Episode 30 Strictly - It Takes Two

Hello dance lovers. It's Friday. This is It Takes Two. We are kicking

off your weekend with hopefully a brilliant show. Ashley and Ola will

be here. I will be heading to Elstree to catch up with the gossip

with Susanna and Kevin and I am joined by John Barrowman, the

gorgeous Emma Willis, From London, this is Strictly: It

Takes Two. Please welcome your host Zoe Ball!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING Hello. Welcome to It Takes Two. It's

just 23 hours, 58 minutes and 29 seconds until our couples take to

the dance floor seconds until our couples take to

how long have you been there? This is where Hayley sits in the band. If

you come down here, an amazing girl who did a Charleston last week. It's

Susanna and Kevin. Nice to see you. Hello, nice to see you, too. After

the hilarity of Teen Wolf and Hallowe'en. You are the only one who

didn't have to dress up in full make-up and hair. Well done. 34

points and you retained your place on the board. Were you expecting

that? No! Oh my goodness, it's always such a sense of jeopardy when

you go out. It's complicated and there was potential for it to go

wrong. Fantastic to get that many points. Brilliant. Well done. Yes,

well done both of you. The judges said your enjoyment is such a

pleasure said your enjoyment is such a

horrid bit of Saturday night. Are they getting better? Not really. You

think you are getting more adept at dealing with them but they still

come to grab you at that moment. They do affect your performance a

little bit. You have to think about them positively and use them. Yes,

of course. Sometimes if your legs go you can't actually move your leg.

The only criticism from the judges was that Susanna needs to improve

her crispness. Is this something you have taken on board? This week we

worked more than any other week on a lot of the technical type stuff

especially for this week because it's a slow dance you are more

exposed to the technique. So polishing it all the time this week

more than ever. You are doing a waltz to this song.

# You light up my life... waltz to this song.

bit... Yeah, it does make you go... You are going to be a Princess

again. When you do a ballroom dance everyone is like, she's a Princess.

Is it nice to have a break from the fastness of the flicks and kicks and

jumps of a Charleston? Is it easier for you? Does it make it easier for

you? It hasn't looked gentle for most of the week, no! Nor like a

Princess, I expect! Today went well, I was happy. He is full of cold.

This poor man. Every time he holds me his palms are like this. They're

dropping like flies. We have an A so much technique that we have done

this week. There's one word that strikes mere into my -- strikes fear

into my heart is technique. The judges want to see that. There's

been a lot of chat about hold and how long people are in hold and

whether junction are happy. Are you going -- judges are happy. Are you

going to be keeping Len happy? We are definitely in hold for most of

the dance, absolutely. It's a traditional waltz. Good. That will

keep everybody happy. We won't be doing illegal lifts. That's what he

was talking about last week, as well. They're starting to really

judge on these. This is what brings scores down. It's important for you

guys to get through this week. I know for you, because next week is

an important week. know for you, because next week is

be really special. Oh my goodness... Don't feel the pressure, love. Don't

let him down! I know how important it is to you. Fingers crossed. My

nan and grandad used to dance there. It's a magical place. The training

is paying off, we have read in the papers you have lost weight. Is that

true? I have lost half a stone. Go on, girl! I know what that means.

It's mostly through nerves and sweating. You are doing BBC

Breakfast News and training and you have your kids and your chap. A lot

going on. You probably don't have time to stop and eat. You are right.

I need to eat more food and put it straight back on. I have been

nervous about Kevin lifting me, I thought maybe I needed to lose half

a stone to a stone. Have you noticed the difference? I don't notice

a stone to a stone. Have you noticed about this at home. It's really

special. It's lovely. Will you be freshly shaven this weekend, Kevin?

Yeah, shaved it all off this week. I grew it especially. I can't believe

how quickly you grew that overnight. People like that wolfish look. Will

you do us the honours and give us a glimpse of your waltz? Everyone's

been really good. Go on. I might end up crying! Don't set us off. Let me

hold your lovely coat. That's what Kevin had on his face last week. Let

them set themselves up. You have all been good this week you can have a

peak at Susanna and Kevin's beautiful waltz.

Oh! I don't know about you but I have gone goosepimply. Now back to

her in the studio. I am not keen on her! It's six weeks to the final

which means our remaining celebrities have made it to the

halfway mark. Hurrah! How are they feeling about that? I can't quite

believe that I have got to the halfway mark. I am absolutely

thrilled, of course, that I am still here. It's kwond my expectations --

beyond my expectations. It's completely rocked my world. I would

love to go all the way. It's something I would like to try - try

every dance and every minute of this show. I am proud of myself because I

have come quite a fair way. I am loving it. When you love something

and enjoy it you want to learn fantastic feeling. I am so, so

pleased. But it's really down to Kevin. He's been just brilliant. It

exceeded my expectation, I have had a great time, I have to say and I

have learned so much about dancing, about being outside my comfort zone.

I am a little bit proud of myself to make it this far, yeah. You never

know when your journey's over. You can't take it for granted. You have

to treat every dance as if it's your last. I basically take one dance at

a time. So be here at the halfway mark is pretty good, I think. I have

already sort of slightly surpassed my expectations. So, I am very proud

and excited to still be dancing and I won't waste the opportunity. I

have improved loads. If I am brutally honest I didn't think I

would make it this far. You brutally honest I didn't think I

he thinks will be top of the board this week?

Lucky thinks Anton and Fiona will hit the top spot. Fingers crossed or

he is out! Time to meet the panel. Suggs, Emma Willis and John

Barrowman! Suggs, Emma Willis and John

have ever felt more integrated in anything, it was a beautiful thing.

Let's remind ourselves of Iveta dancing around you with her groovy

hair. # They will always still be there.

You should take them on the road with you. I do too. I wanted to take

the whole set. One of those moments when the planets Clwyd in a success

-- collide in a Goodway. Who has impressed you? Mark. I didn't know

what to expect, if I am honest in the beginning. I think he's got

great rhythm. He really enjoys it and gets stuck in. I don't think

great rhythm. He really enjoys it It's great. We are in the daytime

line-up. Fantastic. Let's move on to this stuff! You are desperate to get

started. We will start with Patrick and Anya. They had a quickstep. This

week they're doing an American smooth. Let's look at them in

training. Suggs, what do you think of this? Beautiful. Yeah. Patrick

really has been coming on in the proverbial leaps and bounds. You are

studying his rise and fall there. Indeed. They're dancing to Harry

Connick Junior. # It had to be you. Barrowman starts singing, help us!

Emma, great song from a great movie. How good could this be? I think it

will be really good. I have been trying to get pointers from John. I

am not trying to get pointers from John. I

He never really finishes a move. Always finish the line. What's great

also is you have three different opinions. It's a great way to look

at it and learn. Natalie and Artem. It was tens for them last week. Here

they are. They're doing a jive to Proud Mary. Could this be a full

house, are you a fan, John? I am a fan of Tina Turner. She has to be

careful because she's kind of in a way peaked too soon for me. I like

to see something with progression. She's already right there. She's

very good. There's other people that are making that progression and

changes that may trump her. I personally think she's going to be

out in about two weeks. Really! That's big talk. Even this week or

next week. There's going to be an upset. Doesn't matter. For some

reason upset. Doesn't matter. For some

about Ben and Kristina. They're doing a jive this week. Emma, when

you look at a butch bloke like this are you surprised at how well he can

dance or not impressed? John can't even look! To be honest, how can

that not impress you? How can Ben not impress you? John's taken by

him. These two are in agreement on this. Suggs, are you taken by him

and what do you think of his dancing, that's what we should

discuss. These two aren't talking about his dancing. You know, he is a

big man. I have to say he is relatively sprightly for someone

that big. I wouldn't like to do that and probably couldn't. # Sweet

dreams... some bounce into the steps.

Kristina, knowing her... You danced with her, did you win a Christmas

special? I won the Christmas special, I think. Don't have the

trophy! She knows how to choreograph for guys like that. She really did

an exceptional job last week. He is someone you need to watch. He might

surprise us all and might take the trophy. I love all this! Sophie and

Brendan are doing the Argentina tango. First time anyone has done it

this series. It will be a version of this: # Sweet dreams. I love the

tango. From the glance at this performance I do feel, as I think

the judges do, she needs to give it more pizazz is the word I am

thinking of. It's more pizazz is the word I am

little bit. An energy drink before she goes on. She's relaxed. She

moves very well. But she's just a bit maybe too chilled and needs to

heighten everything a little bit. Say your piece. Three shots of

espresso and chuck your shoulders back and you will be fine. Dave and

Karen are doing a tango to The Proclaimers. This is his tango face.

I want honesty from you now. He is trying his hardest, is this a

winning week for Dave? They're saying he is putting character into

his face, I am not sure which character. It's Laurel or Hardy. I

am not seeing a lot of intensity there. Obviously he is trying very

hard, yeah. I am not really getting that face, no. Emma, people love

him. What do you think? I really like

him. What do you think? I really constructive criticism. It's great

he enjoys it but what's going to happen someone's a good dancer will

get voted out because he will be kept in. This is a show about

dancing. Part-personality, but the majority is about dancing. Don't

like someone maybe Artem and... Don't let them get knocked out

because someone is having a good time. All right. That's your

opinion. Let's look at Abbey and Aljaz. They were a big shocker in

the dance-off last week. Were you as shocked as the rest of us, Emma? I

was, I love Abbey. She's beautiful to watch. She's a great dancer. I

feel for her with her nerves and would like to see her go all the

way. She improves every week. This week she fought back. They've the

tune of the night, possibly. Cabaret. They're doing the

Charleston. They can't She would thoroughly enjoy it. This

is one of these situations where someone who is progressing and

growing watching that journey, this is exactly what's happening with

this couple. It's the journey, the progression. I really think she can

go far too. Abbey is a lovely girl. Lovely dancer. One of your

favourites, Emma, Mark and Iveta, they're doing the rumba. Iveta will

be wearing a gold catsuit and Mark will be a Bond villain. I want to

see them the other way around. Him in the gold. After watching him do

MC Mammer, he is stitch -- Hammer, he is such a good sport and up for

it. He has good timing and quite fluid, I feel. I look at John when I

make these comments. This is someone enjoying their time

make these comments. This is someone week. Last week they said she was

off time. Can she bring out a paso attitude? Dancing to Blur. I thought

I had heard and seen it all in my life. But... You know, either one of

those two things is hard to imagine. But the two combined is mind-blowing

for me, I have to say. It's beyond my comprehension. Who would you like

to see lift the trophy, Suggs? I am keen on Dave. I like Dave. Emma? One

name, please. Just one? Not two? No. Abbey. John? Ben and Kristina. OK.

Thank you so much. What a joy, please come back. Suggs, Emma and

John! attracted to the evil Ashley. That's

good. That really suits you. It's the detail missing. It's all there

but there are little faults that somehow don't get you to the next

level. I know you can and you will. Aggressive, dark, mysterious, I

really loved it. 33! Top score so far. Buzzing. Come on!

How good were they? Please welcome Ashley and Olo. -- Ola. Don't you

look saucy in your glasses! My teacher. Happy faces for Hallowe'en

for the two of you. You broke the teacher. Happy faces for Hallowe'en

have improved, at last. Ola, it was your first 9 since week two. Have

you been making the choreography harder? It does seem all the pros

are making things trickier? I have been tougher on Ashley, yes. We

worked really hard with not getting as many hours as everyone else but

we work really hard. So when we get into the studio I am pushing Ashley

as much as I can and the routine was quite hard. Yeah, working hard,

yeah. He can take the pressure. Darcey was attracted to the evil

Ashley. Craig also loved the aggressive dark side. I guess you

have had a bit of practice with Darren in Hollyoaks. Was it good to

do that role play? It's lovely to take on a character. It let's you

forget about you. You think you are someone else and that distracts you

from actually what's going on. That's exactly what a few other

people have said. You get into this bad! How is that going this week? We

worked really hard on posture, I can promise you that. We have so

hopefully we can get it right on Saturday. I am going to get it right

this week. We are going to be positive. We love to support our

dancers. We have had engineers work on this tricky contraption here.

This is your own glitterball broom. When you are at Hollyoaks and

getting breaks you can work on your posture and sweep up afterwards. I

might get James to do the housework. He is not busy at the moment, he

might as well. OK. Now Ola is often known as being bossy in the training

room. It seems this year things have reversed. I am worried you will let

me down on this dance. From the top, let's smash it. Do the whole thing

for me. What, me? Yeah, you. I am scared.

yourself. Good. What I wanted. Right, let's do it. Do it again.

From the top. OK. Any good? No, the second one. This is my dance class!

Sorry. I like it. The tables... I should be wearing them. I am the

teacher. You are the boss. It's the quickstep this week which is going

to be good for you. How is it going? It's really hard. I keep saying if

the tango was a 200-piece puzzle this is like 500. There's so many

steps. I thought what, are you for real? There's a lot of content. I

wanted to do a proper quickstep from beginning to end. No messing about.

It's full-on. Hopefully Ashley can keep the posture up and the head up

and he is going to be amazing. Even and he is going to be amazing. Even

Serious faces last week. This week more fun although complication down

here. Is it tricky? Yeah, but it's fun because it's fast. You feel like

you are running. It's a strange dance. Not sure if he loves it just

yet. Maybe by the end of tomorrow night you will love it. You have

done lots of fast dances, how is that stamina? The hard thing for me

is doing a full day at work and get there at night, it's the focus.

That's why I was doing that, trying to be like, come on, we are doing

this! Trying to tell yourself. It was false. Trying to keep on top of

it. Claudia said you have 11 children and 19 jobs, it's not that

much of an exaggeration, how are you coping? I want to say a massive

thank you to my fiancee, without her I couldn't do it. She is at home

with the kids. I couldn't do it. She is at home

please! It's the motherland of ballroom dancing. Go on, posture.

It's going to be brilliant. Ashley and Ola everybody!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING That's all we have time for. Don't

forget to tune into Strictly tomorrow night 6.30pm BBC1. I am

back on Monday with the next couple to