Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool special – live

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Alan Carr’s Numberwang just winding up on BBC1. Listen very carefully and you might be able to hear Celia Imrie let out a nervous fart. Mere minutes to wait now…

High seaside scores expected

Couples tend to pull out all the stops and the sea air invariably goes to the judges’ heads, meaning the average score at Blackpool is a whopping 33 points.

Outside of the final, which has previously been held here, there have been four perfect 40s awarded in the Tower Ballroom. Will we see another tonight? It’s just five minutes until we find out…

Lancs Vegas hoofing highlights

What are your all-time favourite Strictly moments from Blackpool? Ones that spring to my mind include Jill Halfpenny’s jive, Susanna Reid’s paso doble, Kelvin Fletcher’s Jailhouse Rock jive, Simon Webbe’s Argentine tango, Great Ed Balls of Fire and Anton using a canary-coloured Ann Widdecombe to mop the floor.

Let us know yours in the comments. Can you smell the fish, chips and doughnuts yet?

Who might bow out in Blackpool?

After her narrow dance-off escape last week and in the absence of La Voix, bookies’ odds-on favourite for the Blackpool boot is Balvinder Sopal. If she’s in the bottom two for the fifth time, it will match the unwelcome Strictly record currently held by Jamelia.

But with the pressure on for the big occasion, will things go according to the form book? Can plucky Bal pull off a great escape again? Ten minutes until the glittery curtain comes up…

Blackpool leaderboard is rarely a glitterball omen

A quirk of the stats: past Strictly form tells us that whoever tops the Blackpool scores usually doesn’t go on to lift the glitterball. Kelvin Fletcher and Ellie Leach both finished joint top and went on to win but they’re the only ones in the last 12 years. Last year, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri shared top spot, going on to become beaten finalists.

We’re into the contest’s climactic four weeks after this weekend, so the final is in sight and the stakes are increasingly high. It’s 15 minutes until the clock strikes Strictly…

Dabbers out for Strictly Bingo: Blackpool Edition

Cross off the coastal occurrences as they happen! Take a drink for each! End up in a dodgy seafront disco wearing a feather boa! Here’s your 10-point seaside spotter’s checklist:

• Audience says “Aww!” when Tess and Claud announce La Voix’s absence with injury

• Audience says “Aww!” when Tess and Claud refer to this being their last trip to the Tower Ballroom

• When musical guest Steps perform, there are two members you don’t recognise and can’t name

• Hosts/judges make knowing in-joke about the cast and crew hitting the town post-show

• Judges join in group dance, including a run of spins from Shirley/Craig, dad-dancing from Anton and Latin wiggles from Motsi

• VT includes a couple screaming on a rollercoaster/scoffing chips/playing in amusement arcades

• Cute/creepy snap of a Strictly pro in Blackpool as a child dance prodigy with bad hair and rictus grin

• A bouncy routine is said to “take full advantage of the sprung floor”

• Visual gag involving a seagull or donkey

• Anton makes misty-eyed reference to Blackpool dances of yore with two left-footed partners

We do like to dance beside the seaside

We’ll all hear the B-word a lot tonight, so what makes the Tower Ballroom so special? Well, the spiritual home of ballroom dancing dates back to 1894 and positively oozes with hoofing history. As the home of Strictly’s parent show, Come Dancing, and host to professional competitions, it means a lot to the pros and judges.

The room itself is full of ornate Victorian splendour. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, with atmospheric tiered balconies and intricate carved panelling. That famed sprung, bouncy dancefloor is several times bigger than the familiar Elstree ballroom, hence the use of backing dancers, props and production tricks to help fill the cavernous space.

The 600-strong audience, twice as big as the usual capacity, further enhances the atmosphere. It’s a Strictly landmark weekend which always adds extra glamour. Who will rise to the occasion in these grand surroundings? We’ll get our first clues in 20 minutes…

Little Miss Moffatt sat in the ballroom

In much less grim news, Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt was unveiled yesterday the first celebrity taking part in this year’s Christmas Special. She will be paired with Strictly pro Vito Coppola. The next of the six participating celebs will be announced on Monday.

It’s 25 minutes until the sparkly curtain comes up…

Another blow for controversy-plagued franchise

Elsewhere in Strictly news this week, the rocky time for the show continued. On Thursday, it emerged that an unnamed “Strictly star” was arrested last month on suspicion of rape. Hertfordshire Police confirmed that the man had been released on bail under investigation.

The man is alleged to have raped a woman “after a BBC event” but it’s been reported that the victim wasn’t a contestant or professional dancer on the show, but had met the man due to his participation in the competition. The development is not understood to be related to the current series.

La Voix laid up with crocked foot

It was announced on Tuesday that La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec won’t be performing tonight due to the drag queen’s foot injury. She has been advised by doctors to rest and under Strictly rules, will get a pass through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again.

A shame because tonught was going to be something of a homecoming for La Voix, who began her drag career here. We wish her a speedy recovery. With only six competing couples tonight, the running time has been trimmed by 10 minutes.

Half an hour until the Blackpool glitterball starts spinning…

Who will deliver a Blackpool towering performance?

It’s time to illuminate an illustrious dancefloor. Good evening and welcome to the ninth live weekend of Strictly Come Dancing 2025. I’m Michael, your seaside sidekick for tonight’s live show. You are cordially invited to watch along with me as our pro-celebrity pairs make their dance debuts on the Tower Ballroom’s fabled floor. Yes, its one of the biggest nights in the Strictly calendar and anticipation is as high as a certain 158-metre landmark.

Last weekend, Amber Davies topped the leaderboard for the first in six weeks when her dramatic paso doble scored 38 points. The bottom two on the scoreboard were duly consigned to the dance-off, where Balvinder Sopal defeated Vicky Pattison, who was sadly sent home.

Now the lucky survivors make the 230-mile trip north to the traditional home of ballroom – the stage to which every dancer aspires. As always, tonight’s scores will be combined with the public vote and the bottom two will dance for survival on Sunday night. Will we get a seaside surprise?

It’s showtime at 6.45pm on BBC One (it was originally scheduled for 6.35pm but the show has been shortened for reasons we’ll come to shortly). I’ll be liveblogging from 6.15pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and Blackpool megabantz. So knot a sparkly handkerchief on your head, roll up your trousers for a paddle and I’ll see you on the sofa.

As always, I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, contact me on Bluesky or Threads @michaelhogan100, email me [email protected] and the comments section below is open for hoofing hubbub. I’ll promenade down there whenever I can to see what you’re all saying and report your reactions up top.

It’s week nine and the Tower Ballroom is looking fine. Nearly time to staaaart seaside dancing!