Bruno said -

all those nice diverse styles that you put in there as well.

For me, it was a perfect surprise to the first opening dance. Thank you.

-It was lovely. Well done.

-Thank you.

-A lovely dance.

Off you go up the stairs.

APPLAUSE

Oh, my goodness. Whoo! Yeah!

Yes! Come up to my winter wonderland. What a great start!

-A flying start no less.

-Yeah.

Were you more nervous about the flying down or the dancing?

-I let Janette feel my heartbeat before we went and it was bursting out of my chest.

-Was it?

He just went... OK, relax!

A few nerves there. Len said, "From Albert Square to Berkeley Square."

How does our Strictly ballroom compare to an EastEnders Christmas?

Oh, this is worlds apart. There's so much bling and prettiness.

-I mean, look at this place.

-People are smiling! It's a lot more cheerful.

-Absolutely. A lot more cheerful at Christmas as well.

-Yes indeed.

And you doing a bit of a breakdance there in the middle,

you're a bit of a street dancer. How was the quickstep for you?

The quickstep was tough and difficult and technical,

but I had a fabulous teacher who was so patient.

We had a few problems during the week, we had a bit of an injury,

but she's been excellent

and, you know, when I stress out, she keeps me calm.

How's he as a Christmas partner, Janette?

He's a pleasure to work with, really.

Always came in and gave 150%

and wanted to get better and better and better.

So really nice.

Well, let's hope the judges are full of Christmas spirit. The scores are in.

It's time for the judges' scores...

-CHEERING

-Bruno!

-Thank you, Bruno!

-Thank you so much.

-Happy Christmas.

A nine. Very welcome. Good start.

The judges have scored,

but did Ricky's quickstep make our audience merry with Christmas cheer?

Remember, it's the studio audience's votes combined with the judges' scores

which decide our Strictly Christmas Champions.

The party has well and truly started right here, thanks to you two.

Now's not the time to be snoozing on the couch.

-There's dancing to be done. Am I right, gang?

-ALL: Yeah!

Yes. Who's up next, Brucie?

Well, next it's Elaine Paige

and her partner Pasha Kovalev.

APPLAUSE

Yes. Oh, lovely Elaine.

By the way, Elaine shot to fame when she appeared in the hit West End musical Cats.

She was so wonderful.

I had to get her autograph, so I waited at the stage door

and I missed her.

She came out of the flap at the bottom.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

Anyway, here's what they've been up to.

# Daylight... #

From the age of 20, First Lady of musical theatre Elaine Paige

has starred in some of the West End's biggest hits.

I've done quite a few musicals over the years.

I'm amazed that I'm still here.

# Are you ready, children? #

What I love about Strictly is the glamour.

The costumes, the make-up, the hairdos. Hello, look at this hair!

SHE GIGGLES

I mean, I've been in hair and make-up for hours, darling!

What do you think?

'Dear Father Christmas...

'This year, I'd like

'a package from Russia...

'With love... SHE LAUGHS

'EP.'

They told me I was dancing with Pasha. I thought, "Pasha? Perfect!" Perfect Pasha. Perfect, darling.

Coming to the dance session, I didn't know what to expect.

SHE LAUGHS

Elaine giggles a lot. And it's great,

I just don't want her to collapse in the middle of the dance...

SHE LAUGHS

..laughing.

Elaine, I have a surprise for you.

So, today, Pasha brought in a package of Christmas crackers.

-You know what we're going to do with them?

-No.

And I challenged Elaine not to laugh at the joke.

What do you drain your carrots with at Christmas?

I think I did quite well.

An Advent colander. Colander?

SHE LAUGHS

He mentioned to me that there might be lifts involved. Don't go there.

Oh, no, I can. Don't do it! SHE SCREAMS

What does life look like from up there?

SHE LAUGHS

Elaine has got everything to make this dance very, very, very special.

Pasha's perfect.

It's the lift, though. The lift's really bothering me.

SHE SCREAMS

SHE LAUGHS

You'll see!

APPLAUSE

Dancing the cha-cha-cha, Elaine Paige and Pasha Kovalev.

MUSIC: Cha-cha-cha version of "Jingle Bells"

SHE WHISTLES LAUGHTER

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Oh, Elaine! Elaine, that was wonderful.

And a lovely bit of comedy at the start.

You're a real pro, you really are.

You get out there, and what a partner you've got.

Anyway, whilst you get your breath back...

You don't want to talk, do you?

It's a good time to welcome our fabulous carol singers

and, of course, Dave Arch and his wonderful orchestra.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

OK, now then, I believe you start this off, Bruno, if you would.

Ah, Elaine, it's Carry On Christmas!

With all bells and whistles!

I tell you, your placement, your hip action, your expressiveness,

the performance level, I tell you, there is

plenty of mileage left in the First Lady of the Musical Theatre!

Oh, yes!

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Bruno. Craig.

What did you think?

Of course, as a seasoned veteran, darling, of the theatre,

we would expect nothing less than brilliant, and that was brilliant.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Brilliant!

Brilliant. OK, Darcey, my darling?

You are certainly a nifty little mover.

The cha-cha is made for you, it's perfect.

From the very first step, you took charge of Pasha.

It was a sparkling performance, really.

He didn't need to lead her, let's face it!

-Len.

-Elaine, I'm telling you, you jingled my bells!

LAUGHTER

It was like a hot toddy.

It was warming, tasty and leaves you feeling satisfied.

Lovely timing, I thought you did a wonderful job.

Well done to you.

It was terrific.

Thank you so much. Thank you for being on our Christmas show.

Elaine Paige and Pasha!

Whoa! Whoa!

Dear boy! Oh! Whoo!

-What a perfect gentleman!

-Perfect gentleman!

-Nice comments from Len.

He'll be coming after you with the mistletoe next!

It's pretty amazing, isn't it?

You don't need mistletoe with that cheeky kiss with Pasha!

He wanted to put a little something extra special in it,

-didn't you, darling?

-You would, Pasha!

-Yes!

-It is Christmas, after all!

-It worked, though!

-You are the First Lady of British Theatre, Elaine.

You're used to the West End stage.

How does our Strictly ballroom compare?

Well, it's terrifying!

-Is it really?

-Yes. Obviously, one's out of one's comfort zone.

Doing a tap routine is one thing,

but doing a cha-cha-cha is something completely different.

He's been wonderful, trying to get me to swivel the hips.

One and a half minutes to impress, and those hips impressed.

That's the trouble, you see.

In the theatre, you can hone it down night after night after night.

Here, you just get the one shot.

Just the one shot. Well, you pulled it off, the judges loved it.

Let's hope the scores reflect that.

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges' scores.

Uh-oh.

Amazing. Happy Christmas, Elaine and Pasha.

And another smacker on the lips. Well deserved.

Well, Elaine just brought a bit of West End sparkle

to our Christmas special.

Was it the stocking filler we were all hoping for?

We'll find out later on. Wasn't that amazing?

Still to come down the chimney, Rufus Hound is in the doghouse,

Eskimo-style, and Rochelle Humes is giving us a Santa salsa.

But who's next to be unwrapped, Bruce?

Well, now for our third couple, DJ Sara Cox...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

..and her partner, Robin Windsor! Yes!

Sara was telling me, at the start of this routine,

there will be lots and lots of candles.

And they were a few short, so I rang up Ronnie Corbett and said,

"Have you got four candles?"

LAUGHTER

He said, "It was only funny when we did it," and slammed the phone down!

Anyway, here's what they've been up to.

Broadcaster Sara Cox worked as a model

and TV presenter before becoming one of BBC Radio's biggest stars.

I did the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and now I can be found on Radio 2.

Top Of The Pops!

I worked in telly, and then I thought,

if you go on the radio, you don't need loads of make-up on and stuff,

and you don't have to hold your belly in.

Christmas Day for me, the kids get up ridiculously early,

we make them wait before they're allowed to go downstairs

to see if Father Christmas has been.

He's usually been, cos they're very good children.

And then I start peeling root vegetables.

So, I've got my posh frock on with my pinny and my slippers.

But this year, of course, I'm going to be wearing an even posher frock

and a lot more sparkles.

It's super exciting!

So, I got told that I was dancing with Robin,

who I think is fabulous on the show.

I'm finding it quite difficult to be graceful enough.

I'm kind of quite lanky,

and lanky and clumpy at the same time.

Look how graceful you are, you just naturally do that and I'm like...

I'm trying to smooth out all the bumps

so that we flow very graciously across the floor.

Very delicately and dainty. You... Ooh.

Turn underneath it.

Ooh!

The biggest challenge, really, is the dancing!

Tap, run, under...

Ooh!

Sara's not used to a man taking the lead.

Man's always leading the woman.

-I create the turn.

-Ah.

This is just like working with a spaniel or something!

She has to be the fairy on top of the Christmas tree,

gliding over the fairy dust.

I guess to win over the judges I could maybe leave some

chocolate liqueurs in Len's dressing room.

Or a little tot of sherry, maybe!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the waltz, Sara Cox and Robin Windsor.

SONG: "Silent Night"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Different from being a DJ!

This is a DJ - Dangerous Journey!

Here we are. Craig, tell us what you think.

Well, it was a little bit like a Christmas cracker, I'm afraid,

that did not explode.

Oh! BOOING

Your frame left a lot to be desired,

you didn't spot during any of your turns,

your free arm, I thought, was very, very loose.

BOOING

You were also a little bit pigeon-toed throughout.

-Ain't he mean!

-Apart from that...

-It's Christmas!

But apart from that, I thought it was perfect.

LAUGHTER

For me, it was like you were on ice. You glided effortlessly.

APPLAUSE

There was not one shaky movement.

You created a beautiful feel all the way through,

it was beautifully controlled, well done.

Thanks, Darcey.

APPLAUSE

And Len?

For me, it was like waking up Christmas morning and you look

out the window and it's just quiet

and it's light and bright and lovely.

And there's even a Robin!

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

BRUCE LAUGHS

Craig is totally wrong, Sara, trust me.

Your footwork was good, I noticed you were stepping off on your heel.

Well done, Robin, teaching that along with everything else.

I truly thought it was lovely. Well done.

-There we are.

-Thanks.

I totally agree with Len, my darling.

The wild child, the rock'n'roll girl,

transformed into a Christmas angel, my darling.

It was dreamy.

It was romantic. I like the slight coyness you had.

You know? Fragile, floating around like a snowflake.

It's true! It was nice. That's what it should be, it was lovely. It was.

-It was, Sara. And you have been beautiful again.

-Thank you.

Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas!

CHEERING

-Hello!

-I know you were really nervous before you went out tonight.

-But you looked like a princess.

-It was lovely. I loved it. It was...

-It is scary.

-Was it a challenge getting graceful for the waltz?

-Why?

LAUGHTER

-No, it was, he had to find my inner princess.

-You found it.

-Well, she'd been replaced by a coal miner at one point.

-Oh, no!

-And a baby elephant.

-Oh, no!

-But you found it eventually.

-Not true. You are a mum of three kids.

-Are they watching you dance tonight?

-Yes, they're watching. Hi, kids.

-Love you.

-Bless. Ignore Ebenezer Craig, kids,

he didn't get anything off Santa that he wanted, clearly!

-He's going to scare my kids!

-Exactly. Close your ears, kids!

-Think of the children!

-Robin, tough time for you in training.

You had a back injury.

Did it make up for it, getting Sara, the nice Christmas present?

Best Christmas present I could ever have had.

You were amazing. I'm so proud.

For somebody who couldn't put left in front of right a few weeks ago,

-you have done incredibly well.

-True.

-I'm so proud.

-So true.

-Thank you, darling.

-Didn't miss the lifts at all.

Len loves a traditional waltz. Fingers crossed, the scores are in.

The judges' scores are in.

GROANING

Yeah. You see? Turned out all right in the end.

Sara's waltz warmed us up on this Christmas night.

But we need to wait and see

if she'll be getting her woolly mittens on the Glitterball Trophy

as there's still three more seasonal shimmies to feast your eyes on.

Who's next under the mistletoe, Brucie? Give us a kiss.

Our next couple tonight is Rochelle Humes of The Saturdays

and her partner... APPLAUSE

Wait for it. Her partner Ian Waite, one of our...

CHEERING

Here's what they've been up to.

This Christmas,

pop princess Rochelle Humes has one more adoring fan,

her seven-month-old baby daughter with JLS star Marvin.

The people at home will know me best

from being in a girl group called The Saturdays.

Everyone thinks that I'm going to be OK because me and the girls

do a bit of dancing, but it's completely different.

We really don't do anything on the level of what I've been

rehearsing for for the past few days, I've really had a culture shock!

My little girl, Alaia, it will be her first Christmas.

Although she doesn't know it, I've gone to town.

Baby's first Christmas. I have to get that.

I didn't think that, you know, six, seven months after having a baby

I'd be trying to do the salsa!

At home, Marvin is genuinely trying to help me,

he's trying to carry me around and he's not really that great at it.

Husband, yes, dance partner, no. Sorry, babe!

I'm partnered with the lovely Ian Waite.

And I'm so excited.

He makes me feel at home, although I'm completely not,

but he still makes me feel confident.

I'm normally a very encouraging teacher.

That's an easy one!

It's been a bit of a roller coaster doing Strictly and having a new baby.

She's teething, so I'm bringing her in to training with me.

This might have to be how I do the dance now.

She's just looking at me as if to say, "Mum, what are you doing?"

So we've been salsa-ing and pram-pushing all at once.

Me and Rochelle, we get on like a house on fire.

I couldn't think of anyone better to be having a laugh with.

Are we going to win it?

I hope we win, but more than anything,

I hope that I don't fall over.

So winning is a bonus, but staying on my feet is the most important thing.

Dancing the salsa, Rochelle Humes and Ian Waite.

MUSIC: "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Are you OK?

-Oh, Rochelle! What a little mover you are.

-Oh, I'm not very...

Oh, you are. That was lovely. That was great.

A lovely atmosphere, and you kept the feeling all the time.

Darcey, what did you think?

Rochelle, that was certainly a cracker of a salsa. You sparkled.

You left sparkles everywhere.

It was full of energy with plenty of hip action.

Sometimes slightly wild with the footwork down below.

But you certainly made it very tricky.

There was a lot of twisting turns and lifts and everything,

but you handled it very well. Well done.

APPLAUSE

No, you did, Rochelle. Don't feel bad about anything. Len?

Well, I don't know about Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,

you were certainly going to town! It was really going off out there.

It was like a party popper.

Bits were flying everywhere, and like all party poppers,

it got a bit messy here and there,

but you certainly came out and gave it a real go.

Well done.

Oh, yes, she did. She did.

And Bruno?

My darling, it was inebriating and full of spirit,

like a good Christmas tipple.

But as you know with the tipple, you got to be careful,

-because sometimes you can get a little bit light-headed.

-Craig?

A little bit all over the toy shop, I'm afraid, darling.

Smoother transitions, and that haphazard layout kick thing,

Bruno and I were gasping, darling.

But you went for it, and that's the good thing.

She did go for it.

Rochelle, that was lovely. Ian, take her away, and good luck.

Well done. Good girl.

Come on, my love. Well, you know what?

The salsa is a party dance,

and you looked like you were having the time of your life.

It was contagious. We were dancing with you.

You're used to performing on stage with your bandmates.

-What was it like performing in front of them?

-Awful. I have to be honest.

I feel like my security blanket's gone.

I could see them there and I said to them before, Molly, don't look at me!

-Please don't look at me!

-The rest of The Saturdays, look away, look away.

They didn't need to look away. You did yourself proud there, darling.

Very ambitious lifts, by the way. Very brave lifts.

Very brave for him considering I've not long had a baby.

It must be a special Christmas, the first Christmas with a baby.

It is a special Christmas, not that she knows what's going on.

-All for my benefit at this stage.

-Mummy's there and she's having fun.

It's all good. And a real Christmas treat seeing you back here.

Thank you, Tess.

A Christmas present right there. Your scores are in.

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have their scores.

-31.

-That's OK.

-That's OK. Really well done.

I wasn't expecting that at all. Minus eight, I thought I would get.

Don't talk yourself out of it. A great score, well done.

Santa Claus is coming to town, and he was loving that salsa.

But did our audience think all their Christmases had come at once?

We'll find out soon enough. She's so giddy! I love her.

Who's next in your Christmas stocking, Bruce?

Our next couple is singer Matt Goss and his partner Aliona Vilani.

As you probably know, Matt has a twin brother.

I wish I had a twin brother, not for the brotherly love,

but it would be nice to have a few spare parts.

Do you like that one?

CHEERING

Here's what they've been up to.

Alongside his twin brother Luke, Matt Goss shot to stardom

in '80s supergroup Bros.

Bros, yeah.

That was 20 years ago,

and I've been all over the world singing by myself ever since.

For the last five years,

I've been headlining at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

How you guys feeling tonight?

We do 120 shows year.

It's been really fun.

# Fly me to the moon... #

Every year, my family watches Strictly,

and this year it's going to be great,

because my mum's going to be able to sit down and watch her

boy on Strictly, so I know she's completely made up. She loves her boys.

I've been paired with Aliona, and she's very strict.

She bosses me around as if we're married.

We have a good banter and we've had a good laugh.

It's crazy, because I do the show in Las Vegas.

Aliona had to come over

and we had to do the first part of the training there.

It's a lot to take on both massive shows

-at the same time, it's quite tough.

-Aliona is working me hard.

A bit tighter.

And as a teacher,

I'm quite different depending on what kind of student I have.

Looking up.

-She's bossing me around already.

-If I have someone who is a bit lazy...

-Always having a go at me about my eye line.

-The horns come out.

I understand that she needs to tell me off a lot. I'm OK with that.

-And my dad's here.

-Eyes up.

-I'm not even dancing!

-Shoulders back.

-And head up, and the eyes have got to stay up.

-Your dad is right.

I'm with him 100%. Back in the day, that wouldn't have happened.

# Driving home for Christmas... #

-Flew back last night.

-Thank you. OK.

-Aliona just makes me look good.

I've no idea what I'm doing still, but I'm having a good time.

Being home for Christmas, I just really don't want to go back.

Whoever's watching, put the kettle on.

I'm staying at your house tonight.

Dancing the American smooth, Matt Goss and Aliona Vilani.

MUSIC: "Winter Wonderland"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Oh, Matt, that was lovely.

Wasn't that great?

A bit of Vegas, that was.

You should put that in your act in Vegas.

I'm Aliona's agent, so have a word with me, OK? It was great. Len?

That wasn't Matt, that was gloss.

Suave and sophisticated.

You lost your posture a little bit once you got into hold,

but I thought you danced it nicely. Well done, Matt.

Surprised, weren't you? Put it in Vegas. Bruno?

Well, I loved the look of it. It was like Christmas at the Ritz.

High class, high style, in high society.

A bit like Gary Cooper meeting Marlene Dietrich

and going for a spin. You know, things do happen.

So suave, so debonair. You move very, very well.

The frock, you can't help that, but I think you did very well.

He wasn't wearing the frock!

You can't blame him for that.

-Right, Craig?

-I thought the jumps needed ironing out a little bit.

You were driving the pivots a little too hard.

Your head needed lifting up. Your shoulders needed pulling back.

All that aside, I thought the lifts were absolutely lovely,

it was completely classy and beautifully elegant.

Very classy. Yes.

And Darcey, Darcey Bussell.

Well, I love the dynamics you gave that American smooth.

You reminded me of Fred Astaire

and all you had to do is keep that charisma going

and follow it through, maybe just with the chin,

just to finish off those lines.

But it was beautiful. It was a very yummy performance.

When a dancer...when a singer dances,

he really dances to the music.

The style was spot-on. Beautiful.

That's where you got the style into it, which was very noticeable.

-It was great!

-Thank you, Bruce!

Aliona, you did a good job, off you go!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

What about that, then?

Quite possibly the smoothest American smooth we've ever had.

-A bit of old Hollywood glamour there, well done.

-We were trying.

-I'm sorry about treading on your frock.

-It's OK.

You are headlining in Vegas, aren't you, the show-biz capital of the world.

How does our Strictly ballroom compare with that?

It's so nerve-racking, I mean, I go out every night

and a second before I go on stage I'm relaxed,

but here, it really is such an institution in the UK,

it's a very nerve-racking experience,

but I really had a good time and Aliona is amazing.

And we're way more glamorous than Vegas, obviously.

And you're back in Britain. Is it nice to be home for the holidays?

Yeah. I don't want to...I don't think I want to go home now.

I like being home with my family so it's good to be back here, so...

Well, it's lovely to have you back.

Safe to say Craig's off your Christmas card list, right?

Scores are in.

Will the judges please

reveal their scores?

Oh, a very healthy score!

And an 8 from Craig in the end. 35, well done.

Did that pull your Christmas cracker?

Well, it's up to our studio audience to decide who's been naughty

and who's been nice, but thankfully, they're full of festive cheer.

Aren't you, ladies and gents?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

Oh, it's just like panto!

ALL: Oh, no, it isn't!

Oh, yes, it is.

Time now for the last dance of Christmas.

Who's the fairy on top of our tree, Brucie?

Our final Christmas couple is Rufus Hound and his partner Flavia Cacace!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Lovely to have Flavia back, it really is.

Now, for their routine,

they're going to have two real-life huskies on the floor.

AUDIENCE: Ooooh!

No, they're ferocious dogs, so I've got them a bone to calm them down.

And I've put it under Craig's chair.

LAUGHTER

Anyway, here's what they've been up to.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Before treading the boards of London's West End,

funnyman Rufus Hound first made his name as a comedian.

-TELEVISION:

-It's Rufus Hound!

I suppose people at home will know me as that bloke with the moustache.

I've done lots of sort of panel shows and things like that.

My experience of Christmas from growing up was my dad actually

wheeled the telly into the dining room

and the telly had, like, pride of place,

so when you're asked to be on the Strictly Christmas Special,

there are a lot of, like, bells and whistles and fireworks

that go off in your head, where you think,

"I'm going to get to be a part of people's Christmas Day."

Then, having agreed to do it,

you've got to really make an effort not to muck it up.

I'm dancing with Flavia Cacace.

Cacaceei, Cacacea, Chu-chuk-a!

I don't know how it's pronounced. I should ask her, really.

I just call her Flavia. She's good, though. That much I do know.

We're lucky enough to have some real huskies in our routine,

which is a little bit scary.

Release the dogs!

'We just sort of said in the rehearsal room,'

"Oh, and there'll be an igloo over there,

"and then, there'll be two dogs."

But we've been practising with these little friends.

We have two doggies.

Hello, huskies. The reins are off, or should I say, the leash is off.

It's Rufus Hound, so the jokes are just endless.

What do you think of it so far? Rubbish.

I get the giggles and it takes me quite a while to settle back down.

This only flashes when I'm in mortal peril.

'As we all know, you never work with animals.'

They also say you should never work with children,

but it's too late - Flavia's already doing it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the tango, Rufus Hound and Flavia Cacace.

MUSIC: "Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That was so delightful! Everybody loved that!

Everybody loved that!

It was... Rufus, that was marvellous,

and Flavia and all that.

Oh, I love all that stuff. I really do. Bruno.

Oh, tantrums in the tundra!

That really was a nutcracker of a tango.

LAUGHTER

I absolutely loved it.

It was funny. It was perfectly pitched for the season.

-A wonderful ending for a fantastic evening.

-Thank you.

That goes for both of you, it really does.

By the way, Craig, did the dogs go for the bone? I don't think they did.

It's just as well, because it was your old hipbone.

LAUGHTER

Lovely thought, that is.

But I've got to say, that has to be one of the most abnormal,

unusual and curious tangos I've ever had the pleasure to witness.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And I've got to say, however strange

and bizarrely odd and unconventional it was, I loved it!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And what did you think, Darcey?

Well, Rufus, I thought you were an unusually hot Eskimo, for me.

ALL: Oooh!

You melted everything for me, but...

LAUGHTER

Yeah, I mean, Craig's right,

we've never seen such an entertaining ballroom tango.

But it had drama and attack and I liked it very much.

Well, thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Now, Len.

-I liked that little kick up the codpiece, that was...

Listen, what it lacked in technique

it made up for in entertainment.

It was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done!

It really was. Well done, Flavia. What a partner you've got there.

-Yeah!

-Off you go!

Off you go!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

THEY CHEER

Great end to a great show,

but it looks like you have sustained a dance injury.

-What happened to you?

-What happened to the head?

-Oh, yeah, no, I have cut myself in the eye.

-Yes!

-I can't actually...

-That wasn't me!

-Don't worry, Tess,

-I've got that much adrenaline going through.

-It wasn't me!

I have no idea.

No, when the fish came out.

-Oh, really?

-It hit me in the eye.

-Oh, did it?

-Yeah!

But, you know, what do you call a fish with no eyes? A fshhhh.

LAUGHTER

-Just rolled off his tongue.

-They can take them out, can't they?

I love that. I love that about you, it just rolls off.

Now, you have got some big West End shows under your belt,

you've done stand-up... Does anything prepare you for this?

No, absolutely not.

Because, like, when you're out there on the stage, you kind of,

you've got yourself, really, you're trying to get through that

with the assistance of your cast, who you've learned to trust.

Whereas this lady had to drag around this bag of coal,

naughty or nice.

Flavia, it's so lovely to see you, but have you missed us?

-Absolutely, yes, of course.

-We've missed you! We really have.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Nice Christmas present in the shape of Rufus there. Scores are in.

Will the judges please

reveal their scores?

Come on! Two tens in there for you.

-There's a little tissue for your dance injury.

-Thank you very much.

That's commitment for you.

That's what our judges thought, but did

Rufus's tango tickle our studio audience?

We're going to find out later

-if your hound's found you that Glitterball Trophy.

-LAUGHTER

That's a wrap for now. Our Christmas stars have done their best,

let's see who shone brightly and who had their goose cooked by the judges.

Let's have a look at the leaderboard.

Up there at the top,

the judges' favourite with a maximum

six points, Elaine and Pasha.

Followed by Rufus

and Flavia in second place.

Now down there at the bottom

of the leaderboard,

like an unwanted satsuma

at the bottom of the stocking...

LAUGHTER

..it's Rochelle and Ian,

-with just two points.

-AUDIENCE: Awww

Those judges' scores are only half the story,

our studio audience are ready to vote,

and their votes could change everything.

But first, here's a reminder of all the

festive fun from our Strictly six - didn't they do well?

CHEERING

AUDIENCE: Whoo!

APPLAUSE

AUDIENCE: Whoo!

CHEERING

Well, what a wonderful, wonderful Christmas night.

Now for a little music.

Performing for us on this very special Christmas show is

an 11-year-old choirboy with an angelic face and a voice to match.

I'm sure he has a great career ahead of him.

He's singing Tomorrow, but we're going to hear it tonight.

LAUGHTER

No, this is not a funny bit, this is not a funny bit!

We're going to hear it tonight.

Please welcome the wonderful Jack Topping.

CHEERING

# The sun'll come out tomorrow

# So you got to hang on till tomorrow

# Come what may

# Tomorrow, tomorrow

# I love you, tomorrow

# You're always a day away... #

APPLAUSE

SONG CONTINUES

# ..tomorrow

# So you got to hang on till tomorrow

# Come what may

# Tomorrow, tomorrow

# I love you, tomorrow

# You're always a day away

# When I'm stuck with a day that's grey

# And lonely

# I just stick out my chin and grin

# And say...

HE VOCALISES

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Wonderful.

Now, our Christmas couples await their fate at the hands

of the studio audience,

but we haven't forgotten our stars from Strictly 2013.

They're behind me, enjoying the festive spectacle.

And they've helped spread a little Christmas cheer,

when they visited children and staff at Evelina Children's Hospital.

So we're here at the Mountain Ward at Evelina Children's Hospital.

And we're going to bring some Christmas joy.

Hold tight, because I'm very competitive,

and I'll want to win this.

It's coming up to Christmas and it's the worst time for anyone

to be in hospital, never mind if you're a kid.

-You can wiggle. Come on. Show me.

-Whoo!

