Throng

Happy Friday night dance fans. Tonight we are going to see the other half of the couples that didn't perform last week. Exciting!

This week the furore over Alesha the new judge has been all over. Bruce has just mentioned it. He wishes her luck with the whole series. I hope people come round to her soon. She's a nice girl.

The couples are coming down the stairs...

Tonight they are all doing either a waltz or a tango, both are ballroom dances. Tomorrow is hot latin night.

First up is Natalie Cassidy with Vincent Simone...

They are dancing a tango. Natalie is adament that she is not doing the show to lose weight, as all the papers have suggested.

I like her hot pink dress.

Have to say, she's a little better than I expected. Giving it the attitude that the tango should have, but she's an actress, so she should find that easy.

Wow, what a passionate and dramatic ending. The pushing of Vincent away before the final sort-of kiss gave it a bit of a story.

What do the judges think? Len thinks she should be happy, as she made it though without a mistake, despite stepping on her dress at one point. She just needs to improve her posture. Alesha thinks she role played well, but she needs to put herself up close against Vincent more. Bruno thinks the choreography was difficult, and she needs to pull herself up more. Craig thinks she did good sharp head movements and good // --> </mce:script>src="/modules/tinymce/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js?D" type="text/javascript"> // --> gesture s.

SCO RES: 6, 6, 6, 6, = 24/40.

Next to dance, Zoe Lucker and James Jordan.

In rehearsals she looks like she is finding it hard to get to grips with the steps.

They are dancing a waltz. Oh God. She's sat on the steps. Asleep, head resting on hand. TACKY START. James has rescued her, obviously, because they're playing Someday My Prince Will Come from Snow White. Yick.

She is craning her neck back and has good posture that is required with the waltz. Bruce thinks it was beautiful. Was quite nice. Lacked something though.

Len thinks that it needed more movement. Alesha thinks it was a good effort for a first dance. Bruno thinks she was full of elegance and poise. "...it was absolutely beautiful." Craig thinks it was sickly, but then turned beautiful.

SCORES: 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30/40. Good score!

Craig Kelly and Flavia now.

In rehearsals for the tango, he seems to be enjoying leading. I reckon he'll be good.

Oh you can tell he'll be good. Nice dramatic beginning. Not sure about doing the tango to Jai Ho though. Lost it a little there. Went slightly dull. He'll be good on the faster dances. He copes well when he has to gesture and move by himself, which bodes well for harder dances in the future.

Craig loved the bhangra style. He thinks there needed to be more drive in the dance, and he needed to control his arm better. Len thinks it was good that he came out, had a go and attacked it, but he lost a little finesse. Alesha thinks he came out and gave it his all. Bruno thinks he came out like an assassin, but lost control of his energy and so, was a bit stompy.

SCORES: 5, 6, 5, 6 = 22/40.

Next up, Richard Dunwoody and Lilia Kopylova.

He is the first jockey to ever be on Strictly.

Tonight, his first dance is the waltz.

They look quite nice together. Though I am distracted by Lilia's gorgeous dress. He seems to enjoy dancing with her, you can tell. Didn't really notice anything bad, nothing spectacular either.

Bruno thought it was a masterpiece. He means that loosely. "There is hope!" Craig thinks it was a nervous dance. He lacked balance, control and posture. He doesn't have anything good to say. Yikes. Len thinks he gave a good effort for a first dance, especially as it is a very different thing for him to do. Alesha thinks he is "so cute". She thinks the pressure could be weighing him down, so he should work on his posture.

SCORES: 4, 5, 5, 5, = 19/40.

Laila Rouass and Anton du Beke now. Could this be Anton's year? He's usually given the erm, middle aged women celeb dancers who aren't too great. I think he is pleased to have someone younger and a bit more erm, flexible.

They are dancing the tango.

I'm excited about this.

She certainly looks the part. Lovely red dress. I think they'll do well with scores. It has more finesse than the other tangos we have seen. Can tell Anton has taught her well, she's like the project he has waited for.

Well the judges loved it. Alesha thought it was wicked. Bruno thinks Laila promises greatness. Craig says her hand was like a limp, wet fish. She responded well to the dance and followed Anton well. There was a "beautiful stillness" to the routine, which is what he was looking for. Len liked it a lot. "Pure tango." There was a slight error, but he ain't bothered.

SCORES: 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30/40. Well deserved!

Now, Phil Tufnell and Katya Virshilas.

They are dancing the waltz.

I'm finding it hard to take this seriously, just because it is Tuffers. Look at his grinning face, the cheeky chap. He's not shite though, quite the opposite, he isn't bad at all. He looks smart too.

Len thinks he looked smart, charming, and had the best footwork of the night so far. He was surprised. Alesha liked how he took it seriously, as he is known for being a joker. "It was charming, well done!" Bruno thinks he looked like he had a good time. "I was very surprised, well done!" Craig thinks he was a surprise. He seems pleased. Yay Tufnell!

SCORES: 7, 8, 7, 7 = 29/40. Good!

Penultimate couple: Jo Wood and Brendan Cole.

They're doing the tango. How many seconds did it take her to mention her ex husband Ronnie Wood. Two? Two and a half?

They're dancing to Let's Dance by David Bowie. I cry a bit inside when my favourite songs are done on Strictly.

She ain't bad. Seen better. She seems a bit out of it. I think she's probably always like that.

Craig thought it was slovenly and lazy. She has "hopping" through some of it too. He has nothing good to say at all. Len thinks she "didn't let anyone down". He is being kind. He thinks she started off good, with good posture and good attack. It ended with a whimper, though. Alesha thinks that this dance didn't suit her, and maybe tomorrow she will do better in the latin dance. She also thinks that if she goes wrong she needs to remain composed. Bruno says it wasn't a disaster, and she stuck with it. It seems she found it quite difficult, evidently.

SCORES: 3 (ouch), 5, 5, 5 = 18/40. Poor Jo.

Final couple are Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe.

Expectations are high for Ricky, as he did the best in the group mambo last week. How will he do with the waltz?

He's doing it well. Good posture - which he practiced in rehearsals with brooms, as we saw - and he's quite charming and graceful too. Bit of a tender ending with his partner which looked nice and romantic. Sweet.

Bruno says it was a "dream come true" but he slipped. Craig thought it was beautiful and intelligent choreography, and Natalie did a good job with him. Len thinks Ricky is the one to beat in ballroom, and he is excited about seeing his latin dance. Alesha thought it was the best dance of the night.

SCORES: 8, 9, 8, 8 = 33/40. Wowsa!

That is it for the couples!

Now there is a group dance from last weeks couples to a Michael Jackson medly. I notice improvement in Rav. Chris Hollins is giving it some too. Linda Bellingham, bless her, she looks like she's giving it oomph.

This group dance will not be scored, but the judges will give their opinions.

Craig was surprised at the improvement by Joe Calzaghe. Bruno loved Linda. Len thought Rav was "ravishing". Clever Len, clever.

Right, that's it. Latin tomorrow. See you then.