Episode 53 Strictly - It Takes Two

It's our final Wednesday. Coming up: Prince Harry and Aliona are

here to discuss their quest for the Glitterball Trophy. Ian Waite has a

glimpse at the finalists' training. And Nancy Dell'olio gives us her

guide to throwing the most fabulous Strictly party. This is It Takes

Live from Television Centre, this is Strictly: It Takes Two. Please

welcome Zoe Ball. APPLAUSE Hello. I'm running out of things to do

now! Welcome to It Takes Two. The Strictly Final is so close we can

almost taste the Blackpool rock, smell the sea air and feel the

finalists' nerves. I will be chatting to Team Hali about their

preparations for the big night. Here is a reminder of why everyone

was so wild about Harry on Saturday. That's the way to start a semifinal.

Two things - your midrift and your talent were revealed! Nine!

more dance to go. Harry, the Prince and the showgirl. Romance, style.

You are dancing royalty. This was gorgeous to watch. I would move

your head to the left slightly. That was confident, effortless,

just beautifully played. Take him to the tower - ballroom -

Blackpool! Fabulous! Good job. It's safe to say we have done everything

we could have done. We would love to go to Blackpool. It would be an

Thank goodness they have made it here. Please welcome finalists

Harry and Aliona. APPLAUSE Congratulations. Thank you. Thank

you. So exciting. How was Saturday night for you? You kicked off the

night with the Charleston. Was it good to get out there first or was

it terrifying? It was quite terrifying. When you go first, you

feel like you have to get the party started. It was very quiet. I was

dancing thinking I can hear everything. But at the end of it,

the judges liked it. We got a good score. We don't know how it is

going, you are thinking it's quiet. My dad was in the audience and he

said it was quite quiet. Everybody is so tense. That is the thing.

kind of need - believe it, everyone at home were screaming for you.

After your Viennese waltz, Bruno crowned you dancing royalty. Were

you as pleased with this dance as he clearly was? You know what, I

was. After we done the Charleston and it had gone very well, I was

feeling quite relaxed with the Viennese waltz. It is such a

beautiful song and a beautiful dance. I managed to enjoy myself.

I'm sorry. Aliona is grinning her head off! You must be so pleased

with him? Of course, I'm extremely pleased. He's worked so hard. He

progressed so much and now he's dancing so well. But of course

still the elusive 10 from Craig. What do you think you will have to

do to get him to give a 10? I came out the studio and the song, What

Have I Go To Do To Make You Love Me came into my head! I was so happy

with the way it had gone. I couldn't really ask for more. I was

delighted. I got 10s from everyone else. He will be be keeping it back

for the final! I hope so. Was it a long wait in the Results Show?

was horrendous. Were any of you talking backstage? No, we were. We

all really support each other. It is a nice atmosphere backstage.

Everyone was very nervous. When our names got called out, it was an

amazing feeling. I could hear my heart pumping. They called out our

names and we were... You were there! A hit with the judges. A hit

with the viewers. And a hit with each other. Quite literally.

Takes Two - put a compilation of Aliona whacking me in the face

We've had... You hit me on day one. I'm sorry. Cracked chin. Sorry.

Once a week you insist on elbowing # Hit me baby one more time. #

If that doesn't make the VT, I don't know what will! Four dances

for the final. That's quite a feat to take on. You will do one of your

favourites, a judges' favourite, a new one and the show dance. Your

favourite, the Argentine tango? Len said it lacked intensity last

time. Can you prove him wrong? Can you show him more intensity? You

are on fire! Will you add anything in for Len? We are going to try and

be more intense. I don't know what we can do. We will go for it!

intense. We hope Len will be in a good mood. Look at him intensely!

Try and kiss him. Also you - the judges have chosen the quickstep.

Are you happy about them choosing that? Extremely. When we first

talked about what we wanted to dance it was between quickstep and

Argentine tango. So very pleased. Quite - it is quite full-on. You

will be shattered. It is one night. You are doing the American Smooth

which you have never done before. How is that going? Really well. We

have three massive lifts. He is lifting me the whole week. It is

going pretty well. The routine is down. Now we are polishing it.

