Week 8 Strictly Come Dancing

Last week our ten remaining couples

took a flight of fancy around the

Strictly dance floor. Some sword to

stratospheric new heights. While

others hit rock bottom, literally.

And in a shock dance-off that no one

saw coming, it was Aston, who was

grounded, once and for all. This

week, with Blackpool just one week

away, every minute counts. Nine

celebrities remain. But only eight

will make it.

I'm practising.

I'm

going to have to work really hard.

If you snooze, you lose.

I wish

there was more hours in the day.

I've been running through the

routine.

One wrong step and it's

curtains.

One person out of our

group doesn't make it a Blackpool.

I

don't want to fail now because we've

come this far.

I've got to do

everything at this point, I've got

to make it through.

This is Strictly

Come Dancing.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Live from the BBC, this

is Strictly Come Dancing!

Please welcome your

hosts, Tess Daly...

And Claudia Winkleman!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hello and welcome to

Strictly Come Dancing!

Last week, we witnessed

an unforgettable night

in the ballroom after Debbie raised

the bar with her perfect tango,

scoring the first 40 of the series.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And in our results show,

Aston and Janette found

themselves in the bottom two,

alongside Mollie and AJ.

After an incredibly close dance-off,

it was Aston and Janette who sadly

left the competition.

At this stage, nobody is safe.

Your favourite couples

need your vote more than ever.

That's right.

Nine couples remain and tonight

the pressure is really on,

because next week's Strictly is live

from Blackpool and everyone

wants to be there.

Last year, we mentioned

Blackpool 248 times.

Good news - this year, we're

going for a record of over 300.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

.

So to make it to BLACKPOOL,

they'll need the help of these four.

Please welcome the judges!

Darcey Bussell.

Bruno Tonioli.

Craig Revel Horwood.

And Shirley Ballas.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The judges, everyone.

Blackpool.

Our couples are all backstage.

And with a place in next

week's show up for grabs,

they're more nervous than ever.

So please welcome...

Our Strictly stars.

TV presenter Ruth Langsford

and her partner Anton du Beke.

EastEnders star, Davood Ghadami

and his partner, Nadiya Bychkova.

Pop star Mollie King,

and her partner AJ Pritchard.

Actress and radio presenter,

Gemma Atkinson and her

partner, Aljaz Skorjanec.

Entertainer and radio broadcaster,

Debbie McGee and her

partner, Giovanni Pernice.

From Holby City, Joe McFadden

and his partner, Katya Jones

Comedian and presenter,

Susan Calman and her

partner, Kevin Clifton.

Paralympic gold medallist,

Jonnie Peacock and his

partner, Oti Mabuse.

Singer and theatre star

Alexandra Burke and her

partner Gorka Marquez.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

There they are - all

dreaming of Blackpool,

but like its famous roller-coaster,

there'll be plenty of twists

and turns before they get there.

You will be able to vote

for your favourite later on.

Your votes will be added

to the judges' scores to decide

which two couples will face

the dance-off in Sunday

night's Results Show.

It's then down to the judges alone

to decide who will be the next

couple to leave the competition.

Dancing first tonight

is Susan Calman and her

partner Kevin Clifton.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Last week, Susan gave us some great

expressions throughout her

hugely entertaining jive.

Tonight, she's got another

dance that demands expert

facial choreography,

so Susan, prepare your tango face.?

LAUGHTER

The jive went well.

We conquered the

jive. It was all right, without our

sparkly dungarees.

The energy, it

did not fail at all. This is

definitely your dance.

It's amazing.

It's great, I loved every moment of

it, it was exhausting, but I loved

it.

This week we are dancing the

tango. The tango has edges. It's

very sharp and precise. For so many

weeks I've been teaching Susan in

the ballroom dances to sort of

glider head softly from side to side

and now I'm going to have to ask to

go sharp. From to there, bang! We

are one weekend away from making it

to Blackpool. All our dreams could

come true, but if the first serious

moment of me and you come you can't

just go out and have a big beaming

smile on your face from the

beginning of the dance.

It's like

intense.

Show me your intense face.

Oh, yeah.

I'm looking forward to

doing a different style of dance.

It's the first time people will see

is coming out on stage, people think

I'm happy and joyful and I'm

actually quite dramatic. Bringing

out that side of my character is

going to be amazing.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the tango, Susan Calman

and her partner Kevin Clifton.

MUSIC: Firework.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Absolutely explosive! Susan and

Kevin, ladies and gentlemen. That's

the first time you've ever danced

with Kevin and not smile. Are there

tears?

A little bit! Quite an

emotional dance by Kevin.

Kevin, you

were in the zone, won't you?

It was

great though.

It was great, it was

explosive!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

OK, my darling. What have the judges

thought? Let's hear it for our

fabulous live singers. And of

course, Dave Arch and his magical

Orchestra. Do you need a tissue?

I'm

all right.

You are happy again, did

our pocket rocket sparkle for you

tonight, surely?

She certainly did.

I think you are feeling those

emotions because she really tried to

put them in the tango. I think you

danced everything from your heart

today so let me tell you, I'm used

to seeing you in a comic role. We've

had mother of dragons, right? We've

had breaking up with Craig over

here, painting houses, and today,

you bring the serious side of you.

You didn't miss a step. You have

lovely footwork. Strong heels. You

still have to keep working, but from

week one to this one coming you've

come huge strides.

Thank you very

much.

Bruno?

I loved the way you

channelled your dramatic persona.

She had the kind of pout and a smile

in her face. It was quite -- like

watching Suranne Jones. I'm going to

get him, whatever it takes! But

actually, seriously, we counted, all

the way through, she's going to go

off, no, you did every single step

eggs exactly the precise time. You

placed your heel. You never lost the

timing. Darling...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Great.

Your posture is the main

thing that bothers me, because there

is no actual V shape. It lacks for

me a bit of dynamic and attack,

particularly in your head, the sharp

heads. Your feet weren't always

closing. It was only once or twice.

And your phrase did look in pain...

It did, but I have to say, something

about you, I love the serious side

of you. I really do. You put your

all into it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It was outstanding, the focus and

drama that you brought to it, you

started with a very strong frame and

that lovely pout to start with, but

as you get into it you get more and

more emotional, don't you?

I do,

I've never danced before and I find

it really emotional.

as you get more

emotional, the elbows starts bobbing

and the frame starts to soft and a

bit so you have to really keep the

focus and maintain it, all the way

through. A much better job.

Thank

you very much, thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We've seen a different side to her

tonight. Well done, Susan and Kevin,

ladies and gentlemen.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well done!

Thanks!

Well done, well done! It means a

lot.

It does, it does, it's really

strange. It does mean a lot.

How

wonderful, when you trained so hard,

you are training in a car park. You

train all the time and when Darcey

says, outstanding, you are over the

moon?

It's very good.

The scores are

in.

The judges' scores are in. Craig

Revel Horwood.

Five.

Darcey Bussell.

Six.

Shirley Ballas.

Eight.

Bruno

Tonioli.

Eight. Are you happy,

Kevin?

Very happy, two eights.

If

you adored their tango and would

like to give your vote, all the

details you need are on your screen

now. Don't forget as voting won't

open until later on in the show.

Well done, Susan and Kevin. Now it's

time for the terms and conditions.

If there's one song that sums up how

we all feel about going to Blackpool

next week, it's this one.

I'm so

excited...

You are having too much fun up

there, your next couple is Joe

McFadden and his partner, Katya

Jones.

In last week's brilliant

charleston, they played

a pair of children's toys.

Tonight, they've put the toys away,

lowered the lights,

and are getting ready to rumba.?

How did Saturday go?

It went by in a

flash. It was nerve-wracking being

in that little wooden box.

The

character, the way we came out was

so fun.

Nine!

A nine from Craig! Let

go ready to rumba.

To secure their

place in Blackpool, Joe and Katya

are dancing the rumba.

We will have

to have a lot of connection, to feel

we are working with each other.

It

seems simple, but it's not. There is

a lot of intricacy to it. You have

to pay attention.

It is the rotation

of your shoulder blades.

It's quite

hard to remember the steps, because

they are all very similar to each

other.

Every figure in rumba

contains the rumba walk. Transfer or

weight onto your foot. These are two

different things.

I was scared of

the rumba in the beginning and I

wasn't sure we were going to get on.

It's been a tough week. We have put

in the hours. I just hope I do us

both proud and get us to Blackpool.

Dancing the rumba, Joe McFadden

and his partner Katya Jones.

MUSIC: One.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Well done,

Joe and Katya. I am feeling the

love. There is a lot resting on this

rumba tonight. And it is not easy

for the male celebrity to make the

rumba look good. How did he do?

That

was a smouldering Latin lover with a

caring and tender touch. You won't

find that in Magaluf, Craig,

darling. It was a perfect balance of

presentation and interaction with

your partner. It wasn't overdrawn,

it was always placed correctly. The

lines, great shapes, nice hips. One

thing - don't break your hands. When

you extend, let go through.

Sometimes, it kind of feels odd.

Your hand has to continue the flow.

Don't break it. Otherwise,

wonderful.

Craig?

For me, it was a

bit jolted. The rumba it is danced

on 2-3-4 and you are holding the

one. Your footwork was going a bit

parallel rather than turned out,

particularly on your left foot when

you did sliding doors. You were a

bit pigeon toed. But we haven't seen

many celebrity men do this well, and

your hip action was lovely. And you

presented her beautifully.

Darcey?

For me, Joe, this was good! You kept

it smooth. It was earthy and well

controlled. Even with that speed of

music, you were able to smooth it

out and not make it too spiky. There

was mass resistance between the two

of you and your balance with your

legs, very good. I really did enjoy

it. Especially the deep lunch as

well. Not bad!

Surly, last week you

said Joe was a dark horse of the

competition. What do you think s'?

I

still think Jovetic collars. -- you

are the dark horse. You did an

amazing routine. You did well on the

majority of the basic steps. I want

to commend you on your cucuracha.

You look like you were squashing the

road. And I disagree with Craig

because I think you flowed today. It

was masculine and feminine. It is

very difficult to lead the rumba and

you did an exquisite job.

You were

worried about this.

I was concerned.

Good job, Joe and Katya!

Yes!

Well

done. I saw you say on it takes to,

I hate this.

I was trying not to

hate it, and I did grow to love it.

They said exquisite. The scores are

in.

Yes!

Katya, I love your reactions!

That is the second-highest score for

a male celebrity in the rumba.

All

thanks to this girl.

If you enjoyed

the rumba and think does today in

the competition, make sure they get

your vote. Voting will open towards

the end of the show. Still to come,

can Jonnie do a in Paris? Yes, he

can-can.

Next up is Ruth Langsford

and her partner Anton du Beke.

Last week's paso left Ruth

in a horrible position.

Not on top of Anton, but at

the bottom of the leaderboard.

She's hoping tonight's foxtrot

leaves her somewhere

much more comfortable.

Basically, you fell over, not me.

I

was trying to avoid you up in the

air. I will not do that again.

You

could not have made it up.

What more

do you want?

And to that point, I

felt I had done a passable paso

doble. All in all, I was happy. And

it is about entertainment.

We are

doing a dance this week called the

slow foxtrot, but we are just going

to call it does slow.

And what is

the essence of a good foxtrot?

Solo.

Timing is everything. Leg speed is

paramount to a good foxtrot.

Ballroom poise is difficult. It is a

work in progress with every ballroom

dance. To maintain your shape, you

are pressing against this arm.

We

swapped places because he wanted me

to feel what he meant. There are

three things I have to practise.

Frame. I am practising wherever I

can. Pretty ballroom fingers... How

can you have your fingers down and

up?

Easy.

And slow down. It is the

most difficult of all the dance as I

have done, but I am determined to

get there.

Dancing the foxtrot, Ruth Langsford

and her partner Anton du Beke.

MUSIC: Mack The Knife.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Ruth and

Anton, ladies and gentlemen. She is

one determined lady. And you are

both still standing.

We stayed

upright.

And you caught the props

live. Well done. Craig?

I thought

the side by side at the beginning

lacked any real style, flair or

charisma. And you messed up coming

down the stairs. You came down at

completely different times.

That was

me, I came down the wrong bit. And I

missed a step out. I apologise.

And

once you got into the foxtrot, I

felt like you were trotting like a

horse rather than flowing across the

floor.

I am getting a horse trot was

not to your taste.

Darcey?

Sadly,

there was no glide. You were a

little up and down. You were trying

to travel, which was good, and you

kept in hold but there were moments

when it felt like you were swimming,

which was a shame.

That is a move

called the swim.

Like everything,

there is always a dance that is very

challenging and we know the foxtrot

is one of those difficult dances.

Sadly, you were slightly out of your

depth.

I disagree. She was out of

her depth in the rumba. You were in

your depth in this dance.

Shirley,

can you make it better?

Well, we are

getting ready for Blackpool, so I

have to be firm today.

You don't

feel it.

You did manage to have some

slows. Quick, quick, and slow, which

I appreciated. But it is called the

slow foxtrot, and you went quick,

quick, quick. There were so many

quicks. I only counted once slow in

it.

Then that is the slow taking

care of!

And it wasn't my favourite

today. It did look a bit like a

quickstep, sorry.

Bruno?

It was the

fox that lost the trot. It turned

into a gallop. The thing is,

darling, you did the steps, but they

were in the wrong time with Anton.

You have to do it at the same time

all the way through. Especially the

end sequences. Once you go wrong, it

became a dash to the end. Just tried

to keep the steps in time, and do

the right ones. Then it works.

We

are all very proud of you. You have

come a long way. Your fabulous. Ruth

and Anton.

Oh, well.

You were

amazing!

Come on, darling. We thought it was

perfect. Didn't we?

Can't you judge

it next week?

And give it 20 out of

five. What was sweet, your son's

face throughout, so proud. He was

listening to the judges and was

like, they've got it all wrong. You

found it difficult, didn't you?

I

found it difficult, I found it hard

going slow to the music. I love that

song, it's a favourite of my dad's.

So that was special.

Yes, exactly,

we thought you were per fax.

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges

have their scores. Craig Revel

Horwood.

All right. Never mind that, never

mind. Never mind that, well done.

I

don't understand it. I don't

understand, I'd hide my own time and

everything.

If you thought Ruth and

Anton's foxtrot was wonderful,

you'll need to make sure they get

your vote. All the details you need

are on your screen now.

All right, yes, fine, still to come,

Alexandra and Gorka perform the

first Argentine tango of the series.

Dancing for a place in Blackpool

is Davood Ghadami and his

partner Nadiya Bychkova.

In last week's American smooth,

Davood wowed us all with that

amazing one-handed lift,

but can he reach new heights

with tonight's charleston?

It's time to find out.

I really wanted those steps to be

right, I wanted the foxtrot to be

elegant and I wanted the story to

show.

Fabulous.

Totally awesome.

Having those remarks from the judges

and the schools that we did, it adds

to what we do.

I'm so proud of you,

you are becoming a real dancer. If

you are thrilled this week, it's

Blackpool. It's really nice because

I remember doing Blackpool for so

many years, as a dancer.

Actor

Davood plays market trader in

Eastenders and will dance the

charleston with a familiar not seem.

It goes with my day job, I feel like

I've already had an insight into it.

The judges are looking for smooth.

You have to cross and swivel your

heels in and out, it was a Jay

Berger because we have our own

character version of it. -- its

jaybird. It's like a 1920s car,

although it's light and fun looking,

technically it's a difficult dance.

Because of the speed, asking me to

go slower.

Make sure I get that

rhythm, so we are in synchronisation

all the time. I've been working

really hard, let's hope we can get

the choreography and speed that the

charleston requires right on the

night.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the charleston,

Davood Ghadami and his partner

Nadiya Bychkova.

MUSIC: The Lambeth Walk.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Can I put her down?

You can put her

down now! Are you all right, lad?

That was another one... Amazing. You

are becoming a dancer, you are

right, Nadiya. Fantastic performance

and I know how much you wanted to

get it right tonight. Did he,

Darcey?

Oh, you are on the way up!

It was great! You are tall, strong

man, strong frame and everything,

but you were able to keep all those

details with that speed and

everything. Even the control in

those fast lifts as well, not losing

the character. It was quirky,

cheeky, you held onto that all the

way through and even when you had

Nadiya on your shoulders you still

had the swivel in your feed. Very

good.

A genuine contender, surely?

Yes, you're choreography is

outstanding but you can have great

choreography and not executed well.

You executed it to the best of your

ability. It was amazing, floor was

for me, flawless.

Wow!

Your star is

rising high. You've always shown

flash and dash, but what you've

proven over the past few weeks is

versatility and you are getting

better and better, week by week.

Craig, did you enjoy seeing this?

Amazing!

CHEERING

Well done, you, brilliant comments,

brilliant performance. Davood and

Nadiya.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well done!

Did he just say that?

Craig did just say that. I know your

daughters vote for Jonnie, but I

know you are desperate to go to

Blackpool.

Please vote for daddy,

I'm going to be Bond next week.

Don't worry, Jonnie. The scores are

in.

Will the judges pleads reveal

their scores?

You have never danced before and you

just got that.

Yeah, am I dreaming

here?

Your wife is sobbing! She's

sobbing! You can go down and cuddle

her, but really, not yet! If you

want to C Davide and Nadiya perform

in Blackpool, make sure they get

your vote.

Well done. All of this is still to

come.

I'm a little bit worry that

Oti has let me lead, hopefully I

won't mess it up.

I feel like a fan

who is taking part in the show. I

need to get this excitement into

this performance, so that we can get

to Blackpool.

I've got to stay flat

whilst wearing heels and being on my

toes. At the minute it looks like

I'm falling over after one too many

Sherbert is.

This also is a real

party dance where you can really let

go. That's the side of me that will

be shown.

This dance is the most

challenging you've done so far. I

need to make sure the technique is

right, the speed is right. The list

can go on!

I can't wait to see all

of that and of course everyone is

desperate to get to Blackpool. We've

got so much to take. Claudia, did

you find is a big drunk?

I did get

drunk but there might have been some

confusion. ELEPHANT CALLS. I'm going

to sort this out.

Next up is Gemma Atkinson

and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec.

After last week's salsa,

it's back to ballroom

for Gemma with a routine set

at a railway station.

So all aboard for

the Viennese waltz.

I absolutely love it. There were a

few things that set us back.

Win you

going to lift you have to keep your

body taut, because if you think he

has nothing to push from.

The lifts

go better in rehearsals but we've

had a laugh with the dance.

We have

pushed through the week that we knew

would be harder.

We are here

fighting for another week.

Wingate,

we're doing a Viennese waltz. Back

to ballroom, which you love.

Darcey

said my neck was too far back, so

I'm making sure I'm looking at eye

level.

Reveres neat -- the Viennese

waltz is not about quantity, it's

about quality. There's not an

enormous amount of steps, but the

steps we do, we have to do them

well.

Reverse means go backwards,

but you actually go forward. At this

stage in the competition there has

to be elements in their whether

judges go, wow.

I want to push Gemma

to do as many pivots as she possibly

can.

I feel I'm putting a lot of

pressure on myself this week,

because everyone is stepping up

their game. No one is safe.

It has

to be ago on Saturday.

The last

thing we want is to go out this

weekend, because I didn't do it

right.

Dancing the Viennese waltz,

Gemma Atkinson and her partner

Aljaz Skorjanec.

MUSIC: You Don't Have

To Say You Love Me.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

How about that, Gemma and Aljaz.

Come on over, my darlings. Too

dizzy? Are you dizzy, my darling? I

know you've been suffering from

rotation sickness. Are you OK? You

made that look effortless, I know it

wasn't. Everyone is feeling the

pressure this week. Has Gemma upped

her game, surely?

Not for me, this

week. Sorry. Let me explain why. You

had some fairly decent natural turns

and you had some nice slows in

there, I appreciate that with the

music but we had some mess up over

here on the fleckerl.

The shoe came

off.

It got tangled up, we had an

awful lot of rise and fall and for

me, what I want you to really work

on, you have to get your devotion

and your motion to come out as

emotion. You picked your emotion up

at the end on the continuous pivot,

but through the dance it left me

quite flat. So what I'm saying to

you is if you come back next week,

work on those inner emotions, get

them to come out. I want to feel

what you feel. Don't be frightened,

throw caution to the wind. Give it

your all. Not your best dance.

Bruno, what did you think?

Let me

say you looks very pretty in an

extremely difficult dance. The tempo

of this is insane. To keep the

correct steps and the drive and the

phrasing is very, very hard, but you

have two express. Look at him, you

have Aljaz, you're not holding a

laundry basket! I'm going to do a

cold wash... It doesn't matter, if

you go wrong, it doesn't matter,

keep playing the part. I always say,

performing art, the performance is

as important as the technique. Let

it out! Yes, love, let it out!

I did feel you were struggling to

keep up and it seemed a bit rushed.

All the states were there, but I

agree with Bruno, it does lack

emotion in the body. Just my

opinion.

Darcey?

I noticed a great

difference in your eye level, which

was brilliant.

Yes!

Thank you for

that improvement. And I understand

when something has so much rotation,

you did a full circle of pivots and

then came into a standing spin and

you came out and I can imagine that

the room was still spinning for you.

So I can see why. And in your top

line, the shoulders took that strain

and if that was difficult for you,

it did show. But not bad.

Sorry.

Don't apologise. You had a standing

ovation. We all loved it. Off you

go. Gemma and Aljaz, ladies and

gentlemen!

I'm going to take the shoe off,

because it is half off anyway.

You

don't need to shoes.

It was

incredibly hard for you. Ballroom

makes you shake anyway, and you get

nauseous. So well done. You did

great.

Of course she did.

You're so

hard on yourself.

We didn't

understand anything they set down

there.

They were speaking a

different language.

I know you are desperate to go to

Blackpool. If you thought Dan and

Aljaz's Viennese waltz was

wonderful, make sure you give them

your vote. All the details are on

your screen and voting will open

later. All of our couples want to

make it to Blackpool. And as we are

just over halfway through, let's see

how the leaderboard looks.

We have four couples left to dance.

Our next couple is Alexandra Burke

and her partner Gorka Marquez.

Shirley, it's the first Argentine

tango of the series.

What exactly will you

be looking out for?

We will be looking for some raw and

sensuous moves, along with some

sharp unlike actions and

synchronicity between the two

people. And just plain give it to

me! I want to feel the Argentine

tango.

Let's look out for all of

that.

Here's how they got

on in training this week.

I love Saturday. I know I was

petrified because we were going

first. When I watch it back, I am

really proud.

You put the cheeky in

cha-cha.

It was the best cha-cha of

the season so far.

Being second on

the leaderboard just makes me want

to work even harder and give

everything I can to stay as long as

possible. This week, we are doing

the first Argentine of the season

and I am so excited.

We did the

tango for Halloween, but as the

opposite. The only similar thing

they have is the name tango.

We did

well in our first tango, but the

Argentine tango is so different that

there is no guarantee it go well.

When I am doing the movement with

the legs, that is the one roof where

I need to have my legs be a bit more

floppy and not so tense. And make

sure the fluidity in the hips and

legs coordinates.

I am feeling the

pressure. This routine is full of

tricky and fast steps. One little

mistake can throw away the whole

routine.

If we get it right, it

could look amazing. But if I have

one foot out of place, it could fall

to pieces.

Dancing the Argentine tango,

Alexandra Burke and her partner

Gorka Marquez.

MUSIC: Mi Confesion.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Red-hot! Wow,

ladies and gentlemen. First

Argentine tango of the series. You

never fail to deliver. That was

smouldering in its intensity. How

was it for Bruno?

You are a

magnificent creature, fuelled by

pure, undiluted passion. And that

sequence of razor-sharp ganchos was

extraordinary.

Craig?

You never

cease to amaze me. That was

incredible.

I get excited when Craig

gets excited! Darcey?

It is the

intensity. You engage us

straightaway into your private

dance. The beautiful lines in your

feet, especially in those lifts. You

just have to finish off the line

with those feet. At the end, I got

so excited, but I could see you were

as well. The emotion comes a little

too much into the shoulders, but it

was so passionate. I loved it.

Did

you get what you were looking for,

Shirley?

I felt like I was

transported to a nightclub where

there were just the two of you,

nobody else watching, just in your

own space. I thought it was superb.

They loved it. A towering

performance. Will it get them to the

Tower ballroom? We hope so.

Alexandra and Gorka.

First Argentine

and enormous pressure because it is

a fan favourite. You supposed to

stand on his feet?

Yes!

Good! You

were incredibly nervous. Just one

bad flick... We have to say hello to

your best friend, Lance.

Yes!

They

look very smart.

Well done, Gorka. If you thought

Alexandra and Gorka's Argentine

tango was a great addition to the

show, you will need to make sure

they receive your vote. Still to

come, Debbie and Giovanni Dempster

can't take my eyes off you in an

optician's. Synchronicity.

Dancing next is Mollie King

and her partner AJ Pritchard.

Tonight Mollie's doing a very

dramatic paso doble, but she's

desperately hoping it doesn't lead

to the drama of another dance-off.

I love performing the foxtrot with

you. I was so upset to have made

that mistake. All week, I have been

dreading being in the dance off

again, so when that red light came

on, I was heartbroken. I am just at

that point where I am really scared

now. I don't want it to come to an

end.

In a bid to avoid the dance off

and make it to Blackpool, Mali and a

Jtac of the paso doble.

My knowledge

of the paso doble is small, but I

have always wanted to do this.

At

the moment, we are trying to get

Mollie into that paso character. She

is nice and bubbly. No. We need to

get her into the zone.

AJ wants me

to practise my paso face, so here we

go. I am struggling. I slide between

AJ's legs. Come on, Mollie. I know

it doesn't seem scary, but when you

are standing there and look at the

Gap...

It's quite small. You have

got to take the leap of faith.

We

are giving it everything we have

got. We are training all hours of

the day, and I think it is starting

to pay off. And just hoping we can

nail it in the Strictly ballroom.

Dancing the paso doble, Mollie King

and her partner AJ Pritchard.

MUSIC: Layla.

Yes!

Mollie and AJ. That deserves a

pat on the back. You took the leap

of faith, and it worked. You have

had a difficult couple of weeks, but

I know you have been working hard.

We have been working 12 hours a day.

And it shows. Dance-off last week.

Has Mollie come back fighting,

Craig?

Some shapes were very

awkward, I have to admit. They

didn't really suit your body. Your

shoulders were coming up and made it

ungainly, but it did have power and

presence.

Darcey?

There was

attitude, drama and I saw the

determination in your eyes. You

created some nice shapes, but you

did throw a lot away. It is about

capturing those still moments, and

that is coming from your core

strength. You have to keep working

at that. And it will help your

balance.

Thank you.

Shirley?

Nice

content of paso doble and interval

places looked much better in closed

hold. So what happens when you have

to move away from him, the pivot on

your standing foot is not strong

enough, so you can look jerky. And

did you feel how you almost fell

over? You have to maintain the core

and your head needs to stay on a

vertical line

and your head needs to stay on a

vertical line. If you let your head

droop, you are going to fall.

OK.

Sorry.

You were so pumped up. Like a

Christmas cracker. All the control

and the artistry of the paso doble

went. There was a lot of content,

but all the lines and the artistry

went away because of the impetus.

Then I don't know what happened, but

it went right off time when you went

around him. I know it is a very

difficult balance to strike between

power and clean on the perfect

lines, and that is what you have to

do, my darling.

Thank you judges, all we can ask is

that you gave it your all. Was it

enough? Mollie and AJ.

Fantastic,

remember. Yes. Fantastic.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Weldon, darling, well done. You've

had, you had a horrible week,

haven't you?

Yeah, it's been really

difficult. The bottom two does

really knock your confidence, but

guy next to me has literally put me

back together again. I'm so

grateful. So thank you so much.

APPLAUSE

Well done to you. They love you up

here. You tried so hard, we thought

it was fantastic.

Thank you.

The

scores are in.

The judges have their

scores.

It was fantastic.

It was amazing.

Brendan was shouting, we thought it

was absolutely fantastic, so well

done. If you thought Mollie and AJ's

paso doble was excellent and you

would like to see them dance in

Blackpool next week, please vote.

All the details you need to show

your support are on the screen right

now. Voting will open later on. Do

not be sad. The terms and

conditions, if you want backstage

news, head to the website,

bbc.co.uk/strictly. This week, Craig

teachers how to teach a paddle, he

knows how to do that. And Ruth,

she's obsessed with soap. Tests.

Next to dance live is

Jonnie Peacock and his

partner Oti Mabuse.

They're doing a foxtrot

and it's set in Paris, but

will coffee and croissants

under the Eiffel Tower

lead to fish and chips under

the Blackpool Tower?

Saturday was really fun. The judges,

I mind I'm not sure if they love me,

but they definitely liked it.

I

thought the lifts were spectacular.

It was a big improvement as to the

week before. That's all I can ask

for, is every week we improve

something, we tick a box, and I'm

going to be really happy. This week

we have the foxtrot. We are back to

ballroom, which is great.

We have

over slaves, double reverse turns,

natural and further step. Once you

get it right, it's amazing, try not

to stick your bum out. Not like

that. The judges are going to be

really particular about footwork,

the framing, and that bum. When the

posture goes from being up here, to

forward, that kind of is what the

bum sticks out.

The glutes are one

of the main muscles you push, as a

sprinter. A lot of my lever comes

from my bum and mine e-commerce is

that of being the Tankulic goes

knee, hip, so the hip sets out to

allow more movement. It's one of

those things I have to pay a bit

more attention to. There's so much

to think about with this foxtrot. If

I can just remember my posture, my

frame, keeping the bottom tucked

under, hopefully we can make it

through Blackpool.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the foxtrot, Jonnie Peacock

and his partner Oti Mabuse.

MUSIC: Someone Like You.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Ballroom, a foxtrot, beautiful song,

beautiful dance. Well done, I know

you wanted to get your posture right

this week. Did he, Darcey?

Jonnie,

you are such a gentleman, always,

and you take such care in partnering

macro and that always come through

but tonight, it wasn't felt true.

You felt uncomfortable, I don't

know. Often when you are getting

into hold and everything felt you

were straining and your right

shoulder was drifting forward,

trying to get that hold and keep it

back in your top line. It is a

difficult dance and I could see

that, but I've noticed you were

better a couple of weeks ago. In

ballroom. It's strange for you to

have this amazing focus, that it

doesn't seem tonight was there.

Sorry!

What do you think, surely?

Some parts of it, when I'm looking,

I think it's improved and some parts

I feel it needs to keep improving,

so your right arm that is on Oti's

back, you had a beautiful shape on

your right arm, your head got a bit

on the wrong side so it was throwing

a little but the balance. Some of

the footwork was OK, but at week

eight now it starts to really -- it

needs to start to really improve.

Not the best I've seen you, but not

the worst.

Fantastic, what you

think?

It was quite emotional, you

think?

You are sticking your bum

out. It's worse, Jonnie!

It's

another lesson.

Your hands are in

shadow, that's another lesson but I

have to point out these dances are

extremely hard to lead for a man.

It's very difficult. It requires an

incredible amount of control. Yes,

it didn't have the love of whom you

have a few weeks ago, but you are

trying very hard to get it right, so

it's a question of balance.

Thank

you, when you are concentrating so

hard it's difficult. Craig?

Dull,

dull, dull.

BOOING

How dare you? He's never danced

before and here we are in week

eight. We all loved it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We loved it. It's Jonnie and Oti,

off you go, sweetheart.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Azkabash chanting -- Azkabash

chanting: Jonnie, Jonnie.

They said

improving, you mentioned shoulders,

you were dancing to one of the

greatest songs. You had a lovely

week in training.

I did, she is very

calm.

That was the first time he

actually led a dance and I just laid

there and let him. It was

incredible.

Well said. The scores.

Giant

the judges' scores are in.

