Christmas Special Strictly Come Dancing

CLAPPING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

BELLS JINGLE

MUSIC: We Wish You A Merry Christmas

MUSIC: Carol Of The Bells

# Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding

# Ding, dong, ding, dong

# Ding, dong, ding

# Hark how the bells Sweet silver bells

# All seem to say Throw cares away

# Christmas is here Bringing good cheer

# To young and old Meek and the bold

# Ding, dong, ding, dong That is their song

# With joyful ring All carolling

# One seems to hear Words of good cheer

# From everywhere filling the air... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas

# Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas

# Christmas is here Bringing good cheer

# To young and old Meek and the bold

# Ding, dong, ding, dong That is their song

# With joyful ring All carolling... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# And a happy New Year... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# We wish you a Merry Christmas

# And a happy New Year

# Good tidings to you... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# And a happy New Year

# We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas

# We wish you a Merry Christmas And a happy New

-# Happy New

-Happy New

# Happy New

# And a happy New Year! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Ho-ho-ho! It's the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special!

Please welcome your hosts...

-Tess Daly...

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And Claudia Winkleman...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Aw! Hello and welcome to Strictly Come Dancing, The Christmas Special.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

A huge thank-you to the Trinity Boys Choir

and our incredible cast for that truly magical opening number.

Tonight, six stars from Strictly past will be gracing

the dance floor, as we celebrate

the things we love most about Christmas.

We'll also be joined by the Kaiser Chiefs

-for a fantastic music performance.

-Yes!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Plus, we'll be showing you what happened when our Strictly cast

went to Buckingham Palace for a tea dance fit for royalty.

And speaking of royalty, please welcome the judges.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Darcey Bussell!

Bruno Tonioli!

Craig Revel Horwood!

And Shirley Ballas!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The judges, everyone. Festive.

And our judges won't be the only ones

sparkling in the ballroom tonight

because it's time to welcome...

BOTH: Our Christmas stars!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Football journalist Robbie Savage and his partner, Dianne Buswell!

Tennis coach Judy Murray and her partner, Neil Jones!

Olympian and TV broadcaster Colin Jackson and his partner, Amy Dowden!

Broadcaster and Journalist Jeremy Vine and his partner, Karen Clifton!

BBC Proms and Radio 3 presenter Katie Derham

and her partner, Brendan Cole!

And finally, entertainer and pop star Kimberley Walsh

and her partner, Pasha Kovalev!

There they are, a selection box of treats!

But only one will get their hands on the Christmas trophy.

ALL: Ooooooh!

-There it is!

-I know, it's quite magical!

Tonight, the phone lines won't be open.

Instead, our studio audience will vote for their favourite couple.

Their votes will be combined with the judges' scores

to decide who will be our Strictly Christmas champions 2017!

Yes! And first up tonight is Robbie Savage

and his partner Dianne Buswell.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Their routine is set in the 1940s and is all about the joys

of coming home for Christmas, but will Robbie still be at home

with the American smooth? Let's find out.

Footballer and pundit Robbie Savage reached the quarterfinals

when he tackled the Strictly ballroom in 2011.

My time on Strictly six years ago was an amazing experience.

I learned a new skill, I improved every week,

to a point where I was still not very good!

Technically it wasn't perfect!

The theme this year is what we most love about Christmas.

When I was playing football, you'd always be on the road at Christmas,

so the thing I'd look forward to most was coming home to my family.

This time I've got a new partner, Dianne.

We're dancing an American smooth.

No more knee slides!

I'm savage by name,

but smooth by nature this Christmas.

The theme of our dance is I'm waiting for you at home,

not thinking you're coming home for Christmas.

I get a knock at the door, and who is it?

It's Robbie, home for Christmas!

Step, kick. Back on Christmas Day!

-Christmas Day!

-The best day of the year.

My kids are opening their presents, my mother's round my house,

all the family's here, it's fantastic.

I'm glad it's the American smooth cos when I was on Strictly,

that was my best score.

Step, kick, step...

Do I think I can top 31? It's going to be tough.

-Five and six...

-I can't do it.

-My footwork's not the best.

-One, click, and two. Let's do it again.

I have put a lot of lifts in this routine.

-At the moment it's not quite there yet.

-It's so difficult.

It could go wrong.

Maybe a few more sessions at the gym, and we'll be all right.

It's been a lot more challenging because I am six years older

but, Dianne, what a teacher, brings out the best in me.

So...I can't wait to dance.

Dancing the American smooth, Robbie Savage and Dianne Buswell.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well done!

Welcome home, Robbie! Still got that Strictly sparkle.

Look at his face! That was lovely.

Dianne, I hope you've enjoyed being

with your Strictly family for Christmas.

-I have, definitely.

-Very good. Lovely to have you.

Before we hear from our festive four,

let's give a big Christmas cheer for our fabulous singers -

Hayley, Lance, Andrea, Tommy,

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

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good job, Robbie!

Six years ago, the American smooth was your highest scoring dance.

Has he still got it tonight, Shirley?

Well, I thought that was a joyous

and spectacular way to open our Christmas show, it was amazing.

And now I'd like to say, Robbie, it's very difficult to do lifts,

and I was extremely impressed when you were down on the floor.

Dianne, you had to do that double turn, and he caught you,

and it was smooth as brandy butter!

I also have to say you are dashingly handsome,

-and I thought your foxtrot was just as handsome as you are.

-Oh, I say!

Shirley's smitten! Bruno.

For me, it was like a great, big Christmas turkey!

All full of meat and crunchy bits! Oh, yes!

The gravy was a little bit lumpy, darling -

a bit like your footwork, but there was plenty for everyone to enjoy.

We all enjoyed it, ladies and gents, didn't we?

Craig, was it smooth enough for you?

You're still as stiff as you were six years ago, I'm afraid.

BOOING

Your chasse is also very skippy,

and your fingers are doing some very odd and curious things.

Your index finger and your middle finger seemed to be glued together

-for some reason, I don't know why.

-We have the Grinch!

As Shirley did mention, you are pleasant on the eye, darling.

-That's all right, then(!)

-And I loved all the lifts,

however there was only meant to be 3, not 23 lifts!

-But I will overlook it, darling.

-It's Christmas! Darcey.

For me, Robbie, it was like a perfect Christmas feast.

There was so much in that American smooth.

Well partnered, with tasty trimmings, definitely.

There were some very tricky lifts indeed. I really enjoyed those.

And I actually thought there was some very neat footwork indeed.

And your posture as well was stunning. So, very, very nice.

TESS: They liked it, I know WE did. Smooth as brandy butter.

Go and make yourself at home with Claudia.

Thank you, Robbie and Dianne.

Welcome back! Well done, darling. You were nervous, weren't you?

Because it's been six years and you were like, "What about lifting,"

and everything else, it was all just going to be a bit scary.

I was so nervous, but thanks to Dianne, she got me through,

-amazing partner.

-Yes, it was fantastic.

My favourite thing, and sometimes I've got stories

about people's Christmases, and one year I believe you said,

"Leave the turkey to me." You put it in the oven - what happened?

-I forgot to turn the oven on.

-Forgot to turn the oven on.

The scores are in.

It's time for the judges' scores.

Craig Revel Horwood...

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

Well done! Well done. You did it.

Now, remember, the studio audience vote will be combined with

the judges' scores to decide

who becomes Strictly Christmas Champions 2017.

Now, Father Christmas has had a very busy night,

he's absolutely exhausted. He's put me in charge of his grotto.

There's still some letters to get through.

Will you read one, please? Thank you, thank you.

"Dear Santa, I would really, really like a shiny new bike

"and a cool new train set that goes, 'choo-choo'! Ple-e-ease!

"Lots of love, Bruno Tonioli, aged 59¾."

Thank you very much. Delightful. Tess.

Sweet! Our next couple tonight is

Judy Murray and her partner, Neil Jones.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And look who I've found, it's the cast of 2017, back for Christmas!

I hope you're all enjoying the show?

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Yes!

It's lovely to see them back. And we are thrilled that Judy is here, too.

Partly because her Charleston promises to be so much fun,

but also because she has brought us

-some of her legendary home-made shortbread.

-Oooh!

It's so good!

-It's mine!

-I got a bit!

In 2014, tennis coach Judy Murray served up

some ace performances on Strictly's centre court.

It's great to be back on Strictly. I had such a good time,

and the Christmas special is going to be even better.

When I was on the show before, my partner was Anton,

and this time I've been paired with Neil - he's a World Champion!

Neil's been part of the Strictly family for a couple of years now,

and I could not have asked for a better partner.

We are going to be dancing a Charleston to Let's Misbehave.

Last time I really struggled -

I really didn't get to grips with the swivels at all.

There wasn't an ounce of swivel anywhere, darling.

This time, it's going to be a Christmas cracker.

Neil's choreographed a great-fun routine, where we are giant toys.

Judy Murray is really funny. I'm loving every moment.

And this is actually the best Christmas present I could have.

The judges are going to be looking at the swivel big-time.

Swivel!

What I love about Christmas for sure is giving presents.

I find it very difficult to buy for Andy and Jamie,

so I tend to buy them the really dull things, like boxers.

With the Charleston underway,

Judy and Neil take a well-deserved break

to meet some very special people.

We've come down to the Royal Children's Hospital in Glasgow,

and were going to give some Christmas presents to the kids.

I think you could suit this one.

When we gave them their presents, they were thrilled to bits.

It was great to see them open up their presents.

They got straight into it, ripping it open.

What I love about Christmas is presents.

Judy gave me a "big hug mug".

-Are you dancing?

-Are you asking?

-I'm asking.

-I'm dancing.

-That's my boy!