And a show dance and the great thing about that is there are no

rules whatsoever. Aliona, this is your playground. I have heard a

rumour there's 78 lifts in the show dance! It's a lie. Not enough time

for that. Yeah, quite a lot of lifts. They are a bit dangerous. No

rules for me means danger for everyone else! The front row, you

can take them all out! So how - when you wake up on Sunday, it's

all going to be over. How do you feel about that? Depends on how

Saturday goes! True. That is very true. Are you feeling pressure?

Aliona, you were in the final last year. You didn't get the

Glitterball. This year, surely? would love to deliver that

Glitterball for you. I will be doing my very best. As we have done,

we have taken everything week-by- week. This is another week. We are

working as hard as we can. What will be will be. On Sunday, all I

know is I will be sleeping! Will you be doing any moves on the McFly

tour? You are behind the drum kit. Could you do a bit of samba for the

McFly fans? I will pay money to see that! The McFly guys will pay money

to get me back behind my drums! Dougie up front eating bugs. Tom is

here tomorrow. Is he? Am I not supposed to say anything? Woops!

Anything you are nervous about with the final? What are you most

worried about? Everything. It is so intense. To be honest, I am hoping

once we get through the first dance, hopefully it will go well, I might

relax. I will try and enjoy myself. That is wise. The next thing is it

is all over. Then you will miss it. Good luck at the weekend. Thank you.

You both rock! Harry and Aliona! APPLAUSE We will see you in

Blackpool on Friday. I can't wait! On Saturday, one couple will get

their hands on that Glitterball Trophy. They will be crowned

Strictly Champions. But here at It Takes Two, we believe everyone's a

winner. It is time for today's exciting instalment of The

Glitterballs. And the next Glitterball is the award for being

on the naughty step. For those that are exceptionally naughty. Ian,

there's nothing clever about being naughty. And the nominees are:

Aliona for not listening to the judges. I won't speak to you, I

heard you on It Takes Two, and you said you never listen to the judges.

Robbie Savage for being Robbie Savage. Bruno for being naughty

with Alesha. You have to go in there. And James Jordan for not

being able to keep it zipped. you realise, Craig, that these

celebrities, it is their first week on the show? And the winner is:

James Jordan. Oh, fantastic. This may come as no surprise. He can't

be here tonight, he has prior engagements. He gave us this

wonderful message. Thank you for all that voted for me. It means so

much to me. I'm so sorry I can't be there because I'm rehearsing the

Charleston with these other people that didn't get an award. We are so

good. I'm better! Back to you, Zoe! Thank you Ian and Karen.

Congratulations to James. We wouldn't want you any other way!

Now it is time for Mr Glitterballs himself, Ian with Waite's Final

I love it! Thank you. APPLAUSE know how to milk a crowd! We do.

It's the last Wednesday Warm-Up, are you emotional? Very emotional.

Not only will I miss the teleprompter, I will miss you!

can see my any old time! We see each other all the time. We hate

each other off-air! Blackpool is coming. You will be there on Friday.

On the scale of one to ten, how excited are you about this year's

final? It could be the best we have ever seen? They are all great

couples and we are at Blackpool. We haven't done that since I danced

with Denise Lewis in the final which was an amazing final and I

have danced there since a young ball, it is the most amazing place

to dance. How did you do in that first dance? Don't ask that!

couples are tackling two old and two new routines. Chelsee and Pasha

will be doing a rumba. How are they capturing the romance of the dance?

I'm very impressed. They have saved the best till last. They are doing

that sliding split step that she got an altercation on last week.

It's not put her off. No. Pasha has given her some amazing transitions.

Very complicated choreography. To be honest, she can cope with it.

The reason I stopped it here is the wonderful leg action, the straight

legness. What I would like... Straight legness... Let's have a

bit of it. For old time's sake. Swivel, swivel. That's how you do

rumbas! No, I felt like dancing! They are also doing their show

dance and Pasha was telling Claudia that their show dance was going to

be quite funky. How funky is it? Well, it is a very upbeat dance. I

think that will suit Chelsee, her character. I have slowed this down.

Very compact, nice, lots of body action, lots of body pumping.

is properly shaking it! This is a great dance. Her dances were like

cha-cha, jive, great for her character and this is no exception.

It's a real compact dance and I think it will be a fantastic show

dance. A bit of a flip there. Whether he knows what he is doing

next, I don't know. We will see. should know! What are the key

things to a show dance, what should we be looking for, what makes the

perfect show dance? For me, the music has a lot to do with it. You

need lots of highs and lows. Maybe different types of instruments

which create that... Guitar, drums... It makes a difference.

With lots of highlights where you can do those big lifts. And a great

ending. A big finish. OK. Let's have a look at Jason and Kristina.

Their new dance is the salsa. The samba last weekend. A similar hip

action? It is very similar. Almost the same. But there's a lot of

technical differences. He is using his hips lovely here. Just going

into this - I have slowed this down. They have this underarm thing that

we do in salsa. That's slowed down? It looks fast. He would be able to

do it faster if his arms were looser. He has too much tension in

them at the moment. Not surprised. He has four dances. They do this

lift. It was very difficult to get into. I am hoping that will smooth

out. Also, just look at the shape she is getting. This is a really

difficult lift. If she is not careful, she will hit the floor!

Don't say that! This is a very dangerous lift. If they can pull it

off, it will be fantastic. Look at the lifts he did on Sunday! That

was amazing. Very saucy. OK. They love to put on a show. Let's look

at the show dance. They are going old school. I love an old school.

Fantastic. Traditional old school show dance. This is like Putting on

the Ritz. One of those Top Hat numbers. Like it. Kristina has been

clever because she's incorporated this step which they did in the

Charleston. A lot of Charleston steps are in there. That is a great

thing to do, to incorporate things that you have done before. Now,

look, if I can show you, she is sitting on the cane. He picked her

up on a brolly. Now, obviously, using the same idea again. That's

the cleverness of it. You are using, incorporating these different parts

and things that you have done before. They are much more polished

then. Harry and Aliona are dog the American Smooth. -- are doing the

American Smooth for their new dance. How are they getting to grips with

it? It is looking a great dance. She is totally relying on him there.

He has to give the right amount of body weight so she doesn't fall

backwards or he doesn't fall backwards. Fantastic. Here, they

are doing some like natural turns in the Viennese waltz but with a

different hold. So they are dancing a Viennese waltz for this American

Smooth. Is that unusual? It is. I don't think we have seen many in

the past. I have stopped it here. I want you to - I go on about this

boy's body. But - I meant... are not the only one! The way he

finishes off his lines. So strong, and so finished off. Fantastic

presence. It is really good. They are also doing a show dance

with 78 lifts. Is Aliona really showing off with his athleticism

here? Absolutely. She is playing to his strengths. That is what you

have got to do. You have to make it spectacular. If he can do it, why

not. Throw in all the lifts. I have stopped it because I wanted you to

see the way - that's wrong! What was that? There you go. Oh no!

don't believe it, you have broken it! We have it. Fantastic creative

lifts. He throws her on to the floor. Look at that. Nancy did that

move! It didn't look the same. Another dangerous lift. It goes

into jive. I am presuming this is a very lively, kicky-flicky dance! It

really suits Harry. It looks seriously good. It does. Very fast

as well. I can't believe how much is coming. Will you stick around?

will think about it. Do you want a double dose of Ian Waite? APPLAUSE

We are about to talk about the old dances they are doing in a few

minutes' time. Ian Waite! APPLAUSE Now, all over the country, people

are getting ready to host Strictly Final parties. How can you ensure

that yours is the most fabulous? Well, we asked the belle of the

ball, Nancy Dell'olio, to share her valuable knowledge on hosting a

I'm here to help you to throw a perfect party for the Strictly

Final. Follow the simple steps and for one night you will be glamorous,

like me. Use only the finest ingredients and the best quality

food. Don't forget the Golden Rule, the more sparkle the better.

Glitter! Glitter! It is easy to create an amazing food. Do what I

do, get a beautiful man. Let him do Make your home as glamorous as

Strictly - it is easy. Don't just stop with the house, sparkle

everything. And I mean everything. Not everyone does glamour like me.

If you want a tip, sequins on everything. Too much work! This one

I made earlier. You need the right guest list to make your party a

real success. Hi. Hi. Hi. Sorry. I think you have the wrong party! Bye.

