Key events
Thank you and a glittery goodnight
That concludes Saturday’s semi-final liveblog but please feel free to continue the ballroom badinage in the comments section below. Meet you back here tomorrow for this year’s last results show. It airs at 7.20pm Sunday on BBC1, with musical guests Raye and Becky Hill.
I’ll reboot the blog at 6.50pm for build-up, so please rejoin me then. In the meantime, I’m @michaelhogan on Twitter and @michaelhogan100 on Bluesky/Threads, so feel free to give me a sparkly wave.
Thanks for watching along with me, as always. Hopefully see you tomorrow but in the meantime, as if you needed telling: keeeeeep dancing! Goodnight and stay safe.
Finally, Vicc says: “There is far too much emotional gubbins and family and so on in the VTs. I’m having to mute them all, regardless of contestant.”
Dunntalkin says: “Oh that’s interesting from Chris. ‘When you start the show. they ask you for a list of songs you like.’ So it’s not the production team we should be slagging off for some of the ridiculously inappropriate songs that are selected for some of the dances?”
Peter Gibbs adds: “Is Anton on that chaise longue trying to channel Jacob Rees-Mogg?”
stolencar says of the Ts&Cs reader: “WALLACE ! Oh that Wallace, the strange little plasticine bald one with the big mouth. Phew.”
MartGray adds: “Wallace and Gromit? Only Dave Arch himself could make Claud more excited.”
On Sarah Hadland, ACSD1 says: “Very good from Sarah, accompanied by suitable music. I’m sure the footwork was perfect but camerawork, lighting and initial smoke doesn’t allow constant scrutiny!”
Helenhiwater says: “Do the judges mention all the contestants’ ages or just Sarah’s?”
SparklingDormouse says: “Good from Sarah and Vito but not amazing. Don’t think the trousers helped. Not much in the way of kicks and flicks.”
diamondcat says: “I feel exhausted just watching Sarah! I don’t know where she gets her energy from.”
MaineC adds: “Jive not Sarah’s dance. Mind you the music is too frantic so not helping.”
On Pete Wicks, SparklingDormouse says: “Pete smiling in the middle of a number! Dance suited him, as do tails. Annoyed I can’t see his feet enough cos of the length of Jowita’s dress.”
JoMK73 says: “In fairness, I’d say well done Pete. He showed confidence for someone who finds it very difficult, and I was genuinely pleased at the end that he hadn’t made terrible mistakes. Good for him.”
emasl2023 adds: “Over the weeks. I have become a Pete fan – despite the fact that I still feel like giving his hair a good wash. I know Shirley has gushed and gone over the top but Pete is what the show is about and what I think it has lost over the years. Remember when Chris Hollins won it despite being a pretty ordinary dancer? It was his commitment and enjoyment that got him through.”
On Chris McCausland, LekisP says: “I love Chris and Dianne but that wasn’t a great Charleston, too much faffing about, and not enough content.”
VelvetinaB says: “Loved the joke and the happy-go-lucky nature of the dance, but I think Chris was out of breath a lot (no wonder!). His timing is amazing and I still think he’s incredible.”
Clarissaharlowe1 says: “I’ve been fairly ambivalent about Chris up to now but after that Charleston I want him to win!”
irreverentnurse says: “Chris, fabulous, so light on your feet, good posture and tucked into your partner in hold.”
EastofStratford adds: “Good for that Dianne, a reminder of how much longer, rockier and more exhausting Chris’s Strictly Journey has been compared to anyone else’s. What they have achieved as a couple has been extraordinaryhat she has achieved as a teacher is beyond belief.”
On JB Gill, MarkRoche says: “Lots of drama and mood, but I’m not sure whether or not I liked that paso. JB and Lauren are such a dynamic pairing, though.”
MikeMoonlight says: “Pure genius. JB has saved his ‘It’s My Birthday Tonight, Please don’t Vote Me Out’ card for the semi-final. We can only presume that Pete Wicks has lined up a ‘101-year-old D-Day Veteran Grandad Who’s Spending Christmas Volunteering At His Local Food Bank’ card for the occasion…”
MartGray says: “Good Lord, that was outstanding from JB and Lauren. If they get to the final they should make this their repeat dance. It deserved the Horwood handshake.”
Poppieshen says: |Nice hips from JB there! And that is what a salsa should be like, my friends.”
fihema adds: “Gosh. JB was just a champion. That was so good, so watchable, fun, competent. I’ll have to give up a Sarah vote, I think. I really hope JB is in the final. He certainly deserves to. Another one who has ‘been on a journey’ – reasonably good to start with, mesmerising for the last few weeks.”
Readers’ semi-final verdicts are in
Here’s a rapid-fire round-up of your comments. On Tasha Ghouri, YodaknowsAll says: “Loved Tasha’s salsa. Still not quite enough sass.”
gliese says: “Go Tash, all bubble and glitz and gritty – loved it! Though her legs sometimes stray as they are, I dunno, too long?!”
Somersetlass says: “Oh, that waltz was just beautiful. Tasha floated across the dancefloor, and the whole thing seemed effortless.”
dancingbears adds: “Beautiful. The best dancer rarely wins Strictly, but Tasha is the best dancer and, even though Chris is my favourite, I hope she wins. Ballroom for me is all about elegance and class, and that lass has it in spades.”
Prepare the puppies, it’s Mariah Carey
TV viewers can now stay tuned to BBC One for Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, flip to BBC Two for Mariah Meets Rylan or go to ITV1 for gameshow revival You Bet!. At 9.30pm, it’s the penultimate episode of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! on ITV1. Come on, Oti Mabuse!
If you’re in a filmic frame of mind, tonight’s picks are Die Hard (9pm on Film4), Mermaids (9pm on ITVBe) or the brilliant Everything Everywhere All At Once (10.15pm on Channel 4). Yippee-ki-yay indeed.
The Golden Glitterballs: semi-final edition
It’s the penultimate round of shiny envelope-opening this series. Here are this week’s gong-getters…
Best dance: JB Gill’s salsa, with Tasha Ghouri’s waltz a very close second.
Worst dance: Pete Wicks’ faltering foxtrot.
Best music choice: From Basement Jaxx to Metallica is quite a range but Dave Arch’s band nailed them both.
Worst music choice: The Verve, oddly, lacked verve.
Best outfit: Both of Dianne Buswell’s were lovely – a rainbow playsuit and a grey swirly waltz frock. Honourable mentions for Lauren Oakley’s deep green paso frock and Tasha Ghouri’s burgundy velvety number.
Worst outfit: What was going on with Carlos Gu in the Clauditorium? Like Miss Havisham had become entangled in my nan’s net curtains.
Best VT: Chris McCausland’s mates visiting him in training and coming over all emotional.
Worst VT: Too many nans and cute kids but the school gates mums were really overplayed.
Best judges’ comment: Craig’s one-word verdict of “Sick” to Tasha and channelling Paul Hollywood to shake JB’s hand.
Best Claudia quip: Her endearing over-excitement about Wallace and Gromit.
JB tops leaderboard, Pete at bottom
After dropping just one point across dances, JB Gill sits at the summit of the semi-final scoreboard, with Tasha Ghouri in second spot and Sarah Hadland in third. Down the bottom is Pete Wicks with Chris McCausland just above.
Could Pete pull off one of the biggest shocks in Strictly history by being voted into the final? Stranger things have happened. Although not many, admittedly.
Credits roll
As Tess and Claud get in their traditional clinch and tell us to “Keeeeeep dancing!”, please stay with us for analysis, reaction and a round-up of your comments.
Tonight’s action recapped
A reminder of the night’s routines on-screen now. Double dancing! Sore feet! Get that Epsom salts bath running!