Strictly Come Dancing 2015: week three - live blog
Join Strictly superfan Ellie Walker-Arnott for week three, as the celebs embrace the glitter and glitz of Movie Week
Hello and welcome to the third Strictly Come Dancing liveblog of the season. It's Movie Week so brace yourself for the bright lights of Hollywood!
The glitter and glitz is ramping up a notch or two as our stars embrace the glamour of the silver screen. Think divas, saucy sirens and, erm, the penguins from Happy Feet.
Join me, Ellie Walker-Arnott - RadioTimes.com's official Strictly superfan - live from 6.20pm tonight and prepared to be seriously Strictly-fied. You can tweet me your comments, questions, queries and snap judgements on tonight's dances @Ellie_Wa or post in the comments box below.
20:25
We might have had a 10 but it's not all good news. We do have to say goodbye to another celebrity during tomorrow's results show. It's safe to say it won't be Jay, but if one of your faves have found themselves at the bottom end of the leaderboard, they might need your help.
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I'll see you back here, same time, same place, next week. And in the meantime, keeeeeep dancing!
20:22
Woah, what a way to end Movie Night. Jay has truly outdone is fellow celebs with that showstopping finale. I'm feeling a little giddy. And also jealous of whoever pulled Jay in our RadioTimes.com Strictly sweepstake...
20:19
That springs Jay to the top of the leaderboard with a hugely impressive 37 points. He's miles ahead. And currently doing deep breaths in the background to try and maintain his composure.
Carol's back at the bottom with 17 points.
20:17
Craig gives them a 9. As does Darcey and Len. And - wait for it - BRUNO HAS WHIPPED OUT THE FIRST TEN OF THE SEASON!
20:15
Tess can barely be heard over the applause. The audience are stamping their feet. "Finally the blockbuster everybody was waiting for. You've outdone and outdanced Travolta and everyone else here tonight. Best dance EVER!" shouts Bruno.
"That is a level of technique we have never seen ever... a-ma-zing," adds Craig.
That is the best dance so far this season," concludes Len, while Darcey is left open-mouthed by Jay's sex-appeal...
20:13
Jay seems to have grown his hair back for this fast and flashy performance. He is confident and keeping up with Aliona with ease. There are times when they look like equals which isn't an easy feat, especially in week three. He could definitely be taking back the top spot!
20:12
Jay McGuiness is up last. He was top of the leaderboard last week with 31, but he's got some stiff competition if he wants to regain the crown this week. Will his Pulp Fiction inspired Jive do the job?
20:11
They get 6,8,8,7. A solid score.
20:06
Anita's been taking pottery classes for this Ghost-inspired American Smooth. Though I'm not sure they were needed. Her dance was dramatic, romantic and seriously sexy.
"He flew across the floor like a rampant crab!" said Len of Gleb's passionate moves.
"I loved the fact you were totally committed to the character and the performance," adds Bruno, leaping up from his seat to wave his hands around with abandon. "I thought it was a very well judged combination."
Craig criticises some technical elements but ends on a positive note: "I thought it was absolutely wonderful."
20:02
Craig gives them a 3 but that's where the low scores end. Darcey goes for a 7. So does Len and so does Bruno. Jeremy is besides himself. Karen is choking on her popcorn.
20:00
"You're still quite unusual, but you are fabulously unusual... and you have worked hard," says Darcey.
"Listen," says Len. "I'm the old boy who knows everything. It's genius."
"You've become the king of funny walks," adds Bruno, calling his efforts Python-esque and an "unexpected delight."
Revel Horwood isn't quite so impressed... "It was bizarre, darling. I felt like you were being operated by strings," concludes Craig, to loud boos from the audience.
19:58
Jeremy Vine's tackling the Charleston now. It's charming and he's really quite good in places. Plus, there's so much content and it's so fast moving, you can forgive him for being a little behind at times.
19:57
Jeremy's brother Tim Vine is auditioning for a spot on Strictly. Watch this space...
19:54
The scores? 6 from Craig, 7 from Darcey, 6 from Len and 6 from Bruno. Jamelia shouts "Oh my gosh!" when Craig gives her a 6 and bursts into tears.
19:49
She's doing a Charlie's Angels inspired Salsa. It's fun but you can see the cogs turning. She's far from the worst dancer though and doesn't really deserve to be in the dance off if you ask me. It's not about me though, is it, it's about the judges...
"It's a little bit rough around the edges," says Craig, calling it laboured. He ends with a positive note though: "This is your dance."
"Not quite mission accomplished," says Len. "What I loved is that you came out and you really went for it - and that's the way to do it."
"This angel I know has a little devil inside her," says Bruno. "Let yourself go with the music because you can."
19:48
Jamelia is up next. She was in the dance off last week so she'll be dancing her heart out to make sure she doesn't end up back there tomorrow...
19:46
They get 7s across the board. It's solid but it's still their lowest of the series.
19:42
"I enjoyed it but you cannot lose the stance on the Paso Doble... you still have to maintain those lines," says Bruno.
"That was full of aggression which I absolutely loved... congratulations," says Craig.
"If you'd have stomped like that on a boat you'd have sunk it," says Len, calling his performance great, wacky and nutcase... He loved it.
19:40
Peter Andre actually could be Johnny Depp. The likeness is uncanny. It's a fun, if slightly stompy, performance with a brilliant ending. But will be judges like it?
19:35
The dog's tail got in the way of the lifts, but Len reckons it was an improvement on last week. Bruno says it was much better. "Carry on like this," he adds. "A great, great improvement," concludes Darcey.
When it comes to the scores, they are an improvement too. 5 from Craig, 6 from Darcey, 6 from Len and 6 from Bruno. 23 - their highest score so far.
19:32
The costume department have outdone themselves tonight with Kirsty and Brendan's outfits. It's not easy to make a dog look that glam.
19:30
They get 4,6,6,5. It is their lowest score so far, but they don't seem to bothered. You can't pout when you've got a do like that.
19:28
"It did lack a bit of grease lightening," says Len, saying it was a mix of Summer Lovin' and Last of the Summer Wine.
"I thought it was very stompy... however what you do do is remember the choreography and your timing was very good," says Craig.
"More Danny Zucchini than Danny Zuko," says a mean Bruno. Him and Craig seem to have swapped places this evening.
19:25
Oh that quiff. It's a work of art. Daniel O'Donnell is a fabulous Danny. Just look at those thrusting hips.
19:22
The scores? The pair get 8s across the score, making them joint top with Kellie and Kevin. I think we're going to see a lot more of these two as the competition continues...
19:17
Helen George is being a very convincing Marilyn Monroe next, in layers of frothy lace. It's fun and flirty. The audience are on their feet. And the judges love it too.
"I thought the whole thing was absolutely gorgeous," says Craig. "This is exactly what you should do with every dance," says Darcey, praising her characterisation. While Bruno calls her Foxtrot "classy beautiful."
"You've worked very hard on the footwork," said Len. "Some like it hot, I like it elegant and that was just what I got."
19:16
They get 7s from everyone aside from Len. It's up on last week, but probably leaves a sour taste in Giovanni's mouth...
19:13
"It was a very nice Rumba," says Bruno, getting off his seat to stroke Len. Craig agrees. He loves her clean spins, the drama and the strong lines.
"A very good performance," says Darcey.
Giovanni isn't pleased with the praise and Len takes offence. "Too much posturing, posing and larking about," he chastises. I think that irritation might be reflected in the scores...
19:09
Georgia is being a Bond girl this week. She's dancing our first Rumba of the season in one seriously Strictly-fied frock. It's dark and dramatic, with a trust game for good measure in the middle.
19:07
The scores are are in. It's 3,6,6,5. Same as last week. He's consistent at least!
19:04
"You always bring on a happy show," says Len.
"If I had to pi-pick up a penguin I'd pick up you," adds Bruno, who
Ainsley is having too much fun and he's forgetting his steps. It's first class entertainment, as Darcey points out, but there are too many mistakes.
"A Cha Cha Cha disaaaaaster," says Craig.
19:02
Ainsley's been at the zoo watching penguins to perfect his routine. Because, yes, he's dancing like the Happy Feet penguin.
The TV chef is clearly in his element, strutting his stuff in front of an adoring audience. But there are definitely moments where he looks a little unsure of what he's meant to be doing...
19:00
The scores are in. It's four 8s! There's a lot of screaming. Maybe even tears from Kellie.
18:57
"You should not be that good in week three... the sync was fabulous. Fast. Brilliant" smiles Darcey. "Kellie Bright and a Jedi Knight. Just right. You put the moves in movies," grins Len.
"I could feel the force!" says Bruno. "Full of content, totally recognisable... absolutely well done."
"Clean, tight and precise," adds Craig. "Absolutely fan-tastic."
Think they liked it!
18:56
Lots of dance content here! Kellie seems like she could be a real contender, especially following in the footsteps of Katie's dance. There are lifts, cheeky expressions and cool lightsaber tricks. And the pair get a standing ovation. Nice work.
18:55
Next up, Kellie and Kevin are doing a Star Wars inspired Charleston. Will it be out of this world? (Sorry.)
18:52
Craig gives them a 4. It's a 6 from Darcey, a 5 from Len and a 5 from Bruno. A total of 20, which is down 8 from last week.
18:49
"It was like a bad internet connection... it kept stopping and starting," says Craig, criticising a surprisingly lack of dance content.
"I was expecting so much more," adds Darcey, agreeing with Craig.
"This was a disappointment. There wasn't enough going on," continues Len.
"This is Strictly Come Dancing not Strictly Come Posing," says Bruno. She has everything necessary to go far in this competition. "You've got it all. Don't squander it."
Poor Anton looks taken aback and asks to take responsibility for the lack of dance content. Perhaps he's forgotten that he's got a partner who can actually dance this year?
18:46
Anton and Katie are doing a Pretty Woman-inspired Cha Cha Cha tonight. She's all shopping bags and sunglasses, while Anton is clearly loving getting to pretend he's Richard Gere.
The dance itself feels little like it never gets started though. Katie has barely moved her feet...
18:44
It's a 4 from Craig again, a 6 from Darcey, a 5 from Len and a 4 from Bruno. The same score as last week, but Oti says they're not disappointed. He's improving every day. Just not when it comes to the leaderboard...
18:40
"That was a mish-mash of martial arts. You've got to have artistry when you dance... it was all over the place," says Bruno.
"It still lacks shaping," says Craig, calling his hands spatulistic (officially our favourite Strictly term). "It was more stampede than a sweep."
"It's your best dance so far," says Darcey, adding that it was a "great improvement."
"This is the third round, you've had a few batters and bruises," says Len, praising his enthusiasm, but saying very little about tonight's effort.
18:40
Anthony Ogogo is doing a boxing-themed Paso Doble this week. He's not sure what a Paso is, but at least he doesn't have to try and be romantic these week.
He's clearly at home in his silky boxing gown (that's what they are called, right?) The punchy Paso suits him better than last week's Waltz. He doesn't seem to be doing a huge amount of actual dancing, but it's nice to see him feeling confident on the floor.
18:35
The first scores of the evening are in, on special spangly star-shaped score boards. It's a 3 from Craig, 5 from Darcey, 5 from Len and a 4 from Bruno. 17. Down three from last week, which is a shame.
18:30
First up, Carol's doing a South Pacific-inspired Quickstep. She's confident - and smiling as ever. But the judges aren't impressed by her soapy performance.
"You looked like you were shuffling on damp sand," says Bruno, saying there were too many mistakes. "Lame and very lack-lustre," says Craig.
Ray of sunshine Darcey kindly praises the dance content: "Well done."
18:26
Here are our stars. There are some stellar costumes tonight. Ainsley looks strangely convincing as a penguin. Andre could be Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and Kirsty Gallacher is dressed as a dog. Strictly isn't always glamorous, you know...
Oh, and who knew Daniel O'Donnell would look so good with a quiff?
18:25
Fittingly, there are some famous faces in the audience tonight. Helen George has two Nonnatus midwives cheering her from the crowd. We caught up with Charlotte Ritchie this week, who told us her and Bryony Hannah would be heading to the studio. Ritchie also revealed high hopes for her co-star, saying: “I think she's going to do so well… Helen’s going to be so sassy."
18:24
The pros and celebrities are kicking off tonight's proceedings with an Oscar's inspired number. Loving the little film references here. Kellie Bright is flying around the studio on a bike, Carol Kirkwood and Daniel O'Donnell are doing Titanic, Jay is Indiana Jones, while Helen George is making a terribly convincing Marilyn Monroe. If you thought Strictly couldn't get any sparklier, you were wrong.
That kind of number is the show at it's best. More that please.
18:20
Grab your popcorn. Movie Week is go!
18:18
We’ve got more than the usual sparkle this evening, as the stars embark on their very first themed week. Movie week is always a brilliant one. I mean, last year it gave us Scott Mills dancing like a crab.
We can only keep our fingers crossed tonight will bring something as spectacular…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xc5iVxP2R0
18:12
Just a few minutes to go... Let’s cast our minds back to last week, when we said goodbye to our first celeb of the series. Poor Iwan Thomas became the first star to hang up his dancing shoes, after facing Jamelia in the dreaded dance off.
At the other end of the leaderboard we had Jay McGuiness, who scored the first 31 of the season.
Jay’s impressive score made him (at this stage in the competition) the most successful boy band contestant to date. He’s even doing better than Harry Judd was at this stage. And Judd went on to win, with Jay’s pro Aliona by his side. Just sayin’...
16:02
Just over two hours until our 14 remaining celebrities take to the floor. Peter Andre, Carol Kirkwood and co are presumably fitting in a bit of last minute practise as I type, Foxtrotting in a fog of hairspray and fake tan.
While we wait (prosecco on ice as standard), here's what the celebs will be performing this evening. We've got a mixed bag of Hollywood classics and modern movie favourites, from Pretty Woman and Star Wars to Pirates of the Caribbean. Arrr!
Do let me know in the comments, or on Twitter, if there are any you are particularly looking forward to. I’ll see you back here just before 6:20pm, to add a little extra sparkle to tonight's proceedings. And make sure you join in by having your say in the comments box below – and tweeting me @Ellie_Wa. Come on now, don't be shy...