One, two, three. You're nailing that.

-Yes, he's nailing that. I could hear him.

-Good luck, Neil and Judy.

It's been a real treat to come here

and put a smile on some of the kids' faces.

And now, all I've got to do is put in a performance that will put

a smile on the judges' faces.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the Charleston, Judy Murray and Neil Jones.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Go, Judy!

-NEIL:

-So good!

TESS CHUCKLES

That's the first time I've seen a lift like that!

Over the shoulder!

Bruno, is Judy the gift that keeps on giving?

Whatever happened to Judy Murray?!

It was a Christmas miracle!

The lady can almost dance!

I'm telling you!

A new racquet, a new pair of balls, and she's back in the game.

What a lovely Christmas surprise!

-I really wasn't expecting that, well done.

-Well done!

Craig? I think I see a smile!

I can officially announce that Judy Murray

has swivel, darling! At last! Finally!

I'm sorry, the timing wasn't too bad - don't get too excited,

darling, it wasn't worth a 10! But I'm amazed. And you know what?

It's probably the best I think you've ever danced. I really do.

That is the icing on the Christmas cake, Judy.

Did it get you into the Christmas spirit, Darcey?

I'm loving this new cheeky Judy.

It was bubbly, it was springy,

your feet did exactly as you told them to do, you were

all in sync as well, and you got to wrap up Neil at the very end!

I really enjoyed that, well done!

Shirley?

I just love a Christmas Charleston. I think you are made of sugar

and spice and all things nice!

You were coordinated, you were slick, no mistakes,

nice clarity of performance, nice swivel on your feet,

and a nice little chemistry going on there.

-Very, very nice.

-Lovely!

A clean sweep from the judges.

-I bet you're glad you came back now, aren't you?

-I am!

Go upstairs and have some more fun with Claudia.

Well done, Judy and Neil.

We love you, Judy. Thank you so much for coming back.

-That wasn't like the judges' comments used to be!

-No!

You walked over there and turned to Neil going,

"Wait for this. It might get it interesting."

-They were lovely! Did you enjoy it?

-I loved it.

I'm absolutely totally out of breath,

but it was great fun, my partner was fantastic.

I know, you got on so well.

-Neil, very lovely to see you doing dancing.

-Yes!

-ANTON:

-How quickly they forget.

Because we weren't really sure. Good.

The scores are in.

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges' scores...

Craig Revel Horwood...

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

I'm happy, I'm happy.

Can I say, when Judy was on the show, your highest score was 24.

That's got to feel like a good Christmas present!

-Don't listen, Anton, don't listen.

-Anton, cover your ears.

-Amazing.

I have to tell you, Judy, Father Christmas left a present for you.

Here it is.

I know you wanted a sandwich maker, so fingers crossed...

..that's what it is!

-Well done. Tess.

-Thank you! Our next couple is Colin Jackson

and his partner, Amy Dowden.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's actually been 12 years since Colin was first on the show,

and he's coming back with a very challenging rumba,

but I'm sure this champion hurdler will take it ALL in his stride.

Champion hurdler Colin Jackson raced all the way to the Strictly final

-in series three.

-I am over the moon to be back.

I thought it was fantastic, well done.

Since being on Strictly, I've truly had an amazing time,

working with some of the biggest

sporting stars on this planet.

I guess Usain is doing his stuff behind me...

Looking at the Christmas line-up,

I've been away from the dance hall longer than anybody else.

I'm slightly anxious that I still remember how to do the steps.

I am dancing with Amy, and already we have a really tight connection,

and I really want to dance well for her.

This is the first time a full-on Welsh team is

-participating in Strictly.

-We are going to be dancing the...rumba.

Rumba. A Christmas rumba.

I am so excited about being part of the Christmas special.

I've watched it every single Christmas since I was a little girl.

The theme of our rumba are the Christmas lights.

It's the lights I love the most about Christmas.

As we are here in Colin's hometown, I'm going

to take him round Cardiff to soak up all the Christmas magic.

Brilliant!

This is brilliant! These lights are looking amazing, really beautiful.

I know the Christmas lights are special to you,

so I've arranged a little surprise.

You are going to turn on the giant wheel lights

-at Winter Wonderland, Cardiff!

-Here in Cardiff?

-Yes, your hometown!

-Brilliant! I'm so excited. Are you ready?

-Yes!

-One, two, three...

Yay!

Amy, Cardiff looks beautiful from up here.

I'm just hoping we can light up the Strictly dance floor

-on Christmas Day.

-Bring it on.

-Let's do it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the rumba, Colin Jackson and Amy Dowden.

MUSIC: Run

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I enjoyed that! You lit up that dance floor. Oh, it was gorgeous!

And you made a little bit of Strictly history

while you were at it - you are our first Welsh couple! Congratulations!

It's been a while since Colin was on the dance floor, Craig,

not that you can tell.

How did he do?

Darling, that was absolutely brilliant.

Fantastic, lovely hip action on the cucarachas

and all the way through.

I love the idiosyncrasy of your hands, they do

all these weird, wonderful things. But that's just you.

-I thought it was absolutely brilliant, you're great.

-Brilliant!

-Thank you!

-No criticism! Happy Christmas! Darcey?

Wonderful phrasing, sweet accents, and your physicality,

how you pushed through the floor with your legs.

And those expressive arms finishing off every line.

I have to say, for a dance on a cold Christmas Day, that was hot!

TESS: It was hot!

It warmed me up no end, Darcey!

The rumba is your favourite dance, Shirley,

was that the perfect Christmas present?

If I could wrap up a rumba and put it under my Christmas tree,

it would be your rumba that I would wrap up and put under the tree.

I imagine looking under that tree on a dark night at Christmas,

and I wasn't sure which part to pick - which present?

The cucaracha, the sliding door, the lift, the sidesteps,

the checked forward walk... There were so many goodies there.

-You just wrapped up that perfectly, darling.

-Oh, thank you. Thank you.

-Well done, well done.

-Perfect present for Shirley.

How about you, Bruno?

You were like a rumbalicious snake-hipped Welsh wonder!

That's what you were like.

It was hotter than Christmas in the Tropics. And I loved it.

Well done.

Four out of four. Still got it! Never lost it!

This is turning out to be a happy Christmas, isn't it?

Well done! Colin and Amy, ladies and gentlemen! Brilliant.

Well done, you.

Up we go.

Well done! Goodness, they loved it!

-The first time you took to that floor, 12 years ago...

-I know!

Did it all come flooding back?

Did you just, in training, go, "Oh, yeah, THIS"?

No, tears came flooding back, I tell you.

This young lady worked me really hard, but I enjoyed working

with her, and it's great that you're Welsh as well, we forgot about that.

Even when she r-r-rolls her Rs.

R-r-r-r-r!

Oh, my God, this is divine. The scores are in.

The judges' scores are in...

Craig Revel Horwood...

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

-Yes!

-Well done!

That's the same score you got for the rumba the last time

you did it here, 12 years ago.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-That was really beautiful.

Remember, tonight it's the studio audience vote combined with

the judges' scores that will decide

who will become our Strictly Christmas Champions.

Three couples have danced. We still have all of this left to come...

I think the thing about the jive is you have to keep the same

energy up all the way to the end.

The minute you start to flag, it brings the whole routine down.

At its worst,

the quickstep just looks like someone running around the room.

It's a great dance for someone

who's not that good at dancing cos it's about speed and joy.

I'm so happy to be on the Strictly Christmas special.

Everything was rusty at first, but I think it's coming back.

I'm loving it, actually.

I can't wait to see all of that. But next, it is Jeremy Vine

and his partner, Karen Clifton.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Their routine is all about the magic of decorating the Christmas tree.

It's an amazing sight - tall, elegant and lights up the room.

The tree's not bad either.

What have you got there, Claud?

OK, so I didn't think we had quite enough Christmas lights

in the studio,

so I've put some more up and wired them directly into the mains.

Are you sure that's a good idea?

Tess, of course! What can possibly go wrong?

Let's do this as a group, as a family.

Ready? Everyone, OK. Three, two, one.

SQUEALING AND LAUGHTER

Here's Jeremy and Karen in training.

APPLAUSE

Presenter Jeremy Vine was a fan favourite in 2015,

when he sprung into action on the dance floor.

I remember when I was in the original contest thinking,

"If I just try my hardest, that's enough."

But, hey, it's Christmas, and I want to win.

When I was on Strictly, Craig was quite brutal.

That's when I realised I couldn't dance,

but also that I really wanted to.

I'm going to be doing a quickstep to All I Want For Christmas Is You.

I do have a little bit of difficult history with the quickstep

cos I went out on it in 2015.

So, this is the chance for redemption.

I am partnered with Karen again, so I'm really chuffed,

she's a brilliant teacher. One of the greatest in the world.

-IN SOUTHERN DRAWL:

-I'm back cos I want to dance wit' ya.

The concept is, I'm decorating our Christmas tree

and Jeremy is the star.

You've still got it! You've still got it!

If we got a five from Craig, that's happy Christmas.

What I love most about Christmas is decorating the tree.

I'm decorating my tree later on with my daughter, Anna.

She'll be over the moon if Karen comes

and we do a Strictly Christmas tree.

Wow, look at this tree!

How do we decorate the tree?

I think, bottom up, go up the tree.

We should Strictlify it, get a couple of glitter balls.

Dad, where have the chocolate decorations gone?

THEY CHEER

-Beautiful!

-Brilliant.

-Yes!

-Now, do you want to see a little bit of our dancing?

-Yes.

All right, let's do some quickstep.

Yes! I love it!

I think Dad's definitely better at dancing than decorating the tree.

It's funny, we started with all the stuff at the bottom of the tree,

and we worked our way up and we put the star on the top.

I looked at it and thought, "What would it be like actually to

"be the star on top of the tree?"

Dancing the quickstep, Jeremy Vine and Karen Clifton.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: All I Want For Christmas Is You

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you! You're so great.

Thank you so much. Well done.

Come over here, Jeremy!

That was wonderful!

I love the pure joy on your face when you dance. It's a gift!

Back in the ballroom, reunited with Karen.

This must be like all your Christmases have come at once.

The best, best friend here. And I never got to fly

-when I was on, now I've flown.

-You have now. Happy Christmas.

I know you wanted your quickstep to be better this time around.

-Yes, we had trouble last time.

-Yes.

-We were knocked out.

-You were.

-I've been thinking about it a lot.

-You've been working hard.

-We shall see.

-Let's hope they liked it. Darcey?

It was great, Jeremy!

I have so missed those fabulously long legs.

How you got them round that fast quickstep,

and you didn't get tangled up, you didn't go wrong.

And you got your party trick in, spinning on your side,

going round and round.

But actually the most impressive was that very first lift you did.

You rolled her up, controlled

into a beautiful... what we call a bluebird lift.

GREAT control. More treats than I could have asked for. Thank you.

-Thank you. Well done.

-Great. It's definitely Christmas now!

-Shirley, what did you think?

-Jeremy, you're what Christmas is about,

really. You just give off that wonderful feeling

of sheer enjoyment.

You're like a caramel treat in that suit, I have to say!

I thought you were coordinated, you were light on your feet,

but the best part I loved about it is that you loved every minute

-of that Christmas dance.

-I did. Thank you.

You could see it in your face. A joy to behold.

-Our own Christmas star. Bruno?

-Jeremy going for gold.

Plenty of festive fun, a couple of stumbles here and there,

it doesn't matter, I threw myself on the floor!

It's all for the good of the country!

-Yes!

-Well done, great fun.

Spreading joy! That's what we love about you.

Craig, how many gold stars would you give that performance yourself?

All I want for Christmas actually is to never see that dance again.

-Close your ears.

-Don't listen!

It did look like you'd been on the mulled wine,

especially when you were doing whatever that dad thing was

in the centre, darling.

What that has to do with the quickstep, I have no idea.

And I was rather hoping that star would fly you out.

GROANING

Anyway... It's Christmas and you did your best, darling.

It's supposed to be the season of goodwill to all men.

Thank you, Craig. Thank you, judges. You'll always be OUR Christmas star.

Never mind him! Well done, it's Jeremy and Karen.

Thank you, thank you.

Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much.

-We really missed you. Did you miss us?

-So much.

And also I've got gold shoes on, I've never had them before.

And Karen, and the floor and the dancing, and the music.

Thank you, everyone, it's great! It's amazing.

You two were always such a fantastic partnership.

Was it fun in the training room? Did you go, "Yes, I remember this!"?

-Yes, you are amazing.

-No, YOU'RE amazing.

Your choreography also, her patience is the thing.

-And there's quite a lot of it!

-Your highest score ever on the show

-is 24, so anything above it...

-Is it that high?

-..would be

-a lovely Christmas present.

-OK.

-OK, good luck.

The scores are in.

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have their scores...

Craig Revel Horwood...

-What?!

-Darcey!

It's Christmas! It's CHRISTMAS!

Oh, sit down! Oh, all right. Hang on.

It's Christmas.

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

31! We did it!

We did it!

We did it!

CHANTING AND SINGING

Highest score ever! You never got above a four from Craig. It's great.

-Really? Gosh.

-BEEPING

Oh, hold on a minute. That's the oven timer. I think

the turkey's ready. Jeremy, could you do the honours?

I can get it for you. A big moment.

It should be ready. It's been in since Friday.

It's coming out, everyone, here we go.

This looks good! I'm sorry, there's been an incident.

-That looks perfect!

-Well...

Thank you, Jeremy!

Tess. Leg or breast?

Neither, thanks. Just the veg!

Our next couple is Katie Derham and her partner, Brendan Cole.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

After two years away from the dance floor, Katie's a bit

nervous about her Viennese waltz that's set in a wintry wonderland.

But she's going to give it her best shot - after all,

there's no business like SNOW business.

After dazzling audiences in 2015,

presenter Katie Derham is waltzing her way back onto the dance floor.

Strictly, I think, is the best thing I've ever done in my life,

so of course I was delighted to be asked back.

It was magical, special, exhausting,

I really couldn't have asked for a more fantastic experience.

-Wow, that was really lovely.

-I managed to get all the way

to the final with Anton, which was fantastic, and I loved it.

Would I like to lift the trophy this time?

Course I would, I'm only human!

I've gone from dancing with one ballroom legend to the other legend

of Strictly Come Dancing, Brendan Cole. What a lucky woman I am.

