Strictly has rumbled along reliability since September, while giving viewers far too few moments of genuine tension. Here was one – you could see Ward’s hopes crushed in real time as Shirley delivered the bad news. Awful for him, mildly gripping for the viewer.
Ward took it on the chin, to his credit. “You guys up there are a dream,” he said, waving to his fellow contents, smugly installed on high in the “Clauditorium”.
He proceeded to give the standard Strictly exit speech. The journey was amazing, he’d learnt so much, he would never forget it. There was a danger that his words might ring hollow in the aftermath of the Amanda Abbington/Giovanni Pernice unpleasantness – a controversy which revealed that the celebs aren’t always having the time of their lives under the glitterball. But Ward sounded like he meant it, and it introduced some real emotion.
That was just as well, as the episode elsewhere felt like an appetite whetter for Blackpool, which Claudia Winkleman mentioned roughly 8,000 times. There was a live performance from Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, who delivered a cuddly cover of He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother – performing as “Ball and Boe” when “Malfie” was right there.
But mostly dancers and celebrities wanted to talk about Blackpool. Motsi Mabuse recalled how coming straight from South Africa to grace the famous dance floor was a life-changing moment. That message was echoed by celeb Jamie Borthwick, who recommended Blackpool because “it’s full of chips”. So is my local pizza joint, Jamie, but I wouldn’t advise you rock up there in shimmering trousers performing a cha cha cha (I tried it once: never again).
“One thing I want to do is get to Blackpool,” added another contestant. Unfortunately, it was Shayne Warde whose Blackpool dreams faded to grey. It was a ripple of heartache coursing through what until now has been an often inert and predictable season. Fingers crossed further drama is yet to come and that the fireworks start in earnest next week.