With your guests in place, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy

the show. This is Strictly: The Grand Final PHONE RINGS Hello?

Anton. No, it's not tonight, the party. It is next week. Sorry? You

are breaking up. Sorry. Missing you! Don't forget the music. I love

this track. Come on, boys, let's dance. Ciao darlings. Follow the

steps and for one night you will be LAUGHTER Ciao, darlings! You can

tell that is cheap bubbley! Remember, only use edible glitter

when preparing your party treats. I have to tell you. Ian is still here.

APPLAUSE They have put us on a stool! We have been allowed to sit

down. Your success rate in the final is very good. You got me

there. We didn't win. It is fine. Denise Lewis, you came second with

her. Yes. What is your tip for the couples this week? They have four

dances to do. How do they keep going? How can they present

themselves? I would say trust the fact they have done 14 weeks of

training and that it is all there, behind-the-scenes, it is all ready

to dance. Don't get too het up with the fact they have new dances. They

have to practice those. Relax and enjoy yourself. They are in the

final. The hard work is done. Let's talk about the other two

dances. One, that they have done before, that they love, and the

judges have chosen a favourite, too. Jason and Kristina, the judges have

chosen to see their tango again. Why do you think they chose this?

think they chose this because he is a great showman and this shows off

- he was in Priscilla on the West End and he feels comfortable in

this sort of camp sort of role. He is obviously - I don't mean that

badly, Jason. I know what you mean. He is having a great time. I can

understand why the judges have chosen that. Great. He did it so

brilliantly. Jason and Kristina have chosen to do their quickstep

again which was magical. The Bewitched music. You loved this

one? I did. The way she's used him and he can do his acting. Basically,

he is acting and he is dancing on his own so he is showing what an

accomplished dancer he is. So clever of Kristina to do that. Then

they go into a fantastic quickstep. That theme will work in the final?

Yes. Chelsee and Pasha, the judges have chosen the jive for them.

Their Shrek theme. Pasha may not have to don the green make-up and

ears again. I hope he does. It makes it. And the donkey has got to

stay! Is there anything that Chelsee could do better than she

did last time? It was so good. She just needs to keep it up to the

very end. She needs to keep kicking and flicking because she did lose

it towards the end of that dance. She got 39 before. Could she get...

She might get that extra one point. Go, girl! Chelsee and Pasha also

have chosen to repeat their quickstep again, which was the

lovely thing in the airport. He is late for his flight. The movement

across the flight, that lovely leap, lots of Charleston, this is a

fantastic dance for them. Also, another great storyline. That will

be amazing. We love a dance with a story. We do. Why do we like that?

I don't know. I have always done that, even before we started doing

more lyrical stuff in the last couple of years. I think it gives

something for you to act out and it gives an extra dimension to the

dance. When they fall in love, we all fall in love with them. That

was the first dance that I really thought Chelsee was a contender.

That is when everybody said she is good. Harry and Aliona are going to

do the quickstep again. The judges have chosen that one. Harry's lazy

left foot stopped Craig giving him a 10 for this. Do you think they

could get a 40 for this? What a great dance. When I saw this on the

Wednesday Warm-up, I said we have to play it again. I can't believe

he didn't get 40 the first time. Exactly. People will storm the

floor. I will do a streak across the Blackpool floor if he doesn't

get 40! Women are calling up now! Harry and Aliona have chosen to do

their Argentine tango which, again, was just stunning. What passion!

What intensity! I don't know what Len was on about. For me, it was a

fantastically stunning dance and what a stunning waistcoat. Have you

borrowed it to wear on the show? Mine's black and his is maroon.

you think this could be the final to top all the finals? Absolutely.

We have got three fantastic dancers. It will be close. It will be very

close. We have never had a final this close I don't believe. There's

always been one that has been a bit lower than the others. It will be

incredible. It is. Thank you. We will see Ian on Friday in Blackpool.

APPLAUSE I'm so excited. Thank you to my guests. Tune in tomorrow for

our last show from London. I will be joined by Jason and Kristina,

plus we have special Thursday panel - championing Team Chelsee,