X Factor - Live Show, Week 3

Movie week hit the X Factor stage over the weekend with some major movie classics and a few lesser known gems. Dermot’s bulge was under wraps, Nicole was in dictionary corner, Sharon was almost making sense, Louis was ready to tell everyone they’re what the X Factor is all about and Gary, was, well, Gary.

Rough Copy

‘Everything I Do’

We have no shame in admitting this song is one of our guilty pleasures so we had high expectation for Rough Copy to work their magic. The odd pitching issue aside it was a fairly decent way to kick off the show. Skirt? Check. Shorts/tights type combo? Check. Heaps of charm? Check. Everything you’d expect from a Rough Copy performance, except something was missing, we just can’t work out what! Perhaps its time to bring back the cheeky, fun performances.

Sam Callahan

‘All I Want Is You’

After proving last week he’s not just a pretty face it would have been easy for Sam to choose a well known track, from a teenage rom com, with extra cheese to firmly bag himself the girls votes. However, he didn’t. He chose a song that again showed everyone his vocal ability, his performance was sincere, believable and full of genuine emotion. Another great week for Mr Callahan, we can’t wait to see him improve even more next weekend.

Hannah Barrett

‘Skyfall’

Last week Hannah stole the show, and this week she sure put up a fight to keep that crown (almost, but not quite) singing Skyfall comes with obvious comparisons and plenty of pressure but she certainly rose to the occasion. This week the styling was spot on, she looked beautiful and performed effortlessly. The judges were blown away along with the audience which makes what happened Sunday all the more shocking…

Nicholas McDonald

‘In The Arms Of An Angel’

The moment we saw Nicky was going to perform this song we just knew it was going to be a ‘moment’. His voice was perfect and he sang with real emotion, faultless. Half way through we uttered the sentence “he’d sound exactly the same live as he would on a CD” which is out version of “he’s got the perfect recording voice”. Impressing the judges again, who reminded us another 15 times he’s only 16, 16? Really? They should definitely play on that more, another corker of a week for 16 year old Nicholas.

Abi Alton

‘Moon River’

Another week where Abi didn’t really feel like Abi, these live shows seem to have sucked the spark right out of her. The song choice was incredibly well suited to her, just for some reason it lacked, well, anything. It was sleepy and haunting, but not in the spine tingling chilling way. We think it’d have breathed some live into the performance if Abi was playing the guitar, it would have felt more connected and intimate, drawing the audience in rather than sending them to put the kettle on as Sharon remarked. Hopefully next week Nicole can put up some missing person posters and find the Abi we had a soft spot for at bootcamp.

Miss Dynamix

‘Dreams’

After the drama of last week and the free pass we felt like Miss Dynamix had a lot to prove and the certainly went out there and gave it everything. There’s no denying the trio can sing, individually and together they have great voices but there’s just something that stops us from connecting to them on any level. They didn’t take the negative comments regarding the previous weekend too well and that definitely didn’t help them endear themselves to the voting public.

Sam Bailey

‘My Heart Will Go On’

If we were to try and describe how great this was we’d need to invent a whole bunch of new adjectives (where’s Nicole when you need her!). Titanic is one of those films we’ve seen 100’s of times its hard to imagine anyone else singing the featured song, but Sam blew us away. Her performance began, controlled and understated then as the song built naturally her emotion poured into every line we were mesmerised. The performance of the series so far.

Kingsland Rd.

‘Pretty Woman’

We’d been treated to a fair few ballads by this point so it was refreshing to have a bit of life and energy on the stage. After facing the sing off last weekend the boys had to dust themselves down and prove to everyone what a mistake that was, and they certainly didn’t let themselves down. The staging was great, the little dance routines were back and so were the lead vocals. The infamous hair was a little more tamed, loving the less in your face bushless Thompson. A great week for Kingsland Rd.

Luke Friend

‘Kiss From A Rose’

In past weeks we’ve not really ‘got’ the ‘it’ everyone said Luke had, but this week he’s managed to make us do an opinion 180. The power of shampoo! A perfect song choice for Luke, we felt genuine emotion from him this week, not a hint of shoutyness. Guitar in hand, he really shined. It felt authentic and honest, the surprise of the night for us.

Tamera Foster

‘Listen’

A movie classic by Beyonce, not exactly the easiest act to follow for newly blonde Tamera. The pressure certainly didn’t appear to get to her. Showing how powerful he voice is Tamera sang her heart out and gave her best performance in the competition so far. Gary commented it was all a little copy cat and we can kind of see where he was coming from, however if we were compared so closely to Beyonce we’d definitely switch that into a huge compliment, cheers Gaz.

Flash Vote

FLASH aaaah haaaaa…. That’s going to be stuck in our head every weekend isn’t it! No real surprise this week with Miss Dynamix receiving the fewest votes and therefore facing the sing off.

Sunday

After a fantastic performance from The Wanted who looked liked gents (who knew that was possible) is their suits and a well, whatever that was from Lady Gaga it was sing off time. As each person had their fate revealed Hannah was left to face the public vote, we’re not ashamed to say that outcome didn’t even cross our mind. Despite what can be considered Miss Dynamix best performance, of the series they were sent home by a unanimous decision from the judges. Having not been huge fans of the trio before the sing off we assumed this would be the outcome however in the sing off they showed such passion and ability it was a close call, they can be proud of the way they left that’s for sure.

Next week is Disco week… oh joy.

Strictly Come Dancing - Week Five

Last week we lost Team Sparkle and this week we gained an on form Brucie, batteries charged this was the first week he’s felt fully on form (as on form as Bruce comes). Armed with his jokes and perfectly not so times one liners it was time to take to the floor…

Natalie & Artem

Samba to ‘Bomboleo’ by Gypsy King

Someone hand Artem, Tyrones number because Natalie is at it again! The terminator gained himself a broken nose during dress rehearsal but that wasn’t going to stop this pair. This flamenco-tinged dance was a delight to watch. Plenty of natural flair, and as usual, her timing was on point, beautiful lines and footwork to perfection, she really does move with the music. Despite the pretty awful dress (did they just stick that pink thing on the back 5 minutes before?) Len found himself “Palpitating, perspirating and flatuating” (we THINK this was a compliment) Whilst Bruno described the whole dance as, “hypnotic, exotic and at times erotic!” All that was missing was some bounce and straighter legs in the kicks then perhaps the 10’s would make an appearance.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 9 |

Abbey & Aljaz

Foxtrot to ‘Dear Darlin’ by Olly Murs

No matter what dance Abbey and Aljaz are handed each week Abbey still manages to come out and perform consistently. Her Foxtrot was smooth, graceful and elegant. The story-telling was exquisite thus making the whole routine just beautiful; and in the words of Bruno Tonioli, it was almost “picture perfect”. If she was nervous then she certainly didn't show it and THAT dress, just perfect. You can see from the VT’s and in the routines that there is a real bond and a chemistry between these two, a great friendship has formed. As the show goes on and the friendship grows, this couple will only get stronger. At the risk of being as pedantically picky as Craig, she could loosen up a tad more.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 9 |

Dave & Karen

Salsa to ’Cuban Pete’ – theme song from ‘The Mask’ sung by Jim Carrey

Last week dave impressed with showing his serious side and a real comittment to learning the actual steps, this week we’re back to comedy Dave. Dave definitely took a step backwards this week, he went wrong early on and was pretty much out-of-sync throughout the whole routine. The lift was good but looked a bit awkward. The competition is getting more serious as the weeks pass and his loveable personality can only count for so much. We still love this duo though, they are so well-matched, totally bonkers – in fact, judging by that bit during the judges’ comments, they’re bananas!

Scored | 17 |

Our Score | 4 |

Deborah & Robin

Viennese Waltz to ‘Its a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ by James Brown

In the words of Len, there certainly was a lot of faffing in this routine. However once they got into it the concept was great and Deborah really got into character, sustaining it throughout. Once in hold, Deborah’s Viennese Waltz was beautiful, as was she. Deborah displayed great footwork and finished the routine to a standing ovation. Darcey enjoyed the “interesting twist” by introducing a ‘power game’ to a Viennese Waltz, and Craig ‘loved’ the Paso-esque piece in the middle. Great to see her confidence back after ‘that jive’.

Scored | 27 |

Our Score | 7 |

Patrick & Anya

Salsa to ‘Wings’ by Little Mix

All the applauds go to Anya for managing to amend the choreography in such little time to accommodate for Patrick’s rollerblading ‘incident’. The entire routine ensured that all ‘hand and arm work’ was led through his left side, which at times, did look a little awkward, but was a genius idea from Anya, and allowed the fluidity of the Salsa to continue fairly unscathed. Unfortunately a salsa without any double-handed spins meant it looked like he was dancing a lot of the same steps, side by side with Anya. All things considered a fantastic effort, imagine the scores if he’d had two hands!

Scored | 28 |

Our Score | 7 |

Fiona & Anton

Quickstep to ‘If My Friends Could See Me Now’ by Sammy Davis Jnr.

Quick-stepping Fiona definitely looked far more confident this week and this raised her performance level. It was clear that Fiona had her nerves under control and really put some thought in to what she was doing. Plenty of content given by Anton, this was a beautiful, splendid routine. Craig said Fiona was definitely “back in the room”, and Darcey claimed that it was her “best dance” yet! The scores certainly reflected these great comments. Ballroom is definitely her thing.

Scored | 30 |

Our Score | 8 |

Rachel & Pasha

Paso Doble to ‘Maneater’ by Nelly Furtado

Poor Rachel, the Paso Doble did not suit her character one bit, even with the help of an acting coach and despite the obvious amount of effort she put in it just didn’t work. She seemed to be very tense and stiff, almost to the extent that it looked as if she was doing a robotics version of the paso. Our only male Strictly blogger had a slightly different take on the performance “She ticked my boxes for her attitude in the dance and even more especially for her sultry maneater look. I’m more than willing to be eaten up by Rachel at any time, just lock me up and whatever you want it is all yours…” Bruno summed it up brilliantly, "All the meat there but you took the vegetarian option".

Scored | 22 |

Our Score | 5 |

Mark & Iveta

Waltz to ‘Apologize’ by One Republic

After last weeks ‘marmite’ dance Mark and Iveta’s Waltz was an all round triumph. The beginning of the routine almost felt like a scene out of a movie. The whole routine was graceful and elegant with beautiful story-telling. Mark was a true gentleman revealing real tenderness creating a lovely mood throughout the dance. He could do with working on improving his topline a little, and his rise and fall needs to be a bit stronge and more natural, but otherwise, a wonderful dance that was a pleasure to watch.

Scored | 28 |

Our Score | 7 |

Ashley & Ola

Jive to ‘Johnny B Goode’ by Chuck Berry

The VT showed another hectic week for the ‘Showbiz Terminator’ that is Ashley Taylor-Dawson. We don’t know how he manages it! Their Jive had an incredible amount of energy with so much bounce. We loved the start and if done well, you can never go wrong with a leap-frog in a Jive routine! It really was a good routine, full of the ‘feel-good-factor’ and thus, received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end. The style and era of the dance worked perfectly and Ola’s choreography complimented it perfectly. He just needed more sharpness in his kicks and flicks as pointed out the by the judges… not too shabby for 10 hours worth of training.

Scored | 31 |

Our Score | 8 |

Susanna & Kevin

American Smooth to ‘Sunny Side of the Street’ by Tony Bennett

Last week was all loose and wild, this week it was all calm and sophisticated. The routine made good use of the dance floor and there were some fabulous lifts. There was real synchronicity between Susanna and her dance partner Kevin, and the entire performance exuded happiness. She just needs to work on little things here and there to reach the top marks. Another great performance, we have a slightly soft spot for Susanna and Kevin.

Scored | 32 |

Our Score | 8 |

Ben & Kristina

Quickstep to ‘I’ll Be There For You’ by The Rembrandts

It’s a joy to see Ben really beginning to enjoy himself so much more, we even went a whole routine without the smile slipping! He was surprisingly light on his feet, but it did feel like a very long intro section, again we agree with Len, just a little too much faffing and it didn’t add anything to the feel of the routine. Darcey commanded that, next week, she wanted to see a more difficult routine from Ben and Kristina, now that Ben has found his confidence we’re certain Kristina will choreograph a routine to take them to that next level.

Scored | 27 |

Our Score | 7 |

Sophie & Brendan

Cha Cha Cha to ‘PYT’ by Michael Jackson

Another fantastic routine choreographed by Brendan, he’s really showing off his skills this year. A very cool, hip Cha Cha Cha, a break from the traditional complimented with a fantastic song choice. She needed to strengthen her leg by locking the knee to create the 'cha cha' shape, but not a bad effort, just not her best. Having set such high standards its difficult not to compare to the couples past performances.

Scored | 30 |

Our Score | 8 |

A tough week to call the bottom two and we certainly didn’t predict Deborah Vs Patrick. We sadly waved goodbye to Deborah, against another couple perhaps it would have been a different outcome, She and Robin can certainly leave with their heads held high though and be proud of their performances. We’ll miss them next Saturday. Speaking of next Saturday, its Halloween week (cough my birthday cough) and if last year is anything to go by the make-up and costume departments will be in their element.

By @ItsBizNews @jane9668 @StrictlySteven @thumperbos @shnicky4eva @Natalie_Orchard

Strike Back is Back

Strike Back is back! And we’re VERY excited.

The hit show is back for its fourth series, Strike Back: Shadow Warfare on SKY 1 HD from 28^th October at 9pm. If you’ve never seen it before, firstly, why?! Secondly, think ultimate force only bigger, better and bloody brilliant (literally).

When the series first hit our screens there was a whole different cast, with a whole different feel, and yes, it was good, but since the introduction of Stonebridge (Phillip Winchester) and Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) it’s had a new lease of life and continues to be unmissable week in week out.

This time, the handsome dynamic duo are joined by new cast additions; Robson Green (Soldier, Soldier), Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II) and Martin Clunes (Doc Martin). Shadow Warfare packs in everything fans have come to expect, explosive storytelling and big action beats. With Personal leave cut short, Stonebridge and Scott are reunited with their Section 20 cohorts, Maj Rachel Dalton (Rhona Mitra) and Sgt Julie Richmond (Michelle Lukes), when one of their own is killed during a deadly operation.

Things are a little different in the ‘crib’ this series, most noticeably the presence of Lt Colonel Philip Locke (Robson Green), who has stepped in to take charge of the team's mission to bring down Al-Zuhari, an Iranian terrorist and high-flyer on the FBI's Most Wanted list, with devastating plans for the West. Along the way, Stonebridge and Scott encounter a wealthy rogue operative (Dougray Scott), a former MI6 agent (Martin Clunes) and a whole lot of incendiary obstacles.

Sounds like it’s set to be another fantastic series, we can’t wait!

Monday – SKY 1 – 9pm

Watch the trailer HERE

X Factor - Live Show, Week 2

Week 2 already, it’ll be Christmas before you know it. The theme this week was love and heartache, cue the big power ballads and some lovey dovey VT’s.

Sam Bailey

‘Make You Feel My Love’

First up was powerhouse Sam Bailey who was a vision in red. She gave a perfectly understated performance or “Make You Feel My Love’ proving to the audience she 'wasnt just a one trick pony'. Fitting in perfectly with love week Sam dedicated the song to husband Craig, however it left Nicole feeling ‘luke warm’ prompting the audience into a chorus of boo’s. The rest of the judges loved it and Louis christened her “screwbo”… although shouldn’t it technically be ‘screwba’?

Kingsland Rd.

‘Marry You’

Complete with dance moves, which by the way we loved, the boys decided sing together this week with no lead vocals, quite a refreshing change, plus there’s no denying they sound fantastic together. We did get a little tease of lovely lady eyes Matt showing off his powerful voice towards the end though.Their personalities really shined through and other than Nicole the rest of the judges loved it commentating that “they really had something”.

Nicholas McDonald

‘She’s The One’

Initially when we heard this song choice we weren’t expecting great things, but boy were we wrong! That little love session (get your mind out the gutter) with Nicole certainly helped Nicky breathe genuine emotion into the song. Vocals aside things did get a little weird with the staging and a random dancer creeping on at the end prompting Sharon to brand her a pedophile! You just can’t predict what’s going to come out of Sharons mouth. Did you know he’s only 16?

Abi Alton

‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’

Abi Alton wanted to show a different side to her this week but failed to impress most of the judges. She swapped her flats for a pair of heels and her instrument for some pink umbrellas but looked awkward navigating the stage. One thing didn’t change however and that’s Abi’s spin on the original song, you couldn’t even tell it was a Kylie classic, we particularly loved the altered backing track. Gary commented it stuck in his head for all the wrong reasons… see what he did there? Good one Gaz (yawn).

Shelley Smith

‘Single Ladies’

A part of us really enjoyed this fun camp side to Shelley, another part was a little disappointed they seemed to be taking her down the novelty route, with a voice hers that’d just be criminal! About half way through her permorfance we declared Shelley would be perfect for the west end, in our head she’s already the Meryl Streep role in Mama Mia… then Louis went and stole our idea. There’s no denying she can sing, but for some reason, in the words of Nicole, it was a little SchWeird.

Miss Dynamix

We would have been hearing a bit of love and heartache from the trio however Sese was taken ill prior to the show, being pregnant no risks were taken and she was wheeled off the hospital. Seeing as Sese has the most powerful voice in the newly formed group she was naturally doing the lead vocals making it impossible for the others to perform. We were genuinely concerned for her and voiced our sympathy however is it really fair for an act to get a free pass? Surely opening their phone line and allowing the audience to vote on past performances would have been a little fairer.

Sam Callahan

‘I Won’t Give Up’

Fantastic song choice from Louis here (we’re assuming its Louis and giving him the credit, it doesn’t happen very often) Sam had been criticized for his weak vocals in past performances and decided to show what he was really made of. Simple, effortless and understated, he gave a great rendition of the song and silenced a few critics in the process. Turns out he’s not just a pretty face.

Tamera Foster

‘Beneath Your Beautiful’

After a not so complimentary week in the papers Tamera brushed all that to one side and delivered an outstanding performance. With an incredible arrangement, incredible vocals and an incredible outfit she screamed ‘star’. Even though last week she was great, we felt it was a huge improvement on that, the simple staging allowed her to really show off that powerful voice.

Luke Friend

‘Let Her Go’

The highlight of this had to be Louis making an actual funny when asked what the deal with the random boat was, apparently it was because Luke was ‘sailing through to next week’. We were pretty pleased when we heard Luke was doing this song however his shouty version of emotion just didn’t suit the soft sincerity of the song. Being rather pretty and genuinely down right lovely we’ll excuse him this once.

Rough Copy

‘I Want It That Way’

We find ourselves looking forward to Rough Copy, always intrigued as to what they’ll do. According to Sharon they took a Backstreet Boys song and Rough Copied it, although for us, there was just something lacking this week, yes they sounded good, yes the looked good (purple leather skirts and all) and yes they had fun, but there was just no umph. We’ll class this as a blip as they’ll no doubt be back on form next week. It’s their own fault for setting our expectations so damn high.

Hannah Barrett

‘Beautiful’

Insert ‘they saved the best till last’ cliché here. Performance of the night from Hannah, that confidence boosting shopping trip with Nicole certainly did the trick. Beautiful, powerful, emotional, she couldn’t have done any better. Fantastic. #FaceGoosebumps indeed Nicole!

Flash Vote

What a shocker! We certainly weren’t expecting to see Kingsland Rd bottom of the votes and facing Sunday nights sing-off. Just goes to show nobody is safe this year and with the flash vote it really could be anyone facing the chop.

Sunday

Kingsland Rd. Vs Shelley Smith

After a strong sing-off from both acts it was down to potential that saw Kingsland Rd. safe and through to next week. Which meant we wave a sad goodbye to Shelley, although perhaps this competition wasn’t for her she had a fantastic voice and personality to match, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we see her cast in the west end.

Who was your winners and losers of the weekend? Let us know!

Welcome Baby Parker

No more waiting he's here, mini sats number FOUR. In the words of Rochelle Humes "Lock up your daughters Parker Bridge has arrived"

After a few false starts from the press over the past week, on Friday, the Disco Love singer Frankie Sanford and her footballer fiancé Wayne Bridge welcomed their baby son Parker into the world. Weighing 7 pounds and 13 ounces, he was the same weight as Una Foden's daughter Aoife Belle.

It sounds like Parker is in for a lot of cuddles. With four gorgeous honorary aunties and Frankie's own sister Tor, he should get used to it.

Now we just wait for a photo of the baby boy to be released. With Mum & Dad's genes you can bet he's a cutey.

Congratulations Frankie & Wayne.

Strictly Come Dancing - Week Four

Here we go again! Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun. Having waved goodbye to Vanessa and James last Sunday it was time for the couples to take to the floor once more, however we were very nearly another couple short, but we’ll get to that later…

Sophie & Brendan

Foxtrot to ‘Cheek to Cheek’ by Dick Haymes

Sophie certainly brought that old-school glamour, both looks and dance wise. She was graceful, gliding across the floor with ease. Beautiful footwork and as we expect from Brendan, complex choreography but all

effortlessly executed. With the judges only finding her topline to improve on that’s another fantastic dance in the bag for this dynamic duo.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 8 |

Fiona & Anton

Rumba to ‘A World of Our Own’ by Westlife

Well, this was supposed to be a Rumba. Both the choreography and music choice would easily have you thinking different though. It was obvious Fiona was struggling to get into the rumba mood – then again, so was Anton! Her hips were mostly rigid, and the dance did not flow well at all. There were nice spins, but not many recognisable rumba figures. Again she lost focus and forgot steps which being a slow dance, was very obvious. A real step back for Fiona in the competition this week.

Scored | 22 |

Our Score | 5 |

Mark & Iveta

Cha Cha Cha to ‘U Can’t Touch This’ by M C Hammer

This performance really divided our Strictly bloggers so we’ll give you the good, the bad and Marks cha cha cha. “Mark proved he has it all – a comedy fun side, but he can also dance. Nice hip action, good footwork – plenty of recognisable cha cha steps in there. He was also totally into the character of the dance. Brilliant effort, and great choreography from Iveta”. “Everything about this Cha Cha Cha was bad, bad, bad!!! It didn’t look like a

Cha Cha Cha and the steps were executed poorly. Flat footed and stomps throughout. Not worthy of eights, don’t know what Darcey, Len & Bruno

were thinking!” Its clear you either loved it, or hated it!

Scored | 26 |

Our Score | 5 | (our bloggers scored this from a 3 all the way to an 8!)

Ashley & Ola

Viennese Waltz to ‘Angel’ by Sarah McLachlan

Back into ballroom boy for this latin lover, this time with the Viennese Waltz and a beautiful song choice. A much improved top line, better head positioning and good footwork, you could really tell Ola has been working him hard on the technique of the dance. We felt the judges may have been a little harsh on Ashley this week, perhaps they’re trying the tough love technique.

Scored | 31 |

Our Score | 8 |

Julien & Janette

Samba to ‘Spice Up Your Life’ by Spice Girls

The trouble is Julien was busy enjoying himself! There was good dynamic on the whole but as usual with Julien, more control was needed. But we definitely agreed with Darcy that this is his best performance to date.

Scored | 23 |

Our Score | 5 |

Rachel & Pasha

Quickstep to ‘Johnny Got a Boom’ by Imelda May

Bruno falling off is chair at the end was possibly the most entertaining and exciting thing about this dance. Too much messing around at the start of the routine with a giant safe, just get on with it! A full on routine and Rachel seemed to struggle keeping up with Pasha. There were some nice ‘quick’ steps, but often it seemed as if she was galloping across the floor as it was a little heavy. She needs more lift in some of her footwork to stop it coming across so heavy. After last weeks improvement its another step back for Rachel this week. Such a shame.

Scored | 26 |

Our Score | 6 |

Ben & Kristina

Salsa to ‘Hard to Handle’ by Black Crowes

Last week, Ben came out of his shell and showed he could really work it on the dancefloor. So were we in for a repeat of that this week? The answer is yes! Ben used his build to his advantage and showcased his muscles with some lifts and throws. Still not quite loose and Kristina is being very clever in disguising this in the choreography with lots of darting around in front of him. Overall this is massive improvement from what we have seen, Ben is progressing and working hard, the signs are good. Definitely emerging as the dark hose this year and the ripping off of shirts certainly won’t harm his chances.

Scored | 31 |

Our Score | 8 |

Deborah & Robin

Jive to ‘Making Your Mind Up’ by Bucks Fizz

We were slightly distracted by Robins wig! The routine lacked any sort of bounce throughout and Deborah was missing that spring in her step. Timing was out in places and her technique needs a lot of work. The hand changing rock ‘n’ roll steps with Robin however were quite nice to watch and the overall routine was camp and fun as expected, you could tell they enjoyed it. Darcey admired her energy and enthusiasm but it was a little soft and she feels that the jive is not her kind of dance.

Scored | 23 |

Our Score | 6 |

Natalie & Artem

Quickstep to ‘Yeah!’ by Usher

We very nearly had to wave goodbye to Natalie this week after she suffered a painful back injury but showing how committed and brave she is, Natalie refused to let a little thing like pain stop her hitting the dance floor with Artem! The routine as we’ve come to expect was full of content, executed wonderfully by Natalie. Such a great fusion of jazz and quickstep dreamed up by Artem and they captured the essence of the dance beautifully. It really was one hell of a quickstep! Jazzy, stylish, beautiful neck rolls from Natalie and such rapid footwork. Utterly brilliant. Artem was in no doubt one proud teacher at the end of that dance, his passion is a joy to see.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 9 |

Patrick & Anya

Cha Cha Cha to ‘Mercy’ by Duffy

So much rhythm and all done with such style and coolness. A great mover full of confidence out of hold. Good hip action and he looked, natural and masculine dancing this which other male celebs can sometimes struggle with. They’ve certainly made a huge leap in the right direction in becoming a more memorable couple.

Scored | 33 |

Our Score | 8 |

Abbey & Aljaz

Tango to ‘Spectrum’ by Florence and the Machine

Fantastic! The song choice gave this routine a real edge. Sharp, staccato, wonderful movement, great sense of musicality and a very moody feel. A stunning Tango told with real conviction. Plus Abbey hd a much stronger and stiller topline. The chemistry between these two suited the Tango perfectly.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 9 |

Dave & Karen

Waltz to ‘Take It to The Limit’ by The Eagles

We got to see another side to Dave. Yes, there was still comedy touches in there, like when he ‘got the girl’ at the end, but it was a more serious effort. He was trying with his posture, even if he didn’t keep it the whole way through. It was fairly smooth and simple, but a lovely routine nonetheless. With Darcey suggesting ballet, I think that’s next weeks VT covered.

Scored | 23 |

Our Score | 6 |

Susanna & Kevin

Samba to ‘Whenever, Wherever’ by Shakira

It had bounce, it had energy but I never felt that these two were dancing together. Susanna out of hold was a bit messy and the routine was quite safe. The judges were right in that some of her finishes didn’t have the polish they needed but in true Indiana Jones fashion, Kevin can save us anytime! Not their best, but still a great effort.

Scored | 29 |

Our Score | 7 |

Another week of high scores all round (almost) and standing ovations aplenty. There’s not denying that the quality of dancing this year is fantastic with so many couples in the running, however with such high scores being dished out already and standing ovations becoming more common than a badly timed Brucie joke we fear there’s going to  be nowhere left to go! We might just need the introduction of a 10+ and the point 5 so separate the best from the better.

By @ItsBizNews @StrictlySteven @jane9668 @shnicky4eva @thumperbos