One of the things I love about Christmas is

when we actually get a white Christmas.

I hope our dance will be all WHITE on the night.

It's fantastic to be back in the training room.

Yes? That's pretty.

Anton actually did teach you quite a lot, that's quite good!

Positivity is there, it's the Christmas special which is

always magical.

Right, behind, right, across, in front.

See what I did there?

So far, I think it's going particularly well.

However, I don't feel it's particularly white Christmassy

in here. I've got an idea. You're going to need this.

-Look at this!

-I know!

-You've created a white Christmas, for me!

-For you.

-Look, we have snow, we have a snowman...

-Very realistic.

We have a giant snowflake and we have us.

-Are you feeling Christmassy now?

-I am. Will you dance?

I thought you'd never ask.

-Do you like my jumper?

-I love your jumper.

Brendan brought my favourite thing - a white Christmas -

to the training room. I just hope we can bring

some of the magic of today into our dance on the night.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the Viennese waltz, Katie Derham and Brendan Cole.

MUSIC: White Christmas

-Beautiful dance, well done.

-Thank you. Thank you.

-Beautiful.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Absolutely beautiful.

Oh, the most wonderful white Christmas.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

And you were a finalist in 2015, of course.

And the last time you danced a Viennese waltz,

-you topped the leaderboard.

-Happy days.

-Happy days.

Let's hope it's a happy night tonight, Shirley,

-might she do it again tonight?

-Oh, my goodness,

the start in the snow globe with the turning fleckerl

that he was doing, holding you in his arms,

the twirling, the swirling - so romantic.

It was just beautiful. You're so easy on the eye.

-Isn't he?

-You're not only feminine, you are stunning,

and you have a regal look about you. You're just absolutely beautiful.

-Everything was just fabulous for me. I loved it, Katie.

-We loved it too.

Beautiful. Bruno?

She's the queen of the Christmas dream.

She was floating around like a snowflake in a winter wonderland,

but I tell you, it was extremely classy,

so beautiful, and very, very elegant.

-Thank you.

-So elegant, always so beautifully elegant.

Did it give you goose bumps, Craig?

Yes, it sort of gave me goose bumps.

Um, you're still having trouble spotting when you spin in and out.

- She's been on the wine! - But I have to agree

with the other judges, I thought it was a classic Viennese,

elegant, full of sophistication,

-lovely amount of rotation. GORGEOUS.

-Thank you.

Gorgeous. He put that one at the end. Darcey, what did you think?

Katie, you have THE most glittering top line.

To maintain that all the way through was so beautiful.

You controlled all those unfoldings, all the rotation,

recovering so well and hitting such sparkling lines,

-it was stunning.

-Thank you.

Stunning! The judges loved it and so did we. Exquisite.

Go and warm yourselves up with Claudia. Get the cardigan on!

Katie and Brendan!

I loved it! I loved it!

It's festive! Oh, Katie...

Thank you... Very, very well done.

Were you so happy when they said Viennese waltz?

I have to be honest, I loved it the first time, I loved doing it now,

-and that was just great, I did enjoy it.

-Congratulations.

-Was it a delight?

-It was delightful from start to finish.

Just the intensity between us, just felt like we were the only

two people out there, and that's a beautiful feeling. Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-The scores are in.

Will the judges please reveal their scores?

Craig Revel Horwood...

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

Very well done! Still to come,

a festive performance from The Kaiser Chiefs

and all our Christmas stars take to the floor

for an enormous group dance.

Jingle Bells. Yes, well done. Tess.

Looking forward to that.

But now, our final Christmas couple is Kimberley Walsh

and her partner, Pasha Kovalev.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

They'll be jiving as a pair of reindeer at the North Pole.

But as it's pretty dark up there at this time of year,

we thought we'd help them out.

Pop star and entertainer Kimberley Walsh ended up

a Strictly finalist when she danced in 2012.

Christmas is my favourite time of year, so what better way

to celebrate than coming back on the Strictly dance floor?

Grace, skill, timeless elegance, perfection.

Last time I managed to get to the final.

To go one better and take the Christmas trophy home would actually

be the icing on the top of that Christmas cake.

This Christmas, I'm going to be reunited with Pasha,

which I am so excited about.

In our dance, me and Pasha are going to be two jiving reindeers.

Yeah, you heard that right.

We are dancing jive, and we're doing it to Run Run Rudolph.

I've got two little boys now. Bobby's three, and Cole's one.

I haven't danced for five years, so stamina is going to be really tough.

It's like, "Whoa, this is hard!"

My eldest son, Bobby, came into the dance studio today.

We're going to show you the kicks, like this.

The thing I love most about Christmas is telling the boys

all about how Santa rides around the world with his reindeer

delivering presents.

With training going well, Pasha has a surprise for Kimberley.

-Hello, Mrs Claus!

-Hello!

-Which reindeer have you brought

-to show us?

-We've got Dasher and this one's Dancer.

-He's big!

They're big, aren't they? Wow!

-Let ME do it.

-OK!

Do it. Let's hold it together.

What's that, Dasher? Oh, you want to see our dance?

I think it was a brilliant idea of Pasha's to bring us here

and meet some actual reindeer because I feel

so ready to go out there and just nail the dance.

Guys, do you think you could pass this onto Santa for me?

All I've asked for this Christmas is one 10 from the judges -

surely he can manage that?

Merry Christmas, Mummy.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Dancing the jive, Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev.

Time to load up the sleigh! Five minutes till take. Ho-ho-ho!

MUSIC: Run Run Rudolph

That was so good!

-Well done!

-So, so cute!

Adorable, you two! And exhausted, I can imagine!

-You absolutely SLEIGHED it!

-Let me fix your antlers.

-There you go.

-Perfect.

-Let me try and breathe.

-And breed, take in air.

Your little boys, Bobby and Cole, adorable.

-They're going to be so proud of mummy.

-I can't wait...

Did these reindeer deliver the goods on the dance floor?

-That was a real Christmas cracker of a jive!

-It was!

-Full of fun and cheer.

-Lovely.

-The content was excellent.

Forget about the reindeer, my darling, you're more like a gazelle.

So light, so accurate,

so precise, always on the right spot at the right time.

-A real Christmas treat.

-A treat! A treat for us all.

Craig, do you agree?

-Footwork was clean, precise, fast, furious, LOVED it.

-Loved it!

You know it's Christmas when he uses the L word! Darcey?

It was certainly a high-energy pumping celebration of a jive.

It was great. How you managed those really quick, compact,

clean lifts all the way through as well...

Definitely Father Christmas, he'd have you as his favourite reindeer.

Aw! Second favourite. Shirley?

Well, I thought you were two cheeky reindeers,

Prancer and Dancer, you were just adorable.

You had enough reindeer dust to fly through Christmas Eve and deliver

that beautiful gift of that jive, with flicks and kicks and rotation.

-And body weight forward, you had it all! I loved it.

-Thank you.

-Loved it!

-Thank you.

-All four loved it!

Thank you so much, judges. I'm so glad you gave us that for Christmas.

Wasn't it lovely, ladies and gentlemen?

Off you go, trot up to Claudia. It's Kimberley and Pasha.

Well done, baby! Well done! Five years ago you danced.

You've had two little boys since then,

and we spoke earlier and you went, "The jive?!"

That's what I thought, I thought I'll come back

and do a nice little foxtrot or something, you know,

after having my little one, and then they're like, "Jive."

And closing the show, was it quite nerve-racking?

It was just the anticipation of watching everybody,

and I just kind of... I'm very relieved

that we've done it, but I loved it,

and I loved dancing with this man again.

It was so much fun dancing together.

-I know. Lovely reuniting. You look brilliant.

-Mesmerising.

Yes, mesmerising, but it was quite strange.

Never happened before. The scores are in.

The judges' scores are in.

Craig Revel Horwood...

Darcey Bussell...

Shirley Ballas...

Bruno Tonioli...

Well done. So our six Strictly stars have all had their turn on the floor

and I hope you have room for one more performance,

as they'll be doing a group dance at the end of the show.

First, let's take a look at the leaderboard...

But remember, the judges' scores are only half the story.

Our studio audience are ready to vote for their favourite -

and their votes could change everything.

Now, we've given out the presents, the turkey is ready

but I feel like we're missing something.

MUSIC: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Well done, everyone. Terrific.

-Father Christmas!

-Look at you!

Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done.

You've delivered so many presents to so many children.

Guys, thank you! You've been very busy, you've delivered

lots of presents to lots of children.

-Do you mind doing just one more thing for us?

-What's that?

Just say this...

Here's a reminder of all of tonight's Christmas dances.

-Ho-ho-ho!

-Thank you.

Brilliant night.

And still to come, we'll be announcing our winning couple,

and seeing what happened when our Strictly stars

rubbed shoulders with royalty at Buckingham Palace.

But before that, singing a Christmas classic, it is the Kaiser Chiefs.

MUSIC: Merry Christmas Everyone

# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Oooooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

# Snow is falling

# All around me

# Children playing

# Having fun

# It's the season

# Love and understanding

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Time for parties and celebration

# People dancing all night long

# All night long

# Time for presents

# And exchanging kisses

# Time for singing Christmas songs

# We're gonna have a party tonight

# I'm gonna find that girl underneath the mistletoe

# We'll kiss by candlelight

-# Room is swaying, records playing

-Records playing

# All the old songs, we love to hear

# Oh, I wish that every day was Christmas

# What a fine way to spend the year

# We're gonna have a party tonight

# I'm gonna find that girl underneath the mistletoe

# We'll kiss by candlelight

# Snow is falling all around me

-# Children playing, having fun

-Having fun

# It's the season

# Love and understanding

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooooh Ooooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

# Snow is falling

# All around me

# Children playing, having fun

# It's the season of love and understanding

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Snow is falling

# All around me

-# Children playing, having fun

-Having fun

# It's the season Love and understanding

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Merry Christmas, everyone... #

One more!

# Merry Christmas, everyone

# Oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-oooooh Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-oooh. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you to the Kaiser Chiefs.

Now, it's not long before we'll be announcing our winning couple.

But first, dancing can bring such joy to people of all ages,

and it's a great way of staying fit.

This year, Strictly Come Dancing organised a very special tea dance

to highlight the benefits of keeping active as you get older -

made even more special by an invitation to the Palace.

MUSIC: Sleigh Ride

This year, members of the community, our Christmas celebrities

-and Strictly professionals...

-Wow!

..were invited to a very regal tea dance.

Back where I belong, darling.

So glad you could make it, I cleared out my living room for us,

and I rolled up the rug. It took a bit of doing, I won't deny it.

I never, ever thought I'd be in Buckingham Palace.

You see the ceilings, all the lighting,

it is absolutely beautiful.

You look fabulous, can I just say?

Well, I thought I'd be seeing all these glamorous people, I thought

I'd better dress up.

Today's host is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall.

As president of the National Osteoporosis Society,

she's highlighting the benefits of dancing as you get older.

I think it was about 25 years ago, my mother died

of osteoporosis, and nobody had ever heard about it.

And I thought, "I must do something about this, and spread the word."

-You've got to keep moving.

-That's it.

-You know, you start off walking,

what about getting into dance?

MUSIC: Rocking Around The Christmas Tree.

-I love the foxtrot.

-Oh! And that's a bit like that, is it?

Not really, no.

People, they've got to make that one move

and go along to a tea dance. And go there once and you'll go back.

It's good for your balance, it's quite good for your posture,

it's a social side of things as well,

and you can do it as you get a bit older.

I mean, if you can walk, you can dance.

I would absolutely recommend it to anybody.

When I dance, I feel 20 years younger.

Never been to a tea dance before, and what a fantastic day.

I'll definitely do it again.

You may be getting on in years, but you're never old.

With a royal audience,

it's time for the Strictly professionals to put on a show.

-You're not going to do that to me, Craig?

-No, darling!

MUSIC: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Seeing the dancers from Strictly

actually doing a dance was brilliant.

How do these people do these things?!

-Really, really out of this world.

-I couldn't describe it. Superb.

My mum actually suffers with osteoporosis,

and I think it's really important to create awareness

and to get people up, active and dancing.

# ..of the year! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's been the best Christmas ever.

Ke-e-eep dancing!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Absolutely amazing. What a very special occasion.

Huge thanks to everyone involved.

It is now the moment we've all been waiting for.

The results are in.

Robbie and Dianne...

Bruno said it was like a great big Christmas turkey!

All full of meat and crunchy bits!

Judy and Neil, Craig said,

"I'm amazed, the best you've ever danced!"

AUDIENCE: Oooh!

Colin and Amy, Darcey said, "Wonderful phrasing,

"sweet accents. For a dance on a cold Christmas Day, that was hot!"

Jeremy and Karen, Shirley said, "You are what Christmas is

"all about - that wonderful feeling of sheer enjoyment."

Katie and Brendan, Craig said, "It was a classic Viennese.

"Elegant, full of sophistication, GORGEOUS."

Kimberley and Pasha, Bruno said, "It was a real Christmas cracker

"of a jive, full of fun and cheer."

We have combined the judges' scores with the studio audience votes.

The vote has been independently verified,

and we are about to find out who will be taking home

the Strictly Christmas trophy.

I can now reveal

the 2017 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions are...

TENSE DRUMBEAT

AUDIENCE CLAP ALONG

-Katie and Brendan!

-What?!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well done!

-Katie, well done.

-Brilliant.

-How does it feel?

You are Christmas Strictly Champions.

I am so stunned, so stunned. I thought it was...

Do you know what I thought?

Any of these gorgeous people were going to win, not us.

This is brilliant. It feels fantastic, it really does.

-Wonderful job.

-Congratulations, Brendan.

-Well done.

I have great pleasure in crowning Katie and Brendan

2017 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Champions!

Well done! Well done!

A huge well-done to Katie and Brendan

and to all our other couples, for their amazing performances.

And to top it all off,

we just have time for one more Christmas treat for you all.

Please welcome back our Christmas stars!

MUSIC: Step Into Christmas

Oh, brilliant!

Oh, that was the best Christmas party in town!

A big thank-you to all our Christmas couples, our judges

and, of course, to you at home for watching.

-And from all of us here at Strictly...

-Here we go.

BOTH: Me-e-erry Christmas!

MUSIC: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day.

# When the kids start singing and the band begins to play

# I wish it could be Christmas every day

# Let the bells ring out for Christmas. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE