Episode 58 Strictly - It Takes Two

Live from London, this is Strictly It Takes Two! Please welcome your

host, Zoe Ball. APPLAUSE

There are only three sleeps until the Strictly final,

so tonight I've done a deal with Santa

and managed to pull together an absolute gift of a line-up.

Here for his final warm-up of the series,

Ian Waite will be casting his wand

over our finalists' show-stopping showdances.

Louise and Kevin are here to reveal their plans for the final.

And it's the It Takes Two equivalent of a visit

from the Queen, so everyone be on your best behaviour.

Strictly royalty, Tess and Claud are here!

Now, after a tantalising tango and a fruity samba,

our next couple won themselves a rightful place

in the Strictly final. It's Louise and Kevin!

So much snap, crackle and pop! You were dynamic, it was full of

content, I totally loved watching you.

A classic samba, the joy in your face! For me, there wasn't enough

other -- upper body energy or resistance. You put in everything

you possibly could, great! You loved watching that back. You

are finalists, congratulations, can you quite believe it? It was such an

emotional weekend. I have to say, I am so happy, it was the hardest week

I had had on Strictly. You know, I really threw myself into the

dancers, but they were hard, and I was really nervous, and to get

through, it was an emotional night for everyone, but amazing. We will

come to the tears, but the great thing is, Louise, you have managed

to keep Kevin's never knocked out reputation completely intact! I am

so relieved! Quite a lot of extra pressure by everyone I spoke to said

that Kevin had never not been in the final, and my legacy could have been

the one that did not get into the final! I was so stressed on

Saturday! They were two very difficult dances, samba and tango in

the same week. Kevin, and you are not only a finalist, you have said

another Strictly record. You are the first pro

to have ever reached APPLAUSE

They have given us everything, one party popper!

I hate this phrase, but we must say it.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

But could this year BVA? -- be be a question mark I know, what usually

happens is that I make it to the final, and come second. If that

happens, it is totally my fault! Obviously, it would be lovely, full

Louise, because I think she deserves it, it is not about me, it is about

this girl here, she has been amazing all series.

Kevin, we've talked a lot this year about the Clifton family rivalry.

But you and your sister Joanne were very emotional on Sunday

And it was a lovely, lovely thing. It was a really big weekend! I think

when she got through, I sort of lost control a little bit, because she

didn't even have a celebrity partner last year, and this year she has

worked so hard with Ore. When they got though, I punched the air, I

didn't realise I was on camera at the time! As much as we joke about

it, the rivalry and all that, she is my baby sister, you know? You shared

a gorgeous picture of the two of you. Incredible outfits there!

Haven't changed at all. Back to the dances of the tango burst. Weekend,

Are you glad it is all over? I love them all, but there was a lot of

content, lots to take on. I always enjoy myself out there, even if it

is not my best dance, I love every minute of it, and the tango is no

different. And you got onto the conveyor belt at the end! And then,

of course, the samba, you hate seeing this, but we're going to show

you one more time. You add fruit in your hair and everything. What did

you make of this one? I think it was just so out of character for me, I

am the last person who is going to go on TV with fruit and her hair and

shaking her bits everywhere. But it is all an experience, and one thing

I realised when I started doing Strictly, you have to throw yourself

at everything. At the start of the week, I was saying, I am not wearing

fruit. But then, come on, I will do it all, make the most of it. You

will never have to do it again! This weekend is the final, three dances,

so exciting, the one we are most excited about is the one we know

very little about, you're showdance to Whitney Houston. This is a great

tune, because it builds to this huge crescendo, and I am sure he will

hold you up with one finger! What can you tell us about the character

or the theme? Well, throughout the series we do it for different

dances, I ended up giving Louise a different character, a different

name or something, a whole back story. And for this one, she's being

Louise Redknapp. It is about her story on Strictly and the way she

has developed from being very scared at the beginning to growing in

confidence and as a performer, it is the story of that. It is all about

Louise. You don't have to fall in love with Kevin. I am still trying

to push her! Andy Warhol wearing ballet shoes? I am, so it is it is

so different to anything else we have done throughout the series. It

is nice to go out and do something completely different. When do you

start planning the showdance? Is it something you do in your bedroom?

Snow, not at all! Only when I know that we are through, I never start

planning until we know we are through to the next week. You told

me at about 11 o'clock on Sunday night. Yeah! Usually into the night

on a Sunday night. And you get to do a dance that you have done before,

your favour -- your favourite, the Argentine tango, what was so special

about this? It was the first time I felt engulfed in a routine, and I

think I understood how important it was to put everything into it, so I

don't know, through all of the dances, it felt like the first one

where we were like, OK, I get what we have to do. It was the turning

point, Len had given some comments, saying we were not quite good

enough, not as good as the ones at the top of the leader board. And

then she came out and gave everything, it was a real turning

point. All the judges gave you tens except Craig. I know! Well, we are

going to try our best, but that would be amazing, we will give

everything. I am so excited for the two our view, wonderful, cannot wait

to see the showdance. Good luck, and your boy Jamie is on the show

tomorrow, I am going to make him dance! Just kidding! Just getting to

do a step over. Also, we will find out what the judges have picked for

you, but not until Saturday. Enjoy the final, in fact we will see you

on Friday. Louise and Kevin! Now, over the past 12 weeks,

one man and his trusty wand have analysed the training-room footage

of an astonishing 105 dances. Lesser men would crumble under

the pressure, but not Ian Waite! For the last time this series -

Ian Waite, everybody! He is wearing red trousers, look at

this! I was told I had to wear something colourful so I do not

blend into the background. Have you gone for a spray tan? I have been

away to the Canaries, but I was still watching the show in my hotel

room! Can you believe it is the final already? I think because it

has been so good, it has gone just like that. Something we are really

looking forward to seeing is the finalists' showdances, when they can

do no holds barred, anything goes, no rules at all, what are we looking

for in a great performance? From last week, they were also emotional,

the semifinal, everybody is crying. But this week they are just going to

go hell for leather, the music has to be very important, it has to have

highs and lows. With the choreography, you have to make sure

you have easy parts, fast parts, and also the big lifts, the big wow

moments. You have to have a beginning, a medal and an end, a big

finale at the end. And of course, you know, as an example, the

showdance we did when we got knocked out! Is this the bit where you fell

over?! This was really difficult, to choreograph this, great piece of

music, but five beats to a bar, it was so difficult. Just do that

little bit. I can't do it any more, don't make me do it! What do you do?

APPLAUSE Don't leave me on my own!

I am sorry, after Karen Clifton did that so amazingly, you cannot touch

it ever again. Tom Chambers had the best showdance ever, he was

incredible. Let's have a look at what they have done so far, only

tiny bits. For one last time, get the one doubt. If I must! There we

go, look. Let's start with Danny had Oti, their dance is to Set Fire To

The Rain by Adele. They are doing some Argentine tango mixed with some

contemporary, so very dramatic. I did Set Fire To The Rain, I dance to

that number with Darcey, so they have got a lot to live up to, I am

just saying, no pressure! But he will have her up in those lifts, and

for him the most important thing is to go out like a champion, and he

has done that all the way along. As Jill Halfpenny said the other night,

every week he comes out, and he dances like a champion. She said

dance like you are already a winner, because you kind of art. Yes, if you

have made the final. We did not care that we were third, just that we had

made a final, it is amazing, enjoy it. Louise and Kevin are dancing to

One Moment In Time, Whitney Houston. We did a rumba to this, and it was a

disaster! Let's move on! As you mentioned, she is in those ballet

shoes, I think it will be a sort of rumba, adagio sort of dance, so

Kevin will have to have good muscles to be lifting her, not that she is

heavy but...! It is hard work, when you are practising all those lifts

over and over again, it is OK doing it once, but over and over again.

Now, as I said, he said the song is about her story throughout Strictly.

And it is a grower, that song, it starts off quite easy, and then it

builds up to the end, a big crescendo at the end. I think it

will be a good showdance. Finally, Ore and Joanne, I Got Rhythm from

Crazy For You, classic Gene Kelly, he did it so brilliantly. He did,

with Singing In The Rain. It reminds me of the song that Tom Chambers

dance to, that old-fashioned variety sort of feel, and I think throughout

the dance, you can create those old-fashioned moments. As you say,

he was brilliant in Singing In The Rain, so I think it will be great,

and I think the British public will love this one. The Strictly public

will adore this. You know, for him, really, he has got to get totally in

character, like he did in singing in the rain, which I do not think will

be difficult for him. But he is the one who has come from nowhere and be

come this amazing dancer. I cannot believe it is the last one! He is

into the studio on Friday, so not quite over, you and Gethin Jones,

but thanks for keeping us warmed up over the last three months. Give it

up for Ian Waite! Now, regular viewers will know

we love a good Strictly stat But with the Final fast approaching,

we decided to bring in a heavyweight broadcaster to delve deep

into the Glitterball Here with a high-brow,

informative analysis of all the finalists that have

gone before, it's the Sorry, I'm so sorry, I was just

having a slight moment, I know you understand that! I'm inside,

actually inside the Strictly Glitterball! We will use the power

of the graphics to see if there is some scientific way of working out

who is best placed to win. We've got quite a lot of information. We've

got... 13 series. We have seen... 39 finalists! And of course, those 13

brilliant winners. Is there some way of working out who will be the

winner of series 14? And maybe also where I went wrong! Take a look at

our finalists named board and we have put the name of all 39 in no

particular order so you can search for your favourites. Down here, Zoe

Ball! Series III. We remember you! But what I'm going to do now is

rearrange them in the decades. Just have a look. Now we can see which of

them favourites to be finalists. Over here, you've got the people in

their 20s. 16 of them. The thirtysomethings, 18. That is the

most populated age decade. You have just got four of the

fortysomethings. And the fiftysomethings? That none of them,

nobody mentioned that the meat when they invited me on to the show. In

their 60s, one finalists, Pamela Stephenson. This is the Strictly pie

chart and we do not even get this in election coverage! Look at the

beauty of that! Every segment is a decade so the thirtysomethings, you

could see they've the bigger segment. And the average age of

finalists is 31.2. However, and this is fascinating, watch what happens

when the Strictly pie chart looks at only winners. You can see the way

suddenly, the segment that belongs to 20 somethings becomes the

biggest. There are more 20-something winners, seven, and 30-something

winners, six. So winning the Glitterball is clearly a young

person's thing. Person! Do I mean man or woman? Now, this territory of

the Battle of the sexes is the most fascinating. In all the Strictly

graphics area. Look at this, it shows you that are more female than

male finalists in the past history of Strictly so the women have it in

terms of finalists. They never told me that either, by the way! However,

look at the winners. It changes around. That is interesting. You

suddenly see more male Strictly winners than female. In seven -- it

is 7-6. What will happen this year? Will the men extend their lead over

the women or will the women catch up and make it seven abuse? As a

Strictly fan, you will know the two main styles of dancing, Latin and

ballroom, but which are stronger in, the finalists? For this key battle

ground territory, we need a Strictly swingometer. Looking at past

finalists, we find the number strongest in Latin based on the

average scores through the contest is only nine! If we look at the

number strongest in ballroom, bring the arrow around, it is 29. Ballroom

predominates among the finalists. One was strong equally in both, the

amazing Natalie in series 11. We switched to winners using the

swingometer for this. So the strongest winners in ballroom, how

many? Nine. How many winners were strongest in Latin? As they came

through the contest. Only four. And they were Jill Halfpenny, Caroline

Flack, Kara Tointon and Jay McGuiness. Latin in the minority so

it seems ballroom is the ticket to get you to the final. So there we

go, fascinating facts and figures about the last 13 series of

Strictly! Thank you, Strictly, for allowing me to be inside the

Glitterball! It is the closest I have ever got. The question is if we

can take these numbers and analyse them and work out who is going to

win the series 14, it is going to be so enthralling!

Zoe, back to you. Jeremy Vine, I love him!

And Jeremy Vine will be back inside the Glitterball tomorrow

Right now, it's time to welcome the Queen Bees of Strictly.

Here, together on my sofa for the first time ever,

please be upstanding for the brilliant Tess Daly

Hello, ladies! Lovely to see you here. Of duty, I like it.

You presented It Takes Two for seven years.

Yes, I apologise. It is so much nicer and you are a genius. We are

obsessed, we say, have you seen Zoe, and her shoes? The lush, I was

secretly pregnant and the place smelt of sick! I had bad morning

sickness. I would talk to somebody and B, back in a minute. I

apologise. It is a lovely thing to go through morning sickness and you

get a lovely bundle of joy. This year, what you think of the class of

2016? What a year! What a bunch. Brilliant cast. I think this is the

highest standard of dancing we have seen ever. We say that every year

and people get cross, but it has been stunning. I can't remember a

better year. The semifinal, the atmosphere, people physically were

shaking, the standard of dancing, all of them. Extraordinary. Did you

both cry? I was sobbing at home and I'm dangerously hormonal! We love

you wonderful partnership on screen and off screen. What is the best

part of working together? She makes me die laughing all the time! We

have a proper laugh! Doing rehearsals. We become like baboons!

Not in a bad way! We are telepathic I look at you and I play with your

hair. I'm always like that. So you can communicate with each other's

minds? She bakes Brownies sometimes, the best! I feel bad when I buy a

packet of biscuits and I think, I had better do something, Claudia is

doing Brownies. They go, it is really terrible and I go, cinnamon

bun, anyone? This weekend, amazing moments, we have to relive it, this

is a quick reminder. Are you sure that is a good idea? Absolutely. Oh!

Over the series, Louise has gained plenty of supporters and...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE I apologise! It is just hilarious. My favourite

bits, I love this girl so much. I'm constantly holding a banana or

pretending to do this, orchestral! And she is looking at me like...

Tolerating it. But to make you go like that, it was so cute. Honestly,

her face, do the face was just so brilliant. What you could not see is

that she was lying on the matches that of all lying back taunting me

like this, smiling and pointing! Crying with laughter! I could not

hold it together. And the lovely audience on the right. We had not

planned where I would go so I thought, should I squirrel away? It

was so confusing. You had never for one that hard! You did go for it!

Age in the floor manager was in charge and in rehearsals, he was

pulling it and I said, just Pollitt. The face was already falling off!

And I loved bold macro. That was hilarious. -- old Claud. Len was

saying in series one he was thinking, I'm not sure this is going

to work, do you remember back then, what did you think? We did two

series in 2004 in March and October and I had a baby for the second one

and I went back halfway and we had no idea we would be still hear these

years later is. It started small, the first series, we had six

celebrities and the second we had eight celebrities and it just grew.

It grew in popularity and who knew? Next year, 25 contestants! We will

begin in March! I think everybody would love it to run longer. In the

States, they've two series a year. And Len will say se-ven! For the

last time at the weekend. How much are you going to miss him and his

pickle me walnuts? I hang on his every word. I love him, and we were

doing a masterclass and it was my favourite part of it. And he is the

King. I keep thinking maybe it is a joke and I'm like, see you in

August, Len. He goes, no art, I'm not coming, I think it will be

horrible. I can't imagine him not there. He is the daddy! Keeps them

under control. Now, between you, the pair

of you have asked the pros a lot So today, our pros are getting

their own-back in a ground-breaking We literally couldn't play

it with anyone else. I love you. I love you more! We have

a question for you. If you could dance with one

of us, who would it be? Who who is your favourite? Really

easy, I know! You know what to say. Cheeky! We love them both.

Blackpool, we would dance with each of them equally. Yes, we did. Anton.

You know them so well, they are gorgeous. So talented and so funny.

Those two, really naughty. Next, we have a question from Oti.

Hello. If you had to dance one

dance, what would it be? Mine would be the Argentine tango.

Could that happen? So passionate, so intense. I think at the wrap party.

I would not want anybody else to see it. I will make an elaborate home

video. I like the really livid ones and you have to look grumpy. I like

the paso, like that! Like a Pirate! You and Ed Balls, wrap party, it is

You and Ed Balls, wrap party, it is a dream!

There have been many fun couples in Strictly over the years.

If you had to bring back one couple from any past

series for the final, who would it be?

I think she is hinting. I loved her and Ed. I missed Alesha Dixon, she

has the best laugh I have ever heard! All I could hear was... It is

from there and you could hear it seven floors away! Hashimi was

pretty mean. Who would you like to see, dream booking, next year? David

Cameron. Alistair Campbell. I love Alistair Campbell! We adore the two

of view, have the best final on Saturday. So exciting, I can't wait.

Give it up for Tess and Claudia. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

That's all we've got time for tonight, I'm afraid.

Join me tomorrow night, when I'll be here with Ore and Joanne.

Vicky Gill will be sharing her Final show-stopping costume designs.

And we'll be chatting to a special panel of our