SHE LAUGHS

Why couldn't the skeleton go to the Christmas party?

I don't know - why couldn't the skeleton go to the Christmas party?

He had NO BODY to go with.

THEY LAUGH

Are you ready for a bit of Strictly Come Dancing Christmas fun?

CHEERING

-Look, there's Anton du Beke down there. Do you like him?

-Yeah.

-Anton's everyone's favourite.

-She likes him.

-Yeah, really?

-Is Anton du Beke your favourite?

-Yeah.

-But what about Kevin?

SHE LAUGHS

Please welcome the fabulous Janette Manrara

and her partner, Kevin Clifton!

Music: "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee

-Every time I see you on TV, you make me smile.

-Aw!

-There you are.

-Aw.

Having the cast from Strictly here was really lovely.

It was exciting for everybody to see the dancing.

It's nice if we can spread a bit of Christmas cheer.

Good team. Good team.

You look like one of Santa's little helpers, now.

-What shall we ask him to do?

-Helicopter. Break dance.

-Helicopter break dance?

-Come on - show us what you've got.

GIRL LAUGHS

You don't realise how lucky you are, really,

and you see these little kids who even though they're in hospital

all day, they're still so happy, and they are just being kids.

It's amazing. You come away realising just how much courage and resilience

and love there is. That's an amazing Christmas present for us to see that.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think it's the least we can do - come out and spend a few hours

to try and put a smile on their face and break up the day a little bit.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-BOTH:

-Merry Christmas!

That was really, truly wonderful.

And we've still got a very special performance to come

from our Christmas stars. And you don't want to miss that either.

But before all that, it's the moment that we've all been waiting for -

our audience votes and the judges' scores have been combined,

and our Christmas champion has been chosen.

The results are in.

Ricky and Janette, Bruno said you were a wonderful, glitzy hamper.

Elaine and Pasha, Darcey said that was a sparkling performance.

Sara and Robin, Len said you were light, bright and lovely.

Rochelle and Ian, Darcey said that was a cracker of a salsa.

Matt and Aliona, Craig said it was classy and beautifully elegant.

Rufus and Flavia, Bruno said it was a nutcracker of a tango.

But who will be taking home the trophy?

I can now reveal the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions are...

..Rufus and Flavia!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And well done.

-Well done to the rest of you.

-Well done.

-Thank you so much

for taking part.

You were all magnificent.

Come on, then!

Come on and join us!

-Well done, you.

-Thank you.

-Worth taking a cut for, on the head?

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

I'll take a head wound for one of these any time.

-How does it feel to be our Christmas Champions?

-Surreal in the extreme.

-We didn't really set out to win...

-No.

..so the fact this has happened, I don't know what it means.

LAUGHTER

Has it given you a taste for the ballroom now, Rufus?

If I had any more taste of the ballroom

they'd be serving it in a burger, Brucie.

LAUGHTER

But only with this partner?

Listen, she put a lot on the line to dance with me.

I had a brilliant time. Honestly, it was such fun.

This makes you a double champion, does it?

It's amazing. I don't know what to say. Thank you so much.

Well, I have great pleasure in crowning Rufus and Flavia...

RUFUS LAUGHS CRAZILY

LAUGHTER

-This is serious.

-Sorry. Sorry, Bruce. All right.

-..2013 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions!

-Yes!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Together. Together. Come on. Weren't they wonderful?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-All right.

-They did a wonderful job. Safe to say, very happy about that.

-They're very worthy.

-Very worthy.

-Very worthy.

-Indeed.

Congratulations again to Rufus and Flavia.

Now, I hope you've left room for a little bit of pudding,

cos there's still one more Christmas treat yet to come, as all of our

stars return to the floor for a festive knees-up.

Thank you to all our couples,

-and, of course, to Jack Topping for topping the bill.

-Yeah.

But now, and for one time only, please welcome to the dance floor

the stars of Christmas Strictly 2013!

Yes, 2013. There they are!

MUSIC: "Fairy Tale Of New York"

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

A huge thanks to all of our dancers for taking part,

and thank you for watching.

And remember, from everybody at Strictly...

-ALL:

-Merry Christmas!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC RESUMES