Strictly Come Dancing: Running Commentary, Week Nine

Injuries and illness plagueing this week's show, with Brucie having the flu, Jade out with a possible Olympic threatening injury and Laila with a mummified foot. But on a good note - it's Ronnie Corbett! Standing in at short notice, obviously! And, more importantly - Claudia! Yay - backstage is going to be hilarious. Oh yes. Bizarrely, and I know no-one will believe this - but the Daily Scatter Strictly preview, written around lunchtime Saturday, originally had Tom Chambers making Brucie's entrance and doing the iconic tap dance - with none other than Ronnie C doing the links and the jokes! Seriously! Which of course was the problem - it was far too sensible an idea, so I replaced them! (With the Prime Minister!)

Ianade's dress rehearsal was a dream apparently, right till the end, when Jade realised something had popped - gutted doesn't cover it of course, both her and Ian and me and probably most other fans too - that tango was shaping up to be something special - please, Beeb Producers - show us it on ITT, please! Fingers crossed for next week - having said that, Jade can't compromise her Olympic plans; we can only hope it isn't as serious as first thought. All the best to you, Jade, I hope you recover well.

Phitya out first for their American Smooth, which was smooth and charming to Come Fly With Me - not particularly 'Wow' I have to admit, but another good ballroom performance from them. Craig: Not showy enough, very cool, timing good, strong finish; Len: I see a change of attitude - upped your performance; Alesha: swagger back, loved the freeness, transitions well done; Bruno: blissful look, smooth take off and landing, handled very well. Score: 31, their best yet.

Ricalie jiving - no pressure, Tess! It is a rapid jive, but intelligently choreographed with plenty of collection points that interpret the music well - Ricky's footwork not always spot on, but the routine is bright, breezy and a real blast. Loved it. Len: Most consistent, the hunted, keep focused, keep this standard; Alesha: timing went a bit, fun, fast paced, lighthearted, pretty amazing; Bruno: a tight package full of power, you just go for it, your work is amazing; Craig: as much as I loved it, lost technique because of the speed. Score: 35.

Rickin VW, gets a pep talk from his more famous nan! I say, very debonair in his glasses. Bit skippy, better posture though and overall a pretty good job. Beautiful rendition of Nights in White Satin by the band. Bruno: Composure and restraint and on time all way through; Craig: very tense, frame lovely to begin with but a really great job; Len: shoulders more relaxed, fascinated with the glasses, good content, well done; Alesha: Did very well, be proud of yourself. Score: 29

Chrola Paso. The cutest couple ever just got mean and moody! Oooooh, he's stamping, he's stampiiiing ... still got banana hands but I don't care, thoroughly enjoyable, great musicality, loved the flamenco steps he did! Len: I nearly pooed me pants, you came out and gave it plenty, loved the attack; Alesha: I love you two, Ola doing a great job with him. Intense, peformed brilliantly; Bruno: Awful but liked it *boohissboo* needs more artistry; Craig: Danger. Menace. Aggression but forgot to dance. "May I have my cape back please" says Chris, haughtily! Score: 30, