Christmas Special Strictly Come Dancing

It's December the 25th,

the most magical night of the year and the stars of Strictly

are getting ready for the Christmas Movie Special.

JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS

MUSIC: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Ho-ho-ho, it's the Strictly Come Dancing

Christmas Movie Special.

Please welcome your hosts Tess Daly

and Claudia Winkleman.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Hello and welcome to Strictly Come Dancing -

The Christmas Special.

Merry Christmas to everyone at home watching and here in the studio,

are you all having a wonderful day?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yes!

Excellent, a huge thank you to our incredible cast

for that spectacular opening number. If you hadn't already guessed,

tonight, we're celebrating some classic Christmas movies.

We have rolled out the red carpet for six Strictly stars

who are back and ready to entertain you all.

And that's not all - tonight we have a performance

of White Christmas from the one, the only, Matt Goss.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Of course, tonight's show would not be complete without our festive

foursome all the way from Narnia, it's the judges.

The King of Narnia, Len Goodman.

The White Witch, Darcey Bussell.

Prince Caspian, Bruno Tonioli.

And Aslan, the lion, Craig Revel Horwood.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

The judges, everyone, what a gift,

they've literally spent all day in wardrobe.

Craig, you are Aslan, are you going to be a kind and a good lion?

ROARING

We'll take that as a maybe.

As it's our Christmas Movie Special, we will need some leading

ladies and gents, so please welcome...

-BOTH:

-Our Christmas stars.

From The Saturdays, pop star and presenter Frankie Bridge

and her partner Gorka Marquez.

Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and his partner Karen Clifton.

Writer and comedian Pamela Stephenson

and her partner Pasha Kovalev.

Radio and television presenter Melvin Odoom

and his partner Janette Manrara.

Former Olympian and presenter Denise Lewis

and her partner Anton du Beke.

And, finally, TV presenter Gethin Jones and his partner Chloe Hewitt.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

There they are and just by looking at them,

this promises to be a blockbuster of a show.

Now, for this show, the phone lines won't be open -

instead, our studio audience will vote for their favourite,

their votes will be combined with the judges' scores

to decide who will be our Strictly Christmas champions 2016

-and take home THIS trophy.

-AUDIENCE OOHS

And, first up from 2015,

it's Ainsley Harriott and his partner Karen Clifton.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

They are jiving the song

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

from Home Alone.

Well, we've almost finished the tree - we've got the tinsel and the

lights, all we need now is the big, glittery star.

Ainsley, you're on.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Last year, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott brought his own

spiciness to the Strictly dance floor.

Come and get your fruity tomatoes!

'Be asked to do Strictly Come Dancing'

on Christmas Day?!

What more could you ask for?

First-class entertainment.

'The theme this year is Christmas movies'

and our Christmas movie is Home Alone. Aah!

'This time, I'm dancing with the lovely Karen.

'We're playing the robbers'

and what were trying to do is get into the house

'to steal the Christmas Strictly trophy.' Ooh.

'Dancing with Karen'

is like two peas in a pod.

Oh, sorry, Natalie.

'We're dancing a jive'

to Rocking Around The Christmas Tree.

# Rocking around the Christmas tree... #

'It's absolutely brilliant dancing with Ainsley.'

I just love his personality and I love

how he has this natural groove.

Now, I want you to be Ainsley, the bandit.

'I got knocked out the competition doing the jive,

'I want to come back and I want to prove'

I can actually do a bit of a jive.

Hopefully.

With training going well,

Karen decides they should get inspired to rock around

the Christmas tree, by putting one up in a local care home.

The reception was so warm,

there's a beaming smile on people's faces

and that's what we aim to do, you know, I think Strictly is all about

'creating a lovely, warm, joyful feel.'

-You'll have to hold me tighter!

-I've got you!

They helped me and Karen to decorate the Christmas tree.

To see their smiling faces, it definitely touched my heart today.

KAREN LAUGHS

So, what do you think, everybody?

CHEERING

Coming here today has just been so nice,

'it gets you in that sort of family spirit.

'Bringing people together at Christmas, that's what it's about

'and, of course, rocking around the Christmas tree.'

I certainly hope I'll be able to do it on the night.

Dancing the jive, Ainsley Harriott and Karen Clifton.

MUSIC: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Come on, Ainsley. Ohhh!

Thank you!

Lovely to see you back in the ballroom

-and that lovely big smile of yours.

-Thank you.

Lovely to be with you.

Before we hear from the judges, let's get a big Christmas cheer

for our fantastic singers.

Hayley, Lance, Andrea and Tommy and, of course, Dave Arch

and his wonderful orchestra

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING Merry Christmas to you all.

I love those antlers, Dave! Did you see his antlers?

Len, did Ainsley do that jive justice?

Oh, that, Ainsley, is the way to get a Christmas party started.

You attacked that...

CHEERING

You attacked that like you were stuffing a turkey,

full of energy, full of go, honestly, it was delicious,

like my nan's Christmas pudding.

-Great start, well done.

-Oh, thank you.

Tasty. Bruno, did our cheeky little burglars get you rocking along?

Absolutely. Trust Ainsley to cook up a storm.

And I am absolutely sure it wasn't a turkey this time.

It was more like a juicy, jiving goosey!

That's what it was, my darling.

A bit looser on the trimmings sometimes, but very tasty.

Tasty, yes. Craig.

I thought the kicks were a little bit laboured,

if I'm going to be honest.

BOOING

But I have to, because it's Christmas, darling,

only tell you all the things I actually DID like.

-Oh!

-I loved the Elvis knee knocks,

I thought they were absolutely fantastic, your timing was

absolutely sensational throughout, personality and showmanship.

Brilliant.

Thank you! Thank you, Craig.

He is a kind and good lion, happy Christmas. Darcey.

I have to say, Ainsley, as soon as you appeared from that chimney,

you put a smile on my face, I love it.

It was a cool, rocking jive, and those long legs you made

work very hard, especially as they said, in the Elvis moves.

He would have been very proud.

AUDIENCE: Woo!

High praise, tasty guy. Off you go, Ainsley, good to see you back.

Thank you!

And up to Claudia's Grotto, it's Ainsley and Karen.

CHEERING

Ainsley!

We missed you, is it lovely to be back opening the Christmas show?

I mean, what a joy, what an absolute joy.

Christmas Day, and just being here, all those people,

all dressed up in a Christmas style - lovely, really lovely.

You look fantastic.

Did Natalie give you tips, did she say,

"This is how to deal with Ainsley?"

Yeah, she just said,

"Make believe you're cooking bacon the whole time."

-I like it.

-It's all about the bacon.

-The scores are in.

It's time for the judges' scores.

Craig Revel Horwood.

Oh.

Darcey Bussell.

Woo!

Len Goodman.

Christmas is a time for giving

and being generous.

-Whoa!

-CHEERING

Bruno Tonioli.

Well done. That's a massive...

That's 14 more than the last time you did the jive.

Let's just go with THAT score, lovely. Very well done.

A ten from Len.

Now remember, it's the audience vote combined with the judges' scores

that will decide who will be crowned Strictly Christmas champions 2016.

In honour of Ainsley, and because it's Christmas,

-I've got some canapes.

-Ooh.

-Is that all right?

Delicious canapes. Bring on the pigs in blankets.

Dancing pigs in blankets.

MUSIC: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

I like it. I like it. OK.

Merry Christmas, everyone, it's begun. Tess.

Save one for me. Our next couple, from 2007,

is Gethin Jones and his partner Chloe Hewitt.

AUDIENCE: Woo!

Now, in this routine,

Gethin will be the conductor of the magical Polar Express.

If he gets off on the right track,

this could be a first-class routine, and just the ticket for Christmas.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

LAUGHTER All aboard!

TV presenter Gethin Jones made it to the semifinal in 2007,

and he's never quite been able to let the Strictly bug go.

I've never really lost touch with the Strictly family.

I've gone out to America, I'm working on Dancing With The Stars,

and then this year, I was working on It Takes Two on a Friday night...

Over to Gethin Jones at Elstree.

Backstage at Strictly Towers, there are clothes everywhere.

I absolutely love that routine! Brilliant.

I'm dancing with Chloe.

She's a new professional on the show,

and we've all seen her on the group dances.

She's the world, European and Latin and national champion.

I think, in the training room, she's going to be quite a hard taskmaster.

Let's hope I can keep up.

Merry Christmas!

I'm so excited to have a partner on Strictly,

and especially for the Christmas Special.

And Gethin is just the perfect partner.

Our Christmas movie is The Polar Express,

and we are doing a quickstep.

I'm a train conductor. Peep-peep!

And I see Chloe and ask her to join me on my journey to the North Pole!

Chloe, she just rehearses at a million miles an hour.

I am sweating buckets!

Sweating everywhere.

So attractive right now(!)

Your feet have to go flat-out. It's ridiculous.

THEY PANT

Because we're spending a Strictly Christmas together,

-it was only right to get you a bit of a present.

-Thanks.

I decided to buy Chloe some ankle weights.

SHE LAUGHS

-I'm hoping it will slow her down.

-I've got a present for you.

I bought Gethin a Lycra outfit, to make him speed across the floor.

-'I think he likes it.'

-Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?

I know on the night our quickstep will have to be as fast

as a steam train, I just hope I can keep up with Chloe.

I don't have to do it in Lycra, do I? Do I?!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the quickstep, Gethin Jones and Chloe Hewitt.

All aboard!

Tickets, please!

CHEERING

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Well done, my love. Amazing.

-TESS: Yes.

Gethin's still got it.

Still got it. Great to see you back on the floor.

-Thanks, Tess.

-And he kept up with you, Chloe.

-He did, I was so proud.

And your first partner, how was it?

-Thank you for making this such a joy for me.

-Oh, come on.

-My first time.

-Thank you.

-A joy to watch, you agree, Bruno?

Oh, yes, I'm on board, I'm going to buy a season ticket!

No complaints there. Twinkle-toed, light-footed...

Gethin, you've still got it.

Still got it. He so has.

Did that give you any Christmas cheer, Craig?

Well, sadly, your thumb popped up.

The thumb?! JEERING

Give him a thumbs up!

Only on the third section, and it was for about five seconds,

but it still happened and I can't turn back time.

But it was bright, it was lively,

I loved the cute little Charleston section, darling,

storytelling was excellent,

I'd forgotten actually how good you really are.

Brilliant.

-Yay!

-I think we all had.

Even Craig can't stay grumpy at Christmas, look.

-Darcey.

-Well, Gethin, you steamed through that with ease,

not even tiring at all.

Light on the feet, you filled the dance floor,

and from beginning to end, you kept in sync.

They're right, your timing was perfect,

a really charming performance.

-Thank you.

-Charming.

-Len.

Well, it was a Christmas cracker, I've got to say,

you've got my baubles bouncing.

LAUGHTER

It was light and bubbly like a glass of champagne.

Crisp, clean, delicious.

Well done.

-"Delicious."

-Thank you.

Thank you, judges. We got two thumbs up from our critics, I think.

Off you go. Next stop, Claudia's Grotto.

Gethin and Chloe.

AUDIENCE: Woo!

Gethin! And Chloe. That was so beautiful, and the judges loved it.

Amazing, yeah.

And let's be honest, when you were on it, you practically won.

We can say you almost did.

Shall we just do that? I won, OK.

And also, of course, we watch you on It Takes Two every week,

so you're Strictly family.

Absolutely, been every Friday,

but it's a different feeling out there for sure.

-Exciting, brilliant though.

-OK, you're amazing, very well done.

-Incredible, she's been great.

-The scores are in.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the judges' scores.

Craig Revel Horwood.

-CHLOE:

-Yeah!

Darcey Bussell.

Len Goodman.

From Len, a ten.

CHEERING

And Bruno Tonioli.

Ahhh, come on!

Well done.

That's more than the last quickstep you did, and you did well in that.

-Thank you.

-Delightful, four more, good.

Two couples down, and I can't believe it,

in fact I'm a little bit embarrassed -

we haven't had a choir yet.

# Ding-dong merrily on high

# In heav'n the bells are ringing... #

AUDIENCE CLAP ALONG

# Ding-dong verily the sky

# Is riv'n with angel singing

# Glor-or-or-or-or

# Or-or-or-oria

# Hosanna in excelsis. #

CHEERING

Good. NOW we're merry.

Still to come, Melvin Odoom is full of the joys of Christmas.

Look at him. We should actually call him Melvin O-Joy.

-Tess.

-I love a choir at Christmas.

Dancing next tonight is Pamela Stephenson, from 2010,

and her partner Pasha Kovalev.

Tonight, they are doing a Christmas cha-cha,

and when Pamela performed on Strictly six years ago,

everyone on the show really, really liked her.

Well, I say "liked", it was more a case of Love...Actually.

Writer and comedian Pamela Stephenson waltzed,

cha-cha'ed and jived her way to the final back in 2010.

It's lovely to be back dancing on Strictly, just amazing.

Beautiful dancing, simply brilliant. Oh!

Strictly created a bit of a dance monster in me.

ROAR SOUND EFFECT

I dance socially, I dance all night, you can't get me to go home.

I try to get out before the fluorescent lights come on,

because that's not good at my age.

I'm really lucky to be dancing with Pasha, I've been admiring

his work from afar. He's amazing.

Our Christmas movie is Love Actually.

Pasha plays the Prime Minister and I play the assistant.

The dance is set in Number Ten Downing Street.

Last time I did the cha-cha-cha,

-I got four eights.

-Eight!

Wouldn't it be nice if the judges

took the hint and that wasn't

the only number ten I'll see this Christmas?

Last time I got to the final, I wish I'd got even further,

but maybe this time I will win the Christmas trophy.

Beautiful, but be careful, don't hit the ceiling with your antlers.

Have a little practice here.

So far, training is going very well, but Pamela is a perfectionist.

"Da-da, da-da, da."

Sometimes she just stops in the middle of

a dance and makes sure it's all working.

-Did I do something twice that time?

-No, no, everything was fine.

Just not fast enough.

This is my second chance,

not just to do Strictly, but to do the cha-cha-cha.

Yeah, well, just hop on my Pasha Santa sleigh and I'll take

you straight to cha-cha land.

Cha-cha-cha is a party dance, let's have ourselves a little party.

SHE LAUGHS

The cha-cha-cha is something we should enjoy,

I've got to just go for it.

SHE LAUGHS

I've loved having a party with Pasha in the training room,

I just hope I can bring it to the Strictly ballroom.

CHEERING

Dancing the cha-cha-cha, Pamela Stephenson and Pasha Kovalev.

MUSIC: Jump by The Pointer Sisters

AUDIENCE: Woo!

CHEERING

Pamela and Pasha...

Well done, Pamela.

Standing ovation for you.

You look like you were enjoying every moment of that.

It was amazing.

And you also look like you haven't stopped dancing since you left.

What a Christmas gift, to be able to come back and strut my stuff.

-And to cha-cha, good to be back.

-And we thoroughly enjoyed it.

I know you wanted to spread a little party spirit over the ballroom.

-Did she, Craig?

-Well, I was scared for my life,

darling, that last lift.

But you made it up there, darling, and stayed, which is great.

So merry Christmas on that.

Fantastically on time, absolutely maintained the energy,

loved the lift. You haven't lost a thing, darling.

Thanks so much. Truly fantastic.

Still got it. Darcey.

Well, Pamela, that was hot, sleek, fun and fabulous.

Your accents, with every move, were so clean, beautiful.

-Thank you, Pasha.

-No, but what a cracker of a finish.

To do that tumble turn, get up there - wow, how do you do it?

I just don't know. That was brilliant, well done.

Great energy. Len.

Pamela, you're like Santa, honestly, always on time and always deliver.

It was absolutely...

What a cha-cha-charmer you are.

-That was great.

-PAMELA:

-Thank you, Len.

Bruno, did it have you jumping for joy?

I bet you don't get that every day at Number Ten Downing Street.

She is the top whip in the cabinet.

Red-hot Pam, you get my vote.

A festive force to be reckoned with, lovely to see you back,

it's Pamela and Pasha.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Pamela and Pasha, one of our favourite contestants ever.

-You know, Tess and I cried for a week when you left.

-Oh, me too.

And you adored Strictly, didn't you?

I adored it, I adored it, I adored it, and so great to be back.

-And you trained hard, didn't you?

-He is amazing.

-Well, YOU'RE amazing.

-Amazing.

-No, you're amazing. No, YOU'RE amazing.

This is going to go on.

At my age, I'm just glad to be able to get around upright.

HA! The scores are in.

The judges' scores are in.

Craig Revel Horwood.

Darcey Bussell.

A fabulous ten.

-Len Goodman.

-And again!

Bruno Tonioli.

39! You are the top of tonight's leaderboard.

Last time you got four eights, that's got to feel good.

That really feels good.

I only got four eights last time, which was not a bad score,

but my big wish was to be able to do a little bit better this time, so...

Very, very, very well done, well done to both of you.

-Thank you, Pasha.

-Merry Christmas.

-We still have presents to open,

we still have mince pies to eat and we still have all of this to come.

Oh, I'm loving that.

Viennese Waltz, you're going round and round and round.

You've just got to keep it together,

and Anton is not taking any prisoners.

I'm dizzy.

I'm getting to dance the American Smooth.

Not sure how I'll get on with the lifts.

Throw you up, you turn and you come down.

I'm actually really scared of them,

so I'm not sure how that's going to go.

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Charleston really, really suits him.

This is more about humour and fun, which is what I'm all about.

Woo, no, no, no! You got me wrong, you got me wrong!

I'm looking forward to all that,

AND Gorka the Corker is back dancing with Frankie.

I know, I've got some mistletoe especially.

Can you hold it up so I've got both hands free? If you know what I mean!

Close my eyes, get ready. Gor-ka, I'm he-re!

LAUGHTER

Gorka?

-Has he been, Tess?

-Not yet.

-OK.

All right, I'm going to go and find him, wish me luck.

-Good luck.

-Gorka!

APPLAUSE

Our next Christmas couple is Denise Lewis,

from 2004, and her partner Anton du Beke.

CHEERING

When Denise performed on Strictly, she made it to the final,

but that was 12 years ago. Has our Olympic athlete still got it?

And more importantly, can Anton keep up?

LAUGHTER

Not content with an Olympic gold medal,

series two runner-up Denise Lewis is back

on Strictly to try and lift the Christmas trophy.

I have such happy memories of Strictly, I had the best time.

All the glitz and the glamour, that adrenaline rush,

but 12 years - is it really that long?

That was absolutely outstanding, I think you're a first-rate dancer.

Since I've been involved in Strictly I've retired from athletics,

and I've become a pundit.

Come on, Mo!

People seem to remember me getting very excited

watching Mo Farah win in 2012.

-Can't think why.

-SHE SCREAMS WITH JOY

I got really excited then, but I'm even more excited

to be involved with the Strictly Christmas Special.

