Bette and Darcey Look Forward to Strictly

Exciting times for Strictly fans this weekend with the introduction of legendary ballerina, Darcey Bussell, as the fifth judge and Bette Midler as the musical guest.

Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal ballerina, will have a critical say in the outcome of one of the closest contests in the show’s history and believes that the show has had a truly positive effect.

“It’s brilliant,” she says. “It has got people who perhaps didn’t believe they had an interest in dance to go out and try it. They can appreciate that everybody can improve and when people see others having fun they want to get up and join in.”

American singer, actress and comedienne, Bette Midler, who will be returning to the show to sing ‘The Rose’, says: "I had such a great time last year, that I'm coming back to Strictly again this week. I was shocked that Bruce showed that clip (Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night where Bette performed ‘Leader of the Pack’) of the two of us from 31 years ago ... shocked that neither of us has changed one bit!"

In other Strictly news, there's a chance to win tickets for the Live Tour at the MEN Arena; Alesha is pleased that the furore over her appointment to the judging panel has died down; news of another short break featuring the Pro dancers; Ballroom dancing can be bad for you! But only if you're divvy enough to not treat it like any other physical exercise!

And as if that isn’t enough, the show will take on a new format for the quarter-finals with the main show at 6.40pm and a results show at 9.40pm. - Don't forget you can get all the up-to-date gossip on Strictly Come Dancing’s sister show It Takes Two, weekdays at 6.30pm on BBC Two. - For more information and gossip, visit bbc.co.uk/strictly or follow us on Twitter: @bbcstrictly and Facebook.

Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two: Switching sofas.

224? I've written down 224 and now for the life of me can't remember why. Something to do with football but not ... 2 dances, 2 something elses and four couples wasn't it? *Note to self* Stop messing about with domestic chores and get on the computer a.s.a.p.

Ballroom update: Alian Tango - 17 hours - it's all Greek to Ali at the moment. She's a lover not a fighter. And she's been so reticent about it till now! Lainton - AS - 16 hours - not too difficult, lots of screaming in the lifts though! Ricalie Foxtrot - 18 hours - tough and technical - very Fred Astaire - which he's not! He's trying to soften; Nat seems very taken! Chrola - waltz - 16 hours - needs longer and elegant, difficult with his little legs. His brain is scrambling but Ola thinks it could be beautiful!

Sian and Bill on this sofa, reliving Bill and Karen's highlights. Lot of fun, Ballroom Bill (Strictly Bill - loved) and he's still enchanted whenever he hears the music. Sian (Cha Lady) didn't think Chris would get very far - but Bill said final 4! He reckons. Standout moments - Tuffers and Zoe's exit, for the wrong reasons; Disney Princess Ali's VW at Blackpool (not the VW where they bumped into everyone and still got a ten? queries BB!) Ricky needs to not make any mistakes; Laila better in ballroom (what a surprise! states BB - he's a lad, isn't he!) They are revelling in Chris, like proud parents. But would have said 9's for the Charleston, not a 10.

Len's Masterclass - recreating Erin and Austin's Cha Cha. It's a regular starter for the celebs, since the regular timing is easier to keep to, also they want a fun and upbeat start to the series. New York - step forward with right foot - turn toe out - two -three - bring right leg round - cha cha cha - rock onto left foot- open turn - cha cha cha - repeat - hands on buttocks - Woooooo (Len) *EEK* (Claudia). The heels nearly went! Cue music!

Alian on the sofa - high heels in situ! Ali (toe-tally into dance) was thrilled to get through Saturday with awesome marks. Claudia then points out the collision in the VW (with sound effects!) Brian (In tuna with Ali) surprised to get the 10. Ali says Flavia said it was OK to bump, lol. And she now understands the fear of the samba!

Latin updates: Chrola samba - "Don't let me go out there on my own!" A lot to remember but he's motoring - and he just got a kiss and a "beautiful!" Alian - Brian's giving a maths lesson. Head *whoosh* Ricalie cha cha - cheeky, funky, soulful, fast and technical - turn your feet out. She's pushing him. Good. Go for it. Lainton salsa - she's enjoying it - happy, sexy, cheeky, traditional music.

Ian on the sofa, he's the Pro charged with choreographing a group cha cha this week. He lets slip they're dancing to two Motown songs - three minutes of solid cha cha. His fave Pro dance so far is the QS with Anton and Erin, Vincent and Flavia, choreographed by partner Natalie. He's next on the Dance Machine, thinks he was tragic. Score: 18300 - second only to The Bennett!

News in Brief: SCD, SYTYCD,

Snippets from the Strictly training rooms:

Laila has revealed how the competition has now stepped up a gear for the quarter final and neither she nor Anton can quite believe they have made it this far! I suspect they're keeping an oxygen tank close by for Anton, in case he makes the dizzy heights of the Semi's!

Ali has had a mischievous side come out of her this week - she even tried to bite Brian’s finger when he pointed at her and then ruffled up his hair. You see, Brian - it's rude to point!

Chris has said that he is ecstatic to have made it through to the quarter finals and that the standing ovation they got after the Charleston made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up!

Ricky has revealed that the support he’s getting from the public and his family is really keeping him going, plus the fact that everyone is so desperate to win the glitter ball of course! Let's hope his man flu is just the 24 hour type!

Trav's taking a well earned break, so here's MJ with the SYTYCD rundown and videos, plus the results. It seems filming for our version is well under way now, with Cat and Nigel doing a Len and Bruno in reverse - we already know Nigel can be a Mr.Cranky Pants, but I'm sure the lovely Cat will still be the dancers' darling.

Strictly Quote Dancing came to my attention on Twitter, so that's another item to add to my Xmas list!

Looking to holiday in the UK next year? Warners have teamed up with Strictly for short break themed weeks between February and July - just book it and tell the other half you're taking them on a mystery tour - and then feign surprise when you get there!

Strictly Lawrie Holloway, featuring Lance Ellington are appearing in Gateshead tomorrow night!

Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two: Midweek Update

Chrola on the sofa, Ola (dapper flapper) says the dance suited them perfectly; Chris met Spandau Ballet who gave him their seal of approval. And it's nice that people are saying they were undermarked, they were happy at being second on the leaderboard. Chris is happy that Ola's happy! The Jordan -no, not that one, the Ola Jordan lean mean tough talking machine - no Hollins were hurt in the making of this! Ola's turn on the Dance Machine - score 5200, puts her 2nd! Happy Days.

Forum Q&A: If not a dancer, what would you be? Pro Natalie: Ice skater or policewoman; Flavia - something with animals; Katya - entertainments manager, wedding planner or journalist (and possibly more!) Vincent: model; Anton: No idea - Big Issue? What height is best for a dancer? Flavia, Vincent and Darren say short; Erin, James and Katya say their height! Ian wasn't there, am assuming his answer! Ever done a 'normal' job? Lilia - dressmaker; Vincent - no, look at these hands, never done a days work in their life; Flavia: Bank cashier; Ola: no; Darren: shoe salesman and chauffeur, cook and cleaner - for Lilia! What's Strictly's best kept secret? Darren and Lilia both say it wouldn't be a secret if they told us, but James says he and Brendan are having an affair, lol!

James (Flash Gordon) with the midweek report (although is hard to tell as they're all still learning) It's gruelling to learn two dances - not that he knows, he's never got that far! Next year James, next year! Alian samba - needs more bounce, nice but should be fun and have explosive energy; Ricalie cha cha - walking on heels, a cardinal sin but routine looking good; Lainton salsa, needs to work feet into the floor; Chrola samba, needs to work on technique posture and footwork; Alian tango - arms too high, needs to sort frame and get into knees; Lainton AS thinks it's going to be beautiful; Chrola waltz, he's thinking of the steps, posture appalling, needs more work.

Lainton on the sofa; the telephone rings - you'd think people would know by now, wouldn't you - looks like I'm going to have to start actually telling them "not between 6.30-7pm on a weekday" Jeez. Laila (fringe benefitter) has been teaching Anton (Beke to the 20's) in her Lady Rouass' Finishing School for Cool! Innit Doh!

The end credits show how much the Pro's have to put up with - the dance language is appalling - it's a feather step, not a "jiggy jiggy"!

Darcey Bussell Joins Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday

Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal ballerina, officially retired from dancing in June 2007. Since then she has largely concentrated on raising her family in Sydney , but she will return to London this week, in time to join Strictly Come Dancing at the quarter-final stage.

Joining regular judges, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon and Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey will have a critical say in the outcome of one of the closest contests in the show’s history. “I hope they’re nice to me,” she laughs. “I met them when I performed on the show and I’ve seen some of Craig’s choreography and really admired his work. I suppose I’m probably most like Len, I want to give constructive criticism and help them along, but I’m quite prepared to say if they haven’t improved. All the judges have different qualities and, having been a dancer all my life, I know what it’s like to perform and what you need to be able to perform.”

To get a feel for how the series works, Darcey attended filming during the early weeks. “Since then I’ve followed it every week on the DVDs they send me. From the beginning, I’ve had my own list of people that I thought were going to survive and I’ve enjoyed seeing how they’ve done. Luckily I haven’t been too far wrong, although the public obviously has a big say – there’s a lot of sympathy voting, but that’s showbiz.”

Strictly’s format is now seen all over the world – in Australia it is known as Dancing With The Stars – but while it is popular there, Darcey says it’s not on the same scale as in England. “I’ve watched the show a lot in the last five years, but even so I was slightly shocked to discover how popular it is,” she says. “It’s exciting because it motivates people. We’re watching celebrities who have never danced before enjoying the experience of trying something that is great fun.”

As a judge, what will Darcey be looking for? “When a dancer is in control of the floor with every step, we say they are ‘eating up the stage’. I want to see them travelling, using the space and stretching themselves that little bit further than maybe they should; that’s exciting to watch. I hate anything safe and comfortable with no spark to it.”

She adds that the celebrity and professional dancers also need a certain indefinable something as a couple. “They can’t be just individuals, there must be some chemistry. I also want to know that the celebrity has really listened to the professional and understood what is required choreographically and that the professional has understood how much their celebrity can cope with.”

It’s far from easy, she admits, and nerves will play a big part in the outcome. “Actually, it’s wonderful to sit and watch instead of always being the dancer,” she reflects. “I will enjoy coming in at the end because they are going to be much more comfortable with performing. It still comes down to that crunch, but the standard is so high that it’s going to be a really tough final. There’s a wonderful mix of good girls and good guys, it will be interesting to see who the public is going to choose.”

How does ballroom dancing differ from the ballet discipline to which Darcey is accustomed? “I don’t think they do differ,” she says. “I went recently to do a bit of ballroom dancing as I hadn’t done anything like it before and I wanted to get a feel for it. If anything, the lines are very similar to classical dance. It’s a serious technique; from samba to ballroom to American smooth it’s all very specific. It’s just as fussy as classical ballet. To be that clean and precise, you have to have worked on it for eight to ten years to be a professional. The only difference is that in ballet we don’t compete... we’re judged in a slightly different way.”

Whatever kind of dancing appeals to people, Darcey believes Strictly Come Dancing has had a positive effect. “It’s brilliant,” she says. “It has got people who perhaps didn’t believe they had an interest in dance to go out and try it. They can appreciate that everybody can improve and when people see others having fun they want to get up and join in.”

Strictly Come Dancing is available on BBC One and BBC HD, this week's show is at 6.40pm with results revealed at 9.40pm. Don't forget you can get all the up-to-date gossip on Strictly Come Dancing’s sister show It Takes Two, weekdays at 6.30pm on BBC Two. For more information and gossip, visit bbc.co.uk/strictly or follow us on Twitter: @bbcstrictly and Facebook

Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two: It All Becomes Clear

Ricalie not on the sofa, but Ricky (hit a rock'n'rolly patch) on the phone from training in Liverpool, says the judges were right to criticize, they need cleaner performances. Claudia asks what the 'C' sign is for: Carly, he says. And the pat on the tummy was for a pregnant friend and he's saying 'hi' to nieces and nephews when he scratches his bum or nose. The hand waving is to land a plane. I made that last bit up. Cha Cha and Foxtrot this week, couldn't be more different.

Choreography corner, Karen (Hardy ever wrong) makes herself comfortable to tell us the Pro is very protective of their partner, so a new choreographer coming in is unsettling and typically a neighbour's little brat knocks on the door, in the dark, sub zero temperatures and asks if littlun wants to play out. No, he doesn't, he's going to bed soon. Now bog off, don't you know what's on the telly? Or is your mum watching it and you've sneaked out? That was rhetorical, go away. Pffft. *Settles down again*. She loved the two new dances and said the Pro's probably did too. Chrola's Charleston beginning and ending singled out for fab moves, it's also as much about the performance. Interestingly, there's an interview with Darcey Bussell in the Radio Times, and she says, in response to the technique or performance question: "From my experience, if you're a great performer and the audience falls in love with you, you can do no wrong. Dance has to be enjoyable. You have to feel confident when you're watching someone; they must look like they're having the time of their life." Well, I think that settles all the arguments, don't you? Because the person making you feel like that could be someone technically very gifted or someone who isn't so but sells it more. Room for the Alians and the Ricalies and the Chrolas of the world. I'm just sorry that one of them will miss out on the final. Anyway, Claudia agrees with Karen that Chrola should've scored more, although not as technically strong like Ali's swivel - it all came together for her. Lainton's armography singled out, could see where Craig was coming from in terms of the ankle twisting. Ricalie's dance off dance definitely stronger - well executed swingy lift into the big one. Karen's off to Australia now - naughty Claudia wasn't supposed to tell anyone because now she'll be inundated with emails.

Tess (Daly news) is on the sofa, following a montage of praise from Brucie, celebs and pro's alike, drama every step of the way this year, you can't predict the outcome; Nat the funmaker, the most happy person ever on SCD; loved the Charleston - Ali's coming out party! Does she ever predict correctly - Yes with Alesha and Mark, no with Darren.

Inquest into the Group VW, held by Flavia (a flavia cacace-up) very proud of them all, a genuine ballroom competition. Floorcraft singled out - keeping your space and avoiding other couples - naughty Brian cut across the middle of the floor, that's bad - should they have got a ten? Judges must have missed it - it's all part of the competition. Ricky did brilliantly, Laila very relaxed in Anton's arms - all the girls good at following. Chrola had the best floorcraft, very confident and kept their own space.

Flav's on the Dance Machine Challenge - they wouldn't let her have a second go! Score 1700, second place - she's very pleased, thought she'd be challenging Lilia!

For everything that goes right, there's the training footage end credits showing it all going completely pearshaped, in a segment on Saturday's lifts. Scary. Watch it with the lights on.

The Strictly Surgery - Vincent's tips for a top Paso Doble!

News in Brief: SYTYCD, SCD

Katie Holmes would love to see husband Tom Cruise as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance! Take a minute and click the link through to Katie chatting to Cat about the Dizzy Feet Foundation and how she became involved with that and therefore SYTYCD. Ignore the misery guts who wrote the piece, Katie has a lovely voice and the performance is a very happy way to waste a couple of minutes! More about the Dizzy Feet Foundation.

An interview with Debbie Allen - and an interview with choreographer Mia Michaels.

First Canadian SYTYCD winner, Nico Achembault has landed the role of Nureyev.

A lovely interview with Alesha - her side of the stories for a change!

Karen Hardy at the Dance Against Hunger Ball.

Joe Calzaghe rescues military hero and George Cross holder Chris Finney from an insurance call centre. I thought the initial headline meant from a burning building or something, but frankly, working in a call centre is worse, much worse. Trust me.

Darcey Bussell is Godmother to P&O Cruise Ship Azura - for a moment there, I thought she was going into a cruise ship panto!

Anton and his significant others!

Tommy Blaize and Dave Arch are appearing at the 606 Club on 7th Decemeber.

The full line up, including partners for the tour have been released - see here.

Introducing the SCD Professional Dancers, with some nice photos of waistcoats.

We all know Strictly Come Dancing is good for you - now it's official! Interesting to note in there that Jade did dance again afterwards but the BBC physio refused to let her perform! Better not let a certain forumite see that little titbit any time soon ... bye, bye for now, bye!