Strictly Come Dancing 2011

[Steve_uk]

Well they're off folks..for the next fourteen weeks a motley assortment of celebrities will be waltzing,jiving,cha cha chaaing and attempting a host of other classic dances in front of the cameras ;the £100000 salary will bleach a few teeth Californian white,fill a few facial holes with silicon and pay for a few blond wigs scalped from young Russian student girls..in fact there are more wigs flying around the ballroom than in the plot from Agatha Christie's "Elephants Can Remember". Talking of elephants,Russell Grant has lost ten stone,and needs to lose another ten..Edwina Currie,Nancy Dell'Olio and Lulu are vying to be the first to be voted off..in fact it already looks like a two horse race between two ex "Neighbours" stars,leggy Holly Valance and her co-Antipodean blond Jason Donovan,rehabilitated after his cocaine binge at a Kate Moss party some years back. Outside bets include Waterloo Road's Chelsee Healey,McFly drummer Harry Judd and ex Queen Vic landlady Anita Dobson.There are plenty of sexy bodies to keep one tuning in,and even Bruce Forsythe's corny 1970s jokes can't spoil this annual spectacle..

[Steve_uk]

It's Week Two,and this is how I rated the performances,in no particular order:

1) Chelsee Healey:Flattered by her partner,new recruit Pasha Kovalev,this whirling dervish is fun,flirty and fearless,but doesn't really have the wow factor to threaten the top places.

2)Audley Harrison: As you might expect with someone who takes size 17 shoes,he's an unstylish,top-heavy lump,who won't last past the first few weeks.

3) Edwina Currie: Seems to have put another stone on since last week,is just here for the ride,and the money. Not safe even in these early stages.

4) Alex Jones: Slightly surprised this evening with the tricky foxtrot,but stuck in the crowded middle ground with no real wow factor.

5) Lulu: Trying her best,likeable Lulu is also flattered by the best male professional in the contest,Brendan Cole,but this competition is for youngsters and she'll be out before long.

6)Dan Lobb: It's all a bit over his head,including the transitions between amalgamations,penguinish and gawky.

7) Holly Valance: Lacks self-belief,but has all the ingredients to win this competition. Despite judges comments her partner Artem Chigvintsev was like a car mechanic looking for an oil leak,she's lucky to have the guy.

8)Rory Bremner: Is good in the holds,but his bum sticks out,and I can't quite take this guy seriously.

9) Anita Dobson: Throwing off her Cockney image she shows touches of class,but will be found out in the free dance in the later stages. Safe for now.

10) Nancy Dell'Olio: Again,can't quite take her seriously,she and her partner Anton Du Beke surprisingly filling the role of Laurel and Hardy in this competition. My tip to leave on Sunday night.

11) Robbie Savage: Transformed this evening with the technically difficult foxtrot. May be a dark horse,but I doubt he can maintain this standard.

12) Harry Judd: A definite contender,but like Holly Valance his nerves are his own worst enemy.

13) Jason Donovan: Still the front runner after this evening's classy,stylish performance,not particularly helped by partner Kristina Rihanoff.

14)Russel Grant: Marked up tonight by judges desperate to ditch Edwina or Nancy,this Dancing Queen deserves an A for effort,but is not safe in the competition.

[Steve_uk]

It's Week 3 of the contest with a Broadway theme, and the performances are hotting up..not least

1) Holly Valance,playing Roxie the housewife, sporting black bra and melon tits there was plenty of scandal and corruption,if not dancing,with partner Artem as The Terminator.

2) Dan Lobb,breakfast presenter,did some dancing,but too stoppy starty for the judges taste. Despite the somersault in the first week this guy is no Matt Baker.

3) Anita Dobson danced a loose jive with messy kick flicks,thirty years too old for her part,with partner Robin Windsor as her sidekick cockatiel.

4) Alex Jones shone in the Viennese waltz,a simple but effective performance making her the most improved dancer in the series.

5) Rory Bremner earned a standing ovation for his Fred Astaire quickstep routine tonight,though judges told him to be careful of his trout pout.

6) Lulu did her best with the difficult rumba,though she still makes me nervous when I watch her and she's still an ingenue in this line up.

7) Nancy Dell'Olio looked the part for the Latin tango,but she was described as a plodding mule,and Len said she had all the attention of a cold sponge.

8) Audley Harrison's quickstep was more of a slowstep tonight,there was no spring in his step and his timing was out.

9)Robbie Savage dancing to an Abba number attacked the tango with attitude and passion,he's assertive and in control.

10) Russell Grant, dancing the foxtrot, looked like an ice cream salesman tonight,stuck in the middle ground,though an audience favourite.

11) Jason Donovan dancing the tango to Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive has survived the mini-scandal of partner Kristina Rihanoff's raunchy wrap-around in Week 1, and barring further mishaps should survive to pick up the trophy in 12 weeks time.

12) Chelsee Healey sold her cha cha cha tonight,is cheeky,playful,saucy and rhythmic;what she lacks in polish she makes up for in energy.

13) Harry Judd impressed with his sharp kicks and flicks in the jive tonight,has finally arrived and will give Jason Donovan a run for his money.

[Steve_uk]

Week 4 of the contest and the whole thing has been thrown wide open :

1) A mediocre performance by Jason Donovan in the Pasa Doble,sporting red and gold brocaded epaulettes and firm,clenched buttocks,yet his timing was out and he lacked technique.

2) Alex Jones dancing the rumba in fishnet tights, intertwined with partner James Jordan,yet the routine was too safe and lacked sparkle.

3) Rory Bremner was the cocky rooster cha cha chaaing around the yard,but he lost timing,and if he doesn't know whether he's a sex-god or middle-aged Scotsman how are we supposed to..

4) Audley Harrison showed improvement this evening in the technically difficult foxtrot,he looked elegant and sophisticated,the ballet lessons obviously paying off.

5) Nancy Dell' Olio was dancing the second Pasa Doble of the evening,but it was hard to distinguish who was the cloak and who was the bull;Nancy wrapped around Anton like cling film,counting out loud yet still got the timing wrong.

6)Lulu was full of energy,at least for a sixty year old, but this Samba was too repetitious and lacked content.

7) Holly Valance danced the Viennese waltz between lamp posts,romantic and great story-telling,yet a little bumpy in places and she forgot to step forward on her heels.

8) Chelsee Healey has thrown a cat among the pigeons with her flawless quickstep;this young couple won't go out without a fight.

9) Harry Judd was immaculately turned-out,has perfected the rise and fall of the waltz,earning him the first ten of the competition tonight.

10) Anita Dobson and partner Robin Windsor encapsulated the Hollywood glamour of the 1940s with their American Smooth this evening with ease,elegance and sophistication.

11) Robbie Savage exuded sexuality with his jive,dancing to I'm a Love Man,his shock of blond hair and stained white teeth masking a rather sloppy performance.

12) Vying with Nancy Dell' Olio as to which nancy will be voted off first,Russell Grant's stumpy legs worked overtime in the tango,which whilst endearing, he was too much of a nodding dog to be taken seriously.

[Steve_uk]

Week 4 of the contest and the whole thing has been thrown wide open :

1) A mediocre performance by Jason Donovan in the Pasa Doble,sporting red and gold brocaded epaulettes and firm,clenched buttocks,yet his timing was out and he lacked technique.

2) Alex Jones dancing the rumba in fishnet tights, intertwined with partner James Jordan,yet the routine was too safe and lacked sparkle.

3) Rory Bremner was the cocky rooster cha cha chaaing around the yard,but he lost timing,and if he doesn't know whether he's a sex-god or middle-aged Scotsman how are we supposed to..

4) Audley Harrison showed improvement this evening in the technically difficult foxtrot,he looked elegant and sophisticated,the ballet lessons obviously paying off.

5) Nancy Dell' Olio was dancing the second Pasa Doble of the evening,but it was hard to distinguish who was the cloak and who was the bull;Nancy wrapped around Anton like cling film,counting out loud yet still got the timing wrong.

6)Lulu was full of energy,at least for a sixty year old, but this Samba was too repetitious and lacked content.

7) Holly Valance danced the Viennese waltz between lamp posts,romantic and great story-telling,yet a little bumpy in places and she forgot to step forward on her heels.

8) Chelsee Healey has thrown a cat among the pigeons with her flawless quickstep this evening;this young couple won't go out without a fight.

9) Harry Judd was immaculately turned-out,has perfected the rise and fall of the waltz,earning him the first ten of the competition tonight.

10) Anita Dobson and partner Robin Windsor encapsulated the Hollywood glamour of the 1940s with their American Smooth this evening with ease,elegance and sophistication.

11) Robbie Savage exuded sexuality this evening with his jive,dancing to I'm a Love Man,his shock of blond hair and stained white teeth masking a rather sloppy performance.

12) Vying with Nancy Dell' Olio as to which nancy will be voted off first,Russell Grant's stumpy legs worked overtime in the tango,which whilst endearing, he was too much of a nodding dog to be taken seriously.

[Steve_uk]

Week 5 was Fright Night with a Halloween Theme:

1) It was difficult to tell whether Russell Grant's Samba was set in Rio or was a commemoration of South Dakota's Wounded Knee Massacre. He limped gingerly through an uninspiring performance as a fat tomato attired like a Pantomine Dame.

2) Chelsee Healey felt the pressure as she broke down under the bright lights,the Tango ill-suiting this Lancashire lass's unsophistication.

3) It was nice of Audley Harrison to drop in to see us from California,having obviously done no training whatsoever for tonight's Jive; with his white powdered face and golf shoes he looked like a force-fed Michael Jackson.

4) Alex Jones took more risks tonight with James Jordan in the Pasa Doble and was rewarded by the judges,though it was hard to tell whether she was part of Pan's People or Cathy from Wuthering Heights.

5) Holly Valance was full of grace this evening dancing to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake,her fair of face partner Artem Chigvintsev transformed from last week's Terminator to Julian Clary Mark 2.

6) Nancy Dell'Olio exuded glamour and sophistication in the Rumba,but let's face it,she can't dance,and judge Alesha Dixon gave her a 3 and said she should have stayed in the coffin.

7) Harry Judd worked intensively in the Tango tonight,he's the fittest guy in the competition,but there wasn't much dancing,and though rewarded with one perfect score,he will have to get back into hold next week.

8) Robbie Savage looked sexy tonight even with his joke teeth,but there was too much froth,and no arch in his step.

9) Anita Dobson churned out another polished performance with Robin Windsor in the Tango,full of drama in a blood-red dress,but she needs to keep her frame and work on her lines.

10) Lulu sporting 3D glasses had evidently done her homework with her flawless footwork in the Pasa Doble,but I still feel she does the same thing whatever the dance,and Brendan Cole seems to be doing all the work.

11) Jason Donovan is back in the competition with an uplifting quickstep,after being unrecognizable at the start of the show portraying a cross between Hannibal Lecter and one of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs. It earned him 37 points and was the dance of the night.

[Steve_uk]

It's Week 6 of the competition,and with Len Goodman absent Bruce looks ever more the geriatric;however there were some shooting stars visible on this Bonfire Night:

1)Lulu had put effort into her Tango, she and Brendan were in hold most of the time;however she lost it as the dance progressed,as the physicality of dancing caught up with this 63 year old.

2)I was expecting more of Audley Harrison tonight after his good performance in the foxtrot some weeks back;he did do some dancing,but he stops in midflow,and for a guy of his size is just too unassertive,seemingly content to be led by the female.

3) Harry Judd was just too sexy for his shirt tonight,yet his feet were just a little too placed,the Samba not suiting this White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

4) Anita Dobson and partner Robin Windsor had the character of the roaring 1920s Charleston down to a T,with Anita looking every week more the double of Wallis Simpson;however she was a little bit behind the music,and she lost timing in places.

5) Jason Donovan killed us softly with his interpretation of the Rumba;it's the mark of a champion that he can still impress even when a bit off-he was a little too serious and the love element of the dance wasn't quite there.

6) Alex Jones,dancing the Quickstep to It Don't Mean A Thing was sparkling and sophisticated;however her timing was out on occasion,and I just wonder whether she can stand out enough faced with the stiffer competition at this stage.

7) Robbie Savage gave a poignant interpretation of a waltz ,dancing to Love Ain't Here Anymore,slightly spoiled by hair tied back by an elastic band;however he told a story,and he is great to watch.

8) It was hard to tell whether Russell Grant was sitting on a bull or the toilet at the start of his Paso Doble;sporting a polka dot cummerbund he put on his thick pebble glasses and turned into Peter Glaze from Crackerjack.

9) Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev earned a standing ovation dancing the second Charleston of the night;this is a young couple who are well-choreographed and synchronized precisely,and have ended up again at the top of the leader board.

10) Holly Valance danced her Jive in pinstriped suit with cartwheel to boot,partner Artem Chigvintsev flawlessly back in character;the sophisticated interpretation of this dance found favour with the judges;however I just wonder whether Holly wants this title badly enough..

[Steve_uk]

It's Week 7 and Len is back..

1) It was difficult to tell whether Alex Jones was dancing the Jive or elastic skipping in red dress,ankle socks and plimsolls; I liked the intertwining twirls but the competition has toughened up and she has turned into Ruth Madoc from Hi-De-Hi.

2) Robbie Savage looks the part in the ballroom,a little untidy at times,but great posture and head position.

3)Audley Harrison danced the Cha Cha Cha like a slow-motionThunderbirds puppet in dreadlocks,he was cumbersome and awkward,and as we know,subsequently,eliminated.

4) There were touches of brilliance,as usual,with Harry Judd and Aliona,but I didn't quite get the feel of the Buenos Aires nightclub,more a training exercise in a London gym.

5) A beautifully-choreographed Viennese Waltz has put Jason Donovan back in the competition,he has a natural command on the dance floor and is good in hold,though he needs to rest when he can during the week to beat others who have raised their game.

6) Chelsee Healey was an elegant swan in the Foxtrot tonight with a beautiful head placement;though she hopped on occasion the wow factor has arrived.

7) Anita Dobson had beautiful pivots and wrap-around in the second Argentine tango of the night;she can feel a bit miffed at the marks which didn't appreciate the authenticity she created.

8) I didn't particularly like Artem's choreography for Holly Valance and Brendon,and their dancing was a bit understated,though it was an accomplished performance and they are heading for the Final.

9) Dancing to I Am What I Am from the Broadway musical,Russell Grant is what he is;the American Smooth steps had gone along with his hair,and he should himself be gone at Wembley next week.

[Steve_uk]

Week 8 was Wembley night,and sometimes it's hard to tell which show is Strictly and which is the X-Factor,what with Dermot O' Leary's new can can with his dolly birds,but here goes:

1) Robbie Savage dancing the Salsa looked like a Bee Gees extra as usual, he did entertain us,but it was messy in places and there was no real dance feel.

2) Alex Jones and James Jordan ended up at the top of the leader board with their Argentine Tango,they had worked hard on presentation,yet there was no real sharp staccato feel of the dance.

3) Holly Valance and Artem had the right image to accomplish this Quickstep,yet just when they're on the brink of achieving something they lost control,their timing was out and they weren't together.

4) Dancing to Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners it was Come on Anita in the sexy Samba,however her shoulders were hunched and though she gave it some welly she didn't quite achieve the combination of technical sharpness and party atmosphere.

5) Harry Judd is not a natural dancer,his remark about preferring to be on the drum kit a Freudian slip on the night,yet he's a nice guy who notwithstanding his lack of natural hip action can take on the best in this competition.

6) Russell Grant replete with glittered face and yellow canary costume went back to his birthplace and reached for the stars as he was shot out of his cannon,however as we now know this Jive left him crying for the moon.

7) Chelsee Healey captured the spirit of the Samba with her lively bounce,and rightly finished joint top of the leader board.

8) Jason Donovan dancing to George Michael's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go needed to be woken up;his missed kick flick cost him a place at the top which the judges were only too keen to grant him.

[Steve_uk]

Week 9 and the Magnificent Seven remaining couples faced two dances including a communal Swingathon:

1) Anita Dobson danced a slower than usual Cha Cha Cha which needed more hip action;she got a lucky break when Robin Windsor broke his foot,and let's face it if dancing with Brendan Cole can't save her then nothing else will..

2) Holly and Artem were slow to get going into their Foxtrot,but once trotting they were polished and sassy,and should be safe for next week.

3) Alex Jones and James danced a mediocre Charleston;they went through the motions but it lacked sharpness and had no real wow factor.

4) Robbie Savage looked sexy as usual in the Samba,yet this is a serious dancing contest and should he be lucky enough to survive next week he needs to be more of a dancer and less of a Chippendale.

5) Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev earned a standing ovation with their Argentine Tango,which didn't quite go far enough in terms of posture to earn them the highest marks.

6) Another standing ovation for Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff with their slapstick Charleston,well prepared and carefully executed,showing that comedy indeed can be a serious business.

7)Harry Judd has perfected the sway of the Quickstep,and along with his stamina which won him first place in this dance and the Swingathon has nudged him ahead of Jason in the betting stakes.

[Steve_uk]

Week 10 was Movie Night,with one couple's dreams ending up on the cutting room floor:
1) Robbie Savage and Ola danced a Quickstep with shades and glittered shoulder pads;he's an entertainer but was slow to get in hold and there was no real drive in the dance.

2)Harry Judd and Aliona danced the Rumba to Robin Hood Prince of Thieves,but it was a good job someone stole his green tights in Sherwood Forest. The dance had elements of magic yet his hip movements were rather exaggerated and he had to settle for four nines.

3)Alex Jones in a red dress danced the American Smooth,playing the Julia Roberts Hollywood prostitute part in the film Pretty Woman;the dance was beautifully choreographed with exceptional lifts and twirls with smooth James Jordan also looking the part. A slight feather step mistake by Alex near the end cost them in the scoring.

4) Holly Valance took the Catherine Zeta Jones' role tonight in the Paso Doble with Artem in Zorro's mask. This dance was replete with cape,matador,flamenco,and more importantly some emotion at last from Holly,which is why she was rewarded with two 10 scores from the judges.

5)Jason Donovan faced an uphill struggle with the second American Smooth of the night,having to equal the performance of Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain;however he made the dance his own,there were no real mistakes and Jason's charisma as usual won the day.

6)Chelsee Healey played the princess to Pasha Kovalev's Shrek tonight,yet there was no swamp to spoil their sharp,fast dance,and the judges were Believers in granting this young couple a nine and three 10 scores.

[Steve_uk]

It's Strictly semis night with two dances to master,and the threat of a double elimination:

1) Harry Judd is too sexy for the Charleston,which was technical if not funny,but the judges were Wild About Harry and gave him three top scores. His Viennese waltz,smouldering with melancholy and fleckerls was beautifully placed and similarly marked.

2) Alex Jones and James were so smooth dancing the waltz they could have been on castors,their beautiful spins being the hallmark of this most improved couple. Their Salsa found Alex replete with broom and raincoat,we saw a flash of her knickers as she let her hair,or wig down;she got a bit lost in the solitary parts and she's an almost certain bet not to be riding a Blackpool tram next week.

3) Chelsee and Pasha steal the show Time After Time,this week being the American Smooth and the Paso Doble,where she exuded passion from her symmetrical silver earrings to her intricate hand movements and technicality,earning her four perfect scores on the second dance.

4) Holly Valance used a simple chrome bar stool to dramatic effect in an Argentine Tango love story.She lost a little steam on the Charleston with Artem as a Ricardo Clement double and she must be favourite to be eliminated along with Alex tomorrow night.

5) Jason Donovan lost a little timing with his disco Samba,but he has once again found the connection with partner Kristina Rihanoff. His internal struggles were mastered in a dramatic Argentine Tango,which earned him a standing ovation as well as four perfect scores.

[Steve_uk]

Harry Judd has been crowned Strictly Champion 2011 after a close contest,in which he danced four dances in total, seeing off the judges' favourite Jason Donovan after the first interval,and enigmatic minx Chelsee Healey in the finale.The standard of dancing was incredibly high throughout the evening at the Tower Ballroom Blackpool,and any of the three remaining couples would have been worthy winners;however it was Harry Judd who took possession of the Glitterball Trophy courtesy of British televoters and was lifted high by his McFly colleagues,who had run onto the floor impromptu as the result was announced.

The BBC choreographers had done an excellent job,starting with the remaining contenders being brought on stage in a hybrid vehicle of Roman chariot and Sedan chair,to the backing dancers in Viking garb dancing to BonJovi's Half Way There.One felt in no way overwhelmed by the vast Winter Gardens venue as the dancers,judges and support cast lived up to all expectations. True ,there were some repeated dances and some slight negative comments concerning hand positions and inelegant lifts,but this show is a highlight of the calendar and many people will feel a Saturday night void now the programme has finished.

The show's success lies in its entertainment value,and this should remain a family show with the glamour element and sometimes skimpy costumes maybe at times lying symbiotically with it,the mix of personalities among the dancers and their bodies which often belie their years,scanning the audience for the odd celebrity,the competition element which remains good-humoured throughout,the physicality of the dancing,the music taken from a past golden age of music,along with Bruce Forsyth's 1970s jokes.It is a rare combination of will-o'-the-wisp and in your face reality,which keeps millions entertained as the Winter solstice approaches.