If you're going to do ballroom, there is only one man for the job.

Anton is the king of ballroom and it's just so perfect

that I'm going to be dancing with him on Christmas Day.

I can't wait to get my shoes on again. Ah!

They're yum. Good.

We're doing the Viennese Waltz, and we're dancing it to that

old favourite Christmas movie Meet Me in St Louis.

Judy Garland. Iconic movie, so I'm hoping people are going to love it.

She is fabulous and brilliant.

Merry Christmas to me.

-This is gorgeous.

-Woo!

Been a long while since I've done Strictly, and since then, I've had

three children, so today I thought I'd bring the little one along.

Hi, Kane! Let's do a double cracker.

I know you weren't around the first time

your mum did Strictly Come Dancing.

-Would you like to see her dance now?

-Yeah, OK.

I think it was pretty good, just dancing with An...

RECORD SCRATCHES

-What's your name again?

-Anton.

-Anton.

-And they both were really good.

-So what do you think?

-A ten.

BOTH: Yay!

Knowing Kane and the rest of the family will be watching me

at home, I can't wait to show everyone what I can do.

DENISE LAUGHS

Good luck, Mummy, merry Christmas.

Dancing the Viennese Waltz, Denise Lewis and Anton du Beke.

MUSIC: Meet Me in St Louis, Louis by Judy Garland

APPLAUSE

AUDIENCE: Woo!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Denise and Anton in the Christmas ballroom.

-12 years on and you look better than ever.

-Better than ever.

-Beautiful.

Younger, I'd say, younger.

-Oh, stop it.

-Well done, Anton.

Darcey, did that have all the fun of the fair?

Oh, and more, gosh.

It was smooth. Big, beautiful moves across that dance floor,

and of course that stunning fleckle that you just kept going

and kept going and kept...

Really, the quality was stunning, well done.

Len.

Meet Me in St Louis?

Denise, I'd meet you anywhere, because that was so lovely.

I can't believe it's 12 years, you haven't changed a bit.

Anton, nice to see ya.

You had a merry-go-round - you were going round, I was merry,

it was better than a bit of cheese and a pickled walnut

on a Christmas evening. Beautiful!

Definitely better than that.

Bruno, was that an Olympic effort from our Denise?

Oh, it was pure gold. Look at her, radiant.

I tell you, I could not have wished for a more precious Christmas gift.

Both on presentation, in content - first class.

"First class."

Craig, finish us off, my darling.

HE PURRS

I thought the spotting was a little bit stiff through the turns...

AUDIENCE GROANS

..it was a little skippy throughout,

however you maintained your frame,

which was brilliant,

it was tall, it was elegant,

it was graceful - gorgeous.

Oh, gorgeous. He is gorgeous. Great to see you back.

-I love this friendly lion.

-A merry Christmas to you.

Let's have Christmas every week.

I wish. Off you go, sprint on up to Claudia.

Denise and Anton.

SPEECH DROWNED BY CHEERING

Ho!

Denise!

-Denise and Anton...

-Oh-ho! Merry Christmas! Oh-ho!

He's still on the carousel.

I watched some of your training footage and then I became

obsessed by it, because all you two did - you trained -

but you laughed, you had so much fun, is it lovely being back?

It IS lovely being back.

I said if had the pleasure of coming back on the show again to

dance with this man, it would be a real honour.

ALL: Aww!

Hug it out.

The scores are in.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the judges have their scores.

Craig Revel Horwood.

Darcey Bussell.

A spinning nine.

-Len Goodman.

-It's a ten from Len.

ANTON ROARS

Bruno Tonioli.

I don't know I've ever seen Anton this happy.

I've never had tens!

Remember, there's no voting...

-Tens!

-..from half past tonight, it's the audience vote...

This is what it feels like!

LAUGHTER

-Thank you! THANK YOU!

-It's all for you.

..the audience votes are combined with the judges' scores

that will decide our Strictly Christmas champions.

-You all right?

-I don't know, I don't care.

Still to come, Frankie is dancing with Mr Whippy.

My mistake, she's an ice queen, not an ice cream.

How many times have I got that wrong? Hundreds and thousands...

LAUGHTER AND GROANING

Our next couple is Melvin Odoom, from this year's series,

and his partner Janette Manrara.

Look who's here. Yep, it's the class of 2016.

And Melvin is back tonight as Buddy from the Christmas movie Elf.

He's doing a Charleston in a toy shop.

No, I don't know about this year's best-selling toy,

but I think this routine could be just what we've always wanted.

CHEERING

Radio DJ and TV presenter Melvin Odoom

hit the Strictly dance floor earlier this year.

I left Strictly Come Dancing really early, but I am BACK,

and I'm so excited.

The cha-cha's a cheeky, fun dance and that's what you portrayed,

so good on you.

I'm dancing with Janette for the Christmas Special, I wouldn't

dance with anyone else, to be fair, and I'm so happy about that.

-Hello!

-For Christmas, we are going to be elves.

Unbelievable!

Our Christmas movie is Elf and we are dancing the Charleston.

So my character is Buddy the Elf. He's cheeky, he's excited, he's fun.

Does he remind you of anyone?

Melvin is putting everything into this routine,

I think he wants to come back with a bang for Christmas.

MELVIN CHUCKLES

Make sure you've got high energy, it's Charleston,

we're in a toy store and Santa's going to be there!

Santa's going to be there! Santa Claus, HA!

Yeah, yeah!

So our routine is based in a toy store,

so I've brought you to a toy store so you can get some inspiration.

Are you going to behave in there?

-Come on!

-We're going to meet some elves.

-Real elves?

-Calm down, OK?

OK, I'm calm, I'm calm.

'Scuse me, I'm here to see the elves. I'm so excited.

Hopefully, we get to see Santa.

So Melvin found some elves downstairs and we

followed them up into Santa's Grotto.

SHE GASPS

Santa wasn't here.

He's feeding the reindeer.

But the good thing is, we got some advice from some real, live elves.

You must have high elf-esteem,

you've also got to know a lot about magic.

-And then Santa walked in.

-Santa!

We did a little bit of a dance,

showed him a little bit of our routine, and he liked it.

That was fantastic!

Coming here has been absolutely amazing,

it's really got me into character.

I even gave him a list of all the good boys and girls because

I wanted to make sure everyone got their presents.

Oh, I forgot one name.

And I want to impress all the judges and get the gift of good scores.

CHEERING

Dancing the Charleston, Melvin Odoom and Janette Manrara.

MUSIC: Sparklejollytwinklejingley from Elf

AUDIENCE: Woo!

CHEERING

# HE MIMES: I can't lie, it makes me tingle

CHEERING

Let's hear it for Melvin and Janette.

Ohhh!

So lovely to see you dance again, Melvin.

-Thank you.

-Let's see what your friends thought over there.

Thumbs up?

Brilliant. Well done.

Len, was that the Christmas gift you've been waiting for?

Ah, it was indeed.

Melvin, what a parcel of joy, fun and entertainment,

and it's a lovely Christmas present to see you back dancing again.

And I've got to say,

everything is right in the world when you've got your ELF.

Oh, we've got our little M-elf-in.

-Bruno, did that jingle your Christmas bells?

-Well, after all...

# Is the season to be jolly

# La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. #

And you did just that!

It was a festive pick-me-up

that hit all the spots,

a real cracker, exploding with fun, energy, joy.

-That's what we need now. You did it.

-Thank you.

He was smiling with you, are you smiling, Craig?

Yes, I am inside. I'm smiling inside.

It was compact, it was perky.

It had enormous attack.

I loved the characterisation.

I adored that lift you did. That was brilliant.

And, you know what?

It's great to finally see your full potential, darling.

Absolutely a-ma-zing!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Happy Christmas!

Darcey.

I absolutely loved that routine.

You are two cheeky, edible elves. I loved it.

That line, that great double cartwheel lift - so impressive.

You're musical, you're bouncy, you're twisty,

the Charleston was great. Loved it.

-Yes!

-Well done.

Great comments. We love a movie with a happy ending.

-Very happy about that.

-So are we.

I loved it. I loved every second of that.

We loved every second with you. Off you go.

It's Melvin and Janette.

Well done.

THEY EXCLAIM

Melvin!

Every week after you went, we were like, "Where is he? Where is he?"

-How lovely to be back, Christmas show.

-So happy to be back.

Doing a Charleston.

It's fun, it was bouncy. I really enjoyed that as well.

Your highest mark when you danced on the show was 23.

How much would you like to get more than that?

-I'd be happy with anything. I'm already happy.

-Are you?! Aw!

-Shall we not go to the scores?

-No, it's OK.

-I'm joking.

Scores are in.

Will the judges please reveal their scores?

Craig Revel Horwood.

Darcey Bussell.

Len Goodman.

Bruno Tonioli.

-Perfect score.

-Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yes!

It's a great day. It's a great day!

It IS a great day! Merry Christmas to you.

Yes!

Now I've got some more fun. You're going to be pleased with me.

Please bring on the Christmas crackers.

-DRUMROLL SOUNDS

-Oh, yeah.

Yeah, excellent. Take a cracker, please.

Tell us your cheese-based jokes.

Go ahead.

-What happened when the cheese lorry crashed?

-What happened?

There was de-BRIE all over the road.

CHEERING

OK, all right. Pamela.

I have an addiction to Cheddar.

But it's only mild!

And Melvin.

-How did the cheese-maker paint his wife?

-How?

He double GLOUCESTER!

Excellent cheese-based humour.

Please don't have nightmares.

Well done, you. 40! Tess.

I'll try not to.

Our final couple is Frankie Bridge from 2014,

and her partner Gorka Marquez.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

They are doing an American Smooth to Let It Go from Frozen.

Frankie plays the part of Elsa,

whose magic touch turns everything to ice.

Frankie might have cold hands,

but let's just hope she doesn't get cold feet.

Pop star and TV personality Frankie Bridge

added Strictly finalist to her CV when she danced in 2014.

You were right on it, honey!

When I first did Strictly, I had so much fun, so to be able to come

back and do the Christmas Special is an absolute dream come true.

Since I did Strictly, I had another little boy,

so I've been very busy with him and my eldest.

Last time I was on the show, I was a runner-up,

but hopefully this time with Gorka,

I'll be able to get my hands on the trophy.

American Smooth is the dance that we're doing.

It happened to be the one dance that we never got to do,

so, for me, I'm so excited that I get to do it now.

One thing I am really worried about in this routine is the lifts.

I've just never been very good at them, so I'm going to be so nervous.

I get to play Queen Elsa from Frozen, which is every girl's dream.

I've just got to find the ice queen within.

It's going to really suit you.

I'm a big fan of the movie Frozen,

but don't say to anyone, you know?

Everyone's heard Let It Go.

It's a song that just gets stuck in your head.

I think it's perfect for Christmas.

To help find her inner Elsa, Gorka takes Frankie somewhere literally...

frozen.

Surprise.

Stop it!

Gorka thought that it would help me to feel like Elsa if

he bought me a dodgy blonde wig.

Lovely. I feel like a princess already.

We had a little dance,

and it definitely helped me get into the mood,

but I can't wait to get out there and just let it go.

I do actually feel like the snow queen of Arendelle.

I'm glad that you found your inner Elsa, but now let's go and practise.

Gorka, I'm frozen!

Dancing the American smooth,

Frankie Bridge and Gorka Marquez.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That was one cool American smooth.

Magical, my darling.

I had goose bumps, and it wasn't just the cold. Well done. Gorgeous.

Bruno, did that send shivers down your spine?

Oh! Shivers and chills! And, yet, it could melt the coldest heart, Craig.

Really, that was beautiful and magical.

The perfect dance to end a perfect night. Thank you.

He said it could melt the coldest hearts. Craig, did it?

Er...

Yes, it did melt my heart, darling. It did.

I thought in this you really, really and truly let go.

I loved your lines. You make the dance so exciting.

Incredible, incredible timing.

Gorka, I was loving your little solo there, darling.

I thought it was absolutely wonderful.

Thank you. Darcey.

You know, you bring back such wonderful memories, Frankie,

seeing you on that dance floor. You are so elegant.

There were seamless exits from all of those lifts, so well done.

I have to say you did spread this cool glamour

across the Strictly dance floor. Thank you very much.

Made it look so easy. Len.

The movie was Frozen, but you were on fire. You really were.

Beautiful lifts, flying across the room like Santa on his sleigh,

bringing us a fantastic gift. What a dance, what a Christmas Special.

It's been great.

What comments! Let's see if the scores are the icing on the cake.

Well done, my darling. Great to see you back. It's Frankie and Gorka.

Frankie! Well done. You never did an American smooth, did you?

-No, I never got to do it.

-Did you love doing that?

-Yeah.

You look amazing. Beautiful song.

Your solo, it was perfect. Congratulations.

You had a baby since you were on this show, didn't you?

-Yeah, I did, yeah.

-Hello, Carter. He's too little. Never mind.

But, still... The scores are in. Good luck.

Will the judges please reveal their scores?

Craig Revel Horwood.

Darcey Bussell.

Len Goodman.

This is the last ever ten from Len.

ALL: Aw!

Bruno Tonioli.

40!

-Highest score. You never got 40, you got close.

-It's taken me two years!

-I got there.

-You got there!

That was extra special, because it was the last ten from Len.

-I'm a wee bit sad.

-That makes me a bit... OK.

Six Strictly stars have all danced in our Christmas Movie Special,

so let's take a look at the leaderboard.

At the top, we have joint...

Both Melvin and Janette, Frankie and Gorka both with a score of 40.

Down at the other end are Ainsley and Karen with 35.

Now, Frankie and Gorka, quick question.

I loved your Frozen routine.

Do you not feel, it's Christmas, we might need a snowman?

Definitely.

MUSIC: Walking In The Air by Aled Jones

Aled Jones. Aled Jones, ladies and gentlemen.

ALED MOUTHS THE LYRICS

He's still got that voice!

-DEEP VOICE:

-Thanks, Claudia.

We love you for being here.

Remember, the judges scores are only half the story tonight.

Our studio audience are ready to vote for their favourite.

Their votes could change everything.

Keep going with all your might.

Here's a reminder of all of...

tonight's Christmas dances. Aled Jones, ladies and gentlemen.

We'll be announcing our winning couple very soon,

but first, we have another Christmas treat.

He's singing the track

from one of the most iconic festive films of all time.

With White Christmas, please welcome Matt Goss.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

# Just like the ones I used to know

# Where the tree tops glisten

# And children listen

# To hear sleigh bells in the snow

# I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

# With every Christmas card I write

# May your days be merry and bright

# And may all your Christmases be white

# I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

# Just like the ones I used to know

# May your day be merry and bright

# And may all your Christmases be white

# I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

# Just like the ones I used to know

# May your days be merry

# And bright

# And may all

# Your Christmases

# Be

# White. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Huge thanks to Matt Goss and our professional dancers,

Giovanni and Karen.

Now, we've been having lots of fun in the ballroom tonight,

but Christmas can be a really tough time for some people,

especially those dealing with mental health issues.

Our Christmas cast and Strictly pros decided to throw a party

with the wonderful people at Mind.

Strictly lined up a festive treat in North London

to get talking about mental health.

Come on, you lot.

It's very important to think about mental health at Christmas.

For some people, this can be a really difficult time of year,

if you struggle with anxiety.

It's just great to be able to spread the message about mental health

and the importance of us all talking about our mental health.

Oh, thank you very much. I'm getting a Christmas hug.

You like my bells?

It's still a taboo to talk about mental illness,

because people do see it as a sign of weakness.

That's basically the quickstep.

I'm really excited about today.

It's phenomenal dancing and encouraging others to dance.

It's just really, really important to create those endorphins.

It's brilliant.

With that in mind, our pros decide to get everyone on the dance floor.

Karen is going to take you for a cha-cha class.

Are you all up for it?

CHEERING

Keep going.

How important is it for the Strictly lot to turn up today?

I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,

depression and anxiety, so I started dancing.

It was a release.

My mind was free.

You literally switch off from the problems you had.

Yeah, dancing is so important to me because of that.

I can see why people would do dancing.

I feel like it's exhilarating and it can get you to stop thinking about

what's going on in the past or in the future and live in the moment.

Thank you so much!

Why are you here and why are you volunteering?

I've got experience of mental health problems myself, so the

fact that I can use my experiences to help lift other people up...

What would be the number one thing that you would like to get

out to the world?

I think not to give up hope and to constantly look to the future,

even though you might get days where you can't see the future at all.

There's such a fantastic connection between dance and feeling better,

whether it's just lifting your day or really helping you if

you're struggling with mental health issues.

It was wonderful. Learning all about their own individual stories.

We know that there's a lot of unhappiness around Christmas time,

but here it's a positive story.

It's a happy story.

It's been fabulous.

Days like this are a wonderful way of bringing people together.

I'm so honoured and thrilled to be a part of it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Warmest wishes and very happy Christmas

to all those extraordinary people.

It's now the moment we've all been waiting for -

the results are in.

Ainsley and Karen, Len said,

"Full of energy, full of go.

"Delicious, like my nan's Christmas pudding."

Gethin and Chloe, Bruno said,

"Twinkle-toed, light-footed,

"Gethin, you've still got it."

Pamela and Pasha, Craig said,

"Fantastically on-time.

"Absolutely amazing energy."

Denise and Anton, Darcey said,

"The quality was stunning.

"The spin and the impressive fleckle just kept going."

Melvin and Janette, Craig said,

"It was great to see your full potential.

"Absolutely amazing."

Frankie and Gorka, Darcey said,

"You bring back such wonderful memories.

"You are so elegant and spread cool glamour

"across the Strictly dance floor."

We have combined the judges' scores with the audience votes

to find out who will be taking home the Christmas trophy.

The results have been independently verified.

I can now reveal

the 2016 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions are...

..Melvin and Janette!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well done! Well done to all of you.

You were all superb!

Come here.

You are adorable!

How does it feel? Christmas champion!

This is the best Christmas ever!

-Aw!

-Aw!

Where is that going to live in your house, Melvin?

I'm going to put it on my front door.

As a decoration, so people know.

Well, we have great pleasure in crowning Melvin and Janette

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions 2016!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Huge congratulations to Melvin and Janette, and to all of our couples.

Now for our final performance.

For one last time, our head judge Len will be taking to the floor.

-Can't bear it.

-Please welcome back our Strictly stars

for the final chapter in our Christmas Movie Special!

SONG: Auld Lang Syne

SONG: Underneath The Tree

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Aw!

-Aw!

-Come here, Len.

The best Christmas party in town.

A huge thank you to the Strictly Christmas cast and, of course,

-to our judges. We love you, Len.

-Yes, we do.

Most of all, thank you for watching at home.

And from all of us here at Strictly...

ALL: Merry Christmas!

CHEERING

SONG: Merry Christmas Everybody

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE