Episode 54 Strictly - It Takes Two

It's Thursday. Coming up: Jason and Kristina made it through to the

final. They will be here live. As our three finalists prepare for

Blackpool, we have all the latest news from training. We have a

special treat in store for you. Tom Fletcher, Chelsee's former co-star,

Lucien Laviscount, and Jason's friend and colleague, Toby Anstis,

will all be joining me for a very special Thursday Panel. This is It

Live from Television Centre, this is Strictly: It Takes Two. Here's

Zoe! APPLAUSE Hello! Welcome to the penultimate It Takes Two of the

series. Sad face! Look... # It's the final countdown! #

? Just over 48 hours, the Strictly grand finale will take place.

Tomorrow morning rehearsal starts in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom as

everybody gets ready for the most closely-fought finale ever! It will

be amazing. In a moment, I will be joined by Jason and Kristina. Let's

take a look at how they have been getting on in training. I think the

biggest challenge for Jason will be the physical aspect of dancing four

dances. Come on! The last week. Time push. I would be lying to say

to you that I'm not absolutely exhausted. I'm trying to pull out

energy that I didn't think I had. We will be here till midnight. Come

on. All of the dances are so full on. I really hope he is not going

on. I really hope he is not going to collapse. Why did I make it so

difficult. The judges have chosen the tango from Broadway week. It is

the perfect showcase. It wasn't our perfect score. I hope the judges

will see an improvement and maybe give us a better score this time.

The dance we have chosen to be our signature dance is the quickstep.

It is such a great little character. Kristina's choreography was

absolutely spot on. It was something really magical about it.

It will be a very hard one to live up to. Our show dance is pure

entertainment. It is like taking a trip to theatreland. I might enjoy

this. We have a mixture of Charleston, quickstep and the jive

with loads of tricks. That is great! That is it. Kristina and

brought together some of the great performances and the great steps

that we have had over the series into one dance. That is great! I

remember that. It is fun. It is all about going out there and

celebrating this whole experience. Salsa is a bit more of a challenge.

I'm pretty finicky about knowing my steps. Your hip action is perfect!

He can show off those snakey hips and lots of attitude. The best

thing to do is to go for it! have made it to the final. We have

nothing to lose and everything to gain. Please give it up for our

finalists, Jason and Kristina. finalists, Jason and Kristina.

APPLAUSE That was pretty good. Huge congratulations to both of you

for making it to the final. Wow! Your names were the last to be read

out in the Results Show on Sunday. What was going through your mind as

you were waiting? I know how long that wait can be. I think, you know,

having experienced the week prior to that, being in the bottom two,

we were expecting whatever came... Anything, everything! You know, it

is such a privilege to get into the final. I can't believe it. We have

worked extremely hard. It is a cliche. What you put this is what

you get out. We are very lucky. Really lucky. The public have

obviously been on our side. They love you. The samba, Kristina,

quite a hard dance to get for the semifinals. When you look back at

it, how pleased were you with Jason? I was really pleased. He

went for it. Had loads of fun. that's not... He never stops!

is not that bad! You see! Your Argentine tango was off the scale!

Thank you. First Argentine tango in the history of Strictly to get a 40.

You must have been thrilled? Well, there was a lot depending on that

dance. I think the fact that everyone had come out and done a

great first half dance and our samba, you know, wasn't as strong

possibly as, you know, the others were - Holly, Chelsee, Harry. It

was a real matter of just going there and trying your best. What

helped me is I kept my eyes totally on her the whole way. We know you

did! I blocked out absolutely everything for that routine. It

seemed to work. It really worked. It was absolutely astounding!

you. The final. Four dances... my gosh! Breathe! Yes. It will be

OK. You have picked your quickstep, your choice. It was a great moment

for you. Top of the leaderboard when you did this. What did you

like about this? I think it really defined Kristina and I. There was a

lot of character in there, there's a lot of fun. There was a story to

be told. I like the bit of the robot, you know, Peter Crouch sort

of moment! LAUGHTER Come on, Crouchy! Strictly works best when

you create some magic. It was Hallowe'en, too. The judges have

chosen your tango, which was another incredible dance. He loved

this. I love this dance. It was so much fun to do. Only Jason could

pull it off. His face now! Is it a good one to revisit, then, Jason?

think it was our best moment. I actually think it really is what we

are about, you know, which is sort of this passionate, fiery sort of

strength but there's a bit of camp on the side! I'm the straightest

camp guy in town! That's a weird one! He is tired. It's been a long

week. It is not over yet! Can you give us any clues about your show

dance? We have seen canes, what more can you tell us? Lifts, tricks,

crazy changes of costumes, different moves, everything. Wow!

Look at that. You can see loads of things going on. Is that your

underwear? I'm not very sure. might have been! Of course, on top

of that, you also have the salsa? Yes! Look at the hips. I love those

- what do you call those, running splits? Probably! How's the salsa

been? It's also difficult because there are three lifts as well and

basically every single dance is full-on. Help me! Sorry, Jason.

Completely gone. I was going to ask you, have you got a new surge of

adrenaline because it's the final, one final push? We worked Sunday,

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Today we have sort of run through the

basics of each routine. I'm so glad we put in the effort earlier on in

the week because this show is not just about the dancing, it is about

everything else involved in it. You know, we have worked hard this week.

Yes. It's tiring... Not just this week. It's been non-stop. No days

off? No days off. I'm the oldest man in the competition. You can do

it for the 40-somethings! We are all with you, baby! I'm feeling

like Bruce Forsyth! By the end of this, you will look like him!

LAUGHTER I'm only joking. I need a nap. Kristina, when you were a

little girl, you were a massive Jason Donovan fan. Has it been

surreal to be dancing with him? it was, e$$DUMP especially the

first couple of weeks. I loved his songs. I knew the music --

especially the first couple of weeks. I loved his songs. I knew

the music. What have we got? think you could go platinum again.

Chris Moyles playing all your hits this morning. We are thinking

perhaps it is time for a Jason Donovan revival. Jason Donovan's

new album - Strictly For You. # Won't give up the fight for you.

# I am the one and only... # # La, La, La... #

Including duets with Kristina. # I'm on the edge of glory

# And I'm hanging on this moment with you. #

# I want to be loved by you # Just you

# Nobody else but you. # And his new hit single, You Are

Following Me. # You are following me

# But you won't be following me soon. #

Strictly For You - out soon. Not available anywhere - sorry!

APPLAUSE That is very funny. That was embarrassing. Have you been

saving that one up? We have. Blackpool, the home of ballroom.

How excited are you about taking to that dancefloor on Saturday night?

It will be amazing. Also to be part of the 3D final, it will be amazing.

Blackpool is the spiritual home of dance. I love to be very spiritual

and I'm going to go out... Say no more! I will go for it. We have got

nothing to lose. Exactly. It's about entertainment. We have got as

far - I never envisaged we would get this far. Bring on Saturday

night. Bring on 10.30pm on Saturday night. Bring on the tools!

bring on the tools! How much would it mean to take home the

Glitterball Trophy? Well, you know... What do you think,

Kristina? Tell me what you think about the Glitterball. He calls me

Kristina! He is a bit mad! We are up against some amazing dancers,

both Harry and Chelsee are absolutely outstanding. I think

with Jason... We are not too bad. He is the best performer. I think,

you know, it is up to the public to decide now. It will be absolutely

dream come true for me. I am sure for Jason. This is Oscar-winning,

this speech! LAUGHTER I truly believe every single couple in the

final, you know, deserves the Glitterball. We have worked so hard.

Great balls of fire! Good luck. Great balls of fire, Zoe Ball, it's

been amazing. You have to go to Blackpool now. Give it up for Jason

and Kristina! APPLAUSE Thank you. Brilliant. Now, it is time to

spread a little bit of festive cheer. Can you guess which of our

pros has come over all Christmassy in our final dancer in disguise - I

# Jingle bell # Jingle bell rock

# Jingle bells swing # And jingle bells ring... #

Who is the dancer in disguise? Find out later in the show.

Who's the slinky reindeer? We will find out later. All this week we

have been honouring Strictly's truly unforgettable moments in our

It Takes Two Glitterball Awards. Here are Karen Hardy and Ian Waite

with tonight's nominations. thank you, Zoe. I wish you could be

here with us tonight. Our next Glitterball is the campest

Christmas award. The nominees for it are: Russell grant for putting

the boy into flamboyant. Russell Grant for looking like a golden

sweet wrapper. Russell Grant for his bum wiggle. Russell Grant for

riding on a rodeo bull. Harry Judd for his gyrating hips. And the

winner is Harry Judd for his amazing gyrating hips. But, sadly,

Harry can't be here tonight. there anyone here tonight? He gave

us this truly wonderful special message. Thank you so much to

everyone who voted. I can't be there tonight. I am busy being camp

as it is Christmas. Having said that, I would like to dedicate this

award to the true winner in my eyes, Mr Russell Grant. I love you,

Russell. You are the campest man I have ever met. Well, Zoe, back to

you. We will see Russell in Blackpool.Ly be chatting to Tom

Fletcher, Lucien Laviscount and Toby Anstis who are joining me to

campaign for their celebrity chums in the final. Before I do, we have

seen how Jason is doing in training. Time to find out how our other two

finalists are getting on. Top to' We are in final! As excited as I am

We are in final! As excited as I am to be in the final. You are brought

back down to earth by the fact you have four dances. And the torture

begins. Part of you wonders how you are going to cope. I am very

excited about the routines that we are going to do this weekend. I

think they have all the elements to wow the audience and wow the judges.

The dance the judges have picked for us is the quickstep. I am happy

about that. That is one of my favourite dances. We are hoping

that they like it as much as they did first time round. If anything,

we want them to love it even more. Aliona and I have chosen to dance

the Argentine tango again. I remember coming off stage and

thinking wow, that was really good fun. Also, we feel like we can

improve it as well. Len didn't see the passion. So we will have to

really get passionate. We are pulling out every single stop

possible for the show dance. So we will go lift crazy and just have a

good time and hopefully it will be a real crowd-pleaser! LAUGHTER

have hit Harry on the nose a couple of times. Lifts are rarely

comfortable. However, I hope it's not going to happen on the night

and the show dance is going to go really smoothly. We have another

new dance to learn which is the American Smooth. I will be so dizzy

at that point! He is doubting himself because I think the

pressure is getting to him a little bit. It is not easy. It is a lot to

take on, but I think we can manage. That was so good! Now that I'm in

the final, it really has sunk in that there is a good chance that I

could win this. I am going to dance to the best of my ability to try

quadruple the pressure and four times more work. It is a lot to

take this this week. It is freaking me out a little. I can't do it. I

am trying to learn what I'm dancing at the minute, focus on that and

hopefully it will all come together. That is better. The judges have

picked the jive which I am happy about because I love that dance. I

need to bring it up by concentrating on my legs and

enjoying it and performing to the fullest that I can. That dance

suited Chelsee so well. She got three tens, let's go for four!

and Pasha have chosen the quickstep. It is my favourite dance that I

have learnt and performed over the series. We have both had fun

dancing it and from that dance on, Chelsee started believing in

herself more and more and I want to take her back in time and repeat it

again. For our show dance, we decided to go with a kind of disco

dance, that is what Chelsee is always doing when she is fooling

around. I thought why not put nit the routine and make it exciting

for everyone? It is about me and Pasha having fun, so we will pull

out all the stops. Don't! Don't! Don't do that! The only one thing

is I have to convince Chelsee that it is safe and then she can do it.

That is my little grass hopper! rumba is our last dance. The steps

are quite tricky. Every time you step, straight, straight, straight.

It is all about straight legs. It is a very slow dance and technical.

You see everything. If you are not on the point at all the time,

judges will pick up on that immediately. That is not arm up.

Arm up would be from your shoulder and up! It is slow, it is

affectionate and it is romantic. I like the rumba! This week it will

be the last time we ever dance properly ever. And it is really

upsetting. I'm going to miss him Our celebrities all have to impress

the judges on Saturday. It is you the viewers who have the ultimate

say. Here to drum up votes for our three finalists are Mr Tom Fletcher,

Lucien Laviscount, and in Jason's corner, Toby Anstis. APPLAUSE Hello,

boys. Thank you for coming in. It is very exciting. Quite tense now

at this point. Lucien, you know Chelsee from Waterloo Road. Has she

blown you away? She's always been the underdog. She's a bit of a

joker. This has come out of the blue. She is doing well. Has it

tempted you on to the dancefloor? Would you consider doing something

like bbc.co.uk/strictly yourself? She's told me -- like Strictly

yourself? She's told me about the regime? I don't know if I would be

able to keep up with it. I would give it a crack. Calls are going

in! Toby, you and Jason worked together at Heart FM. How good did

you think he was going to be in the beginning? He did so well. He was

top of the leaderboard. The thing is, he is an actor... You are his

friend! The thing about J, because he is an actor, I think with J, he

really puts that performance spin on all his dances so he's settled

into it quickly. He had that couple of weeks where he got his kicks a

bit, lost his confidence a little bit, you see his confidence had

been a bit... But he bounced back. He did. He is on a roll now. Tom, I

feel like I know you, you have been in the audience every week. I live

there! How impressed are you by what Harry has done? When he

started this, did you think this is a bad idea? I mean, we didn't - we

never ever thought he would be this good. Like, the first week, this is

going to be hilarious, we will watch him dance, but for the second

week, we were like this is really weird, he is amazing, he is so good.

Now it is normal to watch him dance and to wear tops that go down to

his belly button! We are so proud of him. Really proud. We are there

every week supporting him. He has been amazing. Is it true he will be

your best man at your wedding? is one of three. All the boys are

best men. Will they be your McFly's maids?! Sorry, I had to get that

in! Tom, what's been your favourite dance? I missed the quickstep

because I was in Australia with Dougie and so I missed that. I

caught up with it on YouTube. It was amazing. I was looking forward

to him doing that. I thought that was incredible. You will get to see

it because it is the judges' choice. He is taking the quickstep to

Blackpool. Can he get that ten from Craig? I hope so. He deserved four

tens last week. I was so gutted he didn't get it. He is the only one

out of the finalists who hasn't got top marks! Leave it out! The judges

have chosen Chelsee's jive for their dance. How do you think she

will do? I will hold my hands up - to make it fun and sexy and to have

any relationship with Pasha on there, looking like Shrek, she's

pulling it out of the bag. Look at that. He probably can't do all the

ears and green make-up because he has four dances to do. Toby, Jason

is doing his tango again. Did you love this the first time round?

It's camp personified. He loves that role. He does. JD! He's in his

comfort zone. I think he's going to pull it off. That is a blinder for

him. Show dances, my favourite part of the final. We will talk about

what everyone is dancing and what they will be dancing to. Chelsee

and Pasha, Lucien Pasha hinted it would be a little bit funky.

Looking at them in training, you get to go clubbing with Chelsee.

Does she pull a few moves on the dancefloor? Like that? She is like

a ball of energy. Me and Chelsee on a night out, make some room! She

goes in, she does that. I nearly snoted! LAUGHTER Nice(!)

smashes it. She has an amazing tune. Beyonce, no less! This will be

stunning. This man has moves! winner's music! You are a boy!

Stand aside, everybody. So Jason and Kristina, Toby, he is such a

performer, show dance number, are you imagining something

spectacular? I reckon. Look at him. He is so focused. He is so into

every routine. That is dedicated and focus?! He is looking at

Kristina's bottom. You would, though! They are dancing to this.

This is Dancin'Fool. Will this lend itself to a top number on the

dancefloor? Beyonce, come on! We will leave it at that. Harry and

Aliona, do you think this could be the time they get a 40, Tom? I hope

so. Look at that skid! I have heard they are doing some amazing lifts

as well. She is so good. Look at this. Wow! Looking good. This is

their music. # Come on, baby

# Goodness gracious... # Jerry Lee Lewis. It will be

corking! Before you go, we would like you to give a plea to the

viewers at home for their votes for your celebrity friend. You have 10

secondss each. Tom, we will start with you. Pressure is on.

seconds starts now. Right, we have the King of the Jungle at home and

it would be amazing if you could give him a Dancing Queen for

Christmas. He has been working his tight little bottom off for the

last few months. Vote for Harry! APPLAUSE Very good. Do you think

because Dougie's become King of the Jungle, will he sulk? The pressure

is on Harry! Lucien, you have ten seconds. Chelsee's grown so much

through and through this competition, not as a dancer, but

as a person. She has more self- confidence and belief and Chelsee

has made me so proud to call me my friend. Go for it, Chelsee, we love

you! Very good. APPLAUSE Did you get it? I love it. They are getting

desperate. Here we go, you ready, Toby? The pressure is on. Here we

go. You have ten seconds. Come on, it is Jason Donovan to win. He is a

national treasure. You loved him in Neighbours, in Joseph and now you

love him as a ballroom superstar. He has had his ups, his downs, and

he is the oldest one standing! rehearsed! Come on, J! Not bad.

Where will you be watching the final on Saturday night? In my

dressing room before a gig. Really? I can't be in Blackpool. I will be

rooting for him. Boys, will you be there? Absolutely. I'm taking my

mum! Bless you. She will love it. Thank you so much for coming in.

Tom, Lucien and Toby. APPLAUSE Have you managed to guess who our

Rudolph the Reindeer is? Time to It was of course our own slinky

minx Miss Aliona. Join us tomorrow when we will be live from the

Blackpool Tower Ballroom for a spectacular one-hour It Takes Two

Special at 6.00pm. We will be catching up with the finalists and

chatting to the entire Strictly cast, plus Karen Hardy and Ian