We thought it was fantastic, the

best one, it was brilliant. If you

enjoyed Oti and Jonnie's foxtrot,

please vote for them, all the

details are on your screen now and

voting will open very shortly, as we

have only one couple left to

perform. Tests.

And our final couple

is Debbie McGee and her

partner Giovanni Pernice.

Look who is here. The 2014 winner,

no less, lovely to see you with

this.

Last week, Debbie scored a perfect

40 for her tango that

had Craig on his knees.

Tonight she's doing a salsa

set in an optician's,

and we can't wait to see it.

What a night, Saturday night.

He

didn't make a comment, he just got

up and walked round. I still now

can't believe it happened.

Ten. Ten.

We did a great, great job. So last

week was absolutely scintillating.

Now we need to get back on training.

OK, come on.

Is also time.

I don't

know very much about the salsa.

It's

a sexy dance, we have to move a lot

of heat. One and two. The salsa,

more your forwards, when people are

doing salsa, really down, really

down. We are trying a few things

that impressed the judge and I

always say in salsa, spinning,

really fast. Beautiful.

I'm

recovering from a pulled muscle in

my back, so I've had to take it a

bit easier and what I hadn't

realised is that you also do lifts

win it, which has come as a bit of a

shock.

We are trying to go really

slow about lifts but at the same

time we have to practice because we

want to be sure for Saturday night.

Giovanni has pushed me beyond what I

can do so hopefully it will be OK on

the night.

You will smash it.

Dancing the salsa, Debbie McGee

and her partner Giovanni Pernice.

MUSIC: Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Debbie and Giovanni. You are

incredible! Giovanni, you are

pushing Debbie to her limits.

Debbie, you are fearless! She's

like, yeah. Amazing. It was as a

championship salsa, surely?

It was

on its way to being a championship

salsa but we had some mistakes.

Let's be fair here, you got the

reverse turns, the Spence, very

difficult step, more easy when it's

going to natural way, you went in

reverse when you missed his arm.

There was a slight hop before we

went into the lift. I commend you

how you get it, you go for the lift

even with a slight error before it.

I mean, Debbie, you are amazing. I

don't know what to say but there was

some mistakes there, some mistakes.

Has Debbie done enough to book a

ticket to Blackpool?

Oh, you've got

it first class! What a saucy

strumpet she was out there. Because

there was an error, I think you

missed the hand, a couple of things

but what that was, it was the

essence of salsa and it was infused

with the spirit of youth. It must be

Giovanni's effect, I don't know. I

want to point out, everybody does

the salsa like pushing, side to

side. That had the fluidity. That's

what's so hard to get the Grabban to

the lift. You had both and I loved

it.

Craig?

Whatever you are on

darling, I once! That is ridiculous,

absolutely ridiculous!

You should

try the lifts.

It extraordinary, the

speed, only you being that compact

and tight were able to fit all that

in and when you got into that lifts,

the 100 other side, oh, my goodness,

how you recovered, how you made it

look graceful when you got out of

that. Incredibly impressive.

Thank

you.

Great comments from the judges.

You wowed us all again, it's Debbie

and Giovanni.

Yes!

You extraordinarily brave... When

Giovanni goes" the lift goes like

this", do you not just go, no?

She

can't say that.

As if she could say

no to you.

Not the tens of last week, but still

fantastic. If you thought Debbie and

Joe van de Pass salsa was the

perfect way to end the show and you

think they deserve to get a

Blackpool, why not vote for them?

Voting will open in a few moments.

It is time to look at the

leaderboard.

You can change all of that by

picking up the phone or going online

and voting for your favourite. Next

week, we are off to Blackpool,

a:k.a. The focus of the north. To

get everyone in the mood...

MUSIC: Viva Las Vegas. .

The lines

are now open.

Here is a reminder of tonight's

performance and the all-important

vote information.

What an incredible night

of dance it's been.

Our nine couples have given

it their all in the ballroom

and can do no more.

It's now down to you to decide

who you want to see dance again next

week in our Blackpool spectacular.

Yes, I'm not sure if we've mentioned

this already, but next Saturday

is our Blackpool Special

and all our couples

are desperate to be there.

But sadly, one couple

will not make it.

Find out who in our Results Show

tomorrow night at 7:20pm.

Your votes really could make all

the difference between who leaves

the competition and who stays.

Also tomorrow, performing his latest

single Autumn Leaves,

we'll be joined by music legend

Seal, and we have a very special

routine from our professional

dancers to mark Remembrance Day.

So for all that and to find

out who'll be the next

couple to be eliminated

from Strictly Come Dancing,

make sure you join us

at 7:20pm tomorrow night.

And there's only one

thing left to do.

Mention Blackpool again?

No - this...

Keep dancing!

SOOTHING MUZAK PLAYS