Strictly Come Dancing, quarter-final: Six talking points, from Les Mis and Mamma Mia to the 'best male rumba ever'
Unlike Paul Hollywood on 'Bake Off', Craig knows the power of holding back his top scores and making a 40 actually mean something
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Wow, that was quite the night, with only five points separating the top and bottom of the Strictly leaderboard and just a tiny pair of shorts protecting Bruno’s modesty in the opening number. It still seems a fairly safe bet that Stacey, Ashley, Joe and Faye will make it to the final, but all it will take is a surge of votes or a slip in the dance-off to cause a shock. Here’s what happened:
Mamma Mia, Anton’s playing Pierce Brosnan!
Usually, the pro numbers are masterful, but this was camp as Christmas. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but wow – Craig came bouncing on with a sequined backpack, Brrrrruno was gyrating around in shorts, Anton played the Pierce Brosnan role in a weird hat and Dianne looked slightly disturbed when AJ had to kiss her at the end. All good fun though; who doesn’t love ABBA?!
Faye and Giovanni’s ‘quirky’ flawless Charleston
Faye Tozer, who is effervescent with enthusiasm for all things Strictly, seemed oddly reticent about this routine and the best word she could find to describe it was "quirky". But she needn’t have worried. Yes, she and Gio had to dress up as puppets (he was in Lederhosen, a felt hat and a blonde wig – they definitely don’t pay him enough) but the judges were wowed by the performance, set to The Sound of Music’s Lonely Goatherd. It gained them only the second perfect 40 of the series – unlike Paul Hollywood on Bake Off, Craig knows the power of holding back his top scores and making a 40 actually mean something.
Charles delivers the best male rumba ever
He looks likely to face the dance-off tomorrow night, but let it never be forgotten that Charles took one of the most boring dances in the competition (it really is) and turned it into a stunningly emotional killer moment. This was a West Side Story-themed number that even the Queen of the Rumba Shirley Ballas fell over herself to compliment. No mean feat.
Lauren redeems herself with an American Smooth
She may be popular with the public, but Lauren has really struggled to impress the judges for the last couple of weeks. Which makes for a fairly awkward atmosphere when she sails through without even a sniff of dance-off action. Tonight’s American Smooth was beautiful and confident, and while there were errors, it was a real return to form. Lovely to see.
Technicolour dreamcoats and Les Mis rags
Musicals is always a great theme and the production went to town. Joe Sugg was playing a 1970s disco version of Joseph, with a coat of many colours and a lot of eyeshadow (I don’t remember that from the Jason Donovan version of the show...). At the other end of the spectrum, Stacey Dooley took on the tragic Fantine from Les Mis in a black woolen shawl. There were lots of lifts and air grabs, and she got two 10s for her troubles. Let’s just say it was a different take to Anne Hathaway’s Oscar-winning performance.
Follow the action as it happened with what was our live blog below (please allow a moment for it to load):
The obvious finalists are Joe, Ashley, Stacey and Faye, but could survivors Charles and Lauren cause an upset?
Faye and Giovanni: Charleston scores
Craig: 10
Darcey: 10
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 40
Only the second perfect 40 of the series, incredible scenes! Lots of tears, and not just because of the outfits.
Time for Charles to use his acting skills again, he’s doing a Westside Story-inspired rumba with Karen next. This is a style notoriously difficult for male celebrities to master, but Charles insists it actually suits his body and he reckons this is going to go well. Fingers crossed – I’m very invested in his underdog story now. Can you imagine the shock if Ashley left and he stayed? Wowzer.
Brrrrruno is a huge fan of Westside Story (that little speech wasn't just for effect, he's even made a documentary about it) and Shirley is the Queen of the Rumba, it was her specialism in her competition days. So Charles and Karen will be under intense scrutiny here. Eek.
I say it every week, but once again it's so nice to see someone actually able to bring a decent acting performance to these emotional dances. I think Charles might get a bit of flack for his hands, but this looks like a masterful attempt at a very difficult dance. It's certainly one of the most compelling rumbas I've seen in a long time. I'm not saying it's perfect, or that it will be enough to save him, but Charles should be proud of himself. Love the changes in tempo, beautiful.
Craig says Charles coped really well but there he goes with a complaint about the free arm. Wow, he finishes by saying it's the best rumba he's ever seen from a male celeb. Darcey is taken aback and delighted Charles was able to lead the dance. She seems rather floored in fact. Shirley has huge praise for the choreography and Brrrruno loved the atmosphere and tenderness. Reckon there are some 10s coming here!
Charles and Karen: Rumba scores
Craig: 8
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 9
Bruno: 9
Total: 35
Hmmm, surprised they were so gushing and then gave nines, but still that's a great score. 'Many male celebrities crumble with a rumba... you triumphed!' said Brrrrruno.
Can't believe we're half way through already, but that's what happens when there are only six celebs left in the competition! Here come Ashley and Pasha. If you want full-on West End jazz hands and high kicks this is your moment. Take a deep breath and prepare for Ashley channeling Barbara Streisand in a stunning quickstep. It’s a showstopper of a song that makes mere mortals want to dance so I can’t wait to see the impact it has on these two. ‘It’s super-fast’ says Pasha. Hooray!
Pasha calling the musical 'The Funny Girl' is very cute. Just thought I'd mention.
Here we go then! The girl's so good she can even dance with a hat box. This is so light and effortless just as you'd expect. And Pasha wasn't joking about it being fast, it actually might look more controlled at a slightly slower tempo, but that's a small criticism. Ashley's doing well to maintain that topline, that was a difficult and well-executed routine. Shame the singers couldn't channel Streisand, but we'll gloss over that...
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments