What did you miss?
Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman was left a little starstruck by claymation icons Wallace and Gromit during Saturday, 7 December’s live semi-final on BBC One.
Following Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec’s opening salsa, Winkleman initiated a special voting terms and conditions segment featuring the cheese-loving inventor and his silent sidekick.
She described it as “singly the best thing that’s ever happened to me”.
What, how and why?
“Time now for our terms and conditions,” shared Winkleman, surrounded by Ghouri, Škorjanec and this year’s partnerless professionals. “This is singly the best thing that’s ever happened to me; please welcome Wallace and Gromit.”
Ghouri, Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, Kai Widdrington and Gorka Márquez’s mouths were all hanging open in surprise as the animation began.
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“Ooh! Ooh hello Ms. Winkleman, I’ll be with you in two ticks!” said Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead) whilst humming the Strictly theme tune in the shower. “GROMIT! You’ll have to cover for me lad. Use the practise tape.”
The scene then flicked over to Gromit working as a sound engineer and dressing the set, which had been made for Wallace to present the segment from before losing track of time. Below a glitterball was his desk, complete with a signed photograph of Winkleman and a big mug of tea.
Wallace, star of beloved Aardman titles A Close Shave and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, plus this month’s Vengeance Most Fowl, made it back to his desk to finish the Strictly terms and conditions. Gromit then held up a 7 score paddle to the camera following his pal’s bumbling efforts.
Posting on social media site X (formerly Twitter), Strictly viewers were equally pleased to see the return of Nick Park’s stop-motion characters who first stepped onto our screens in 1989.
“Wallace & Gromit doing the T&C’s? Possibly the best thing I’ve ever seen,” wrote one person.
A second user added: “Saturday perfect TV! Wallace and Gromit on Strictly!”
#Strictly well done Wallace and thank you Gromit you kept it together,
— ♥️🌟Lisa Tibbs🌟♥️ (@lisa_tibbs) December 7, 2024
Strictly Come Dancing’s results show airs Sunday, 8 December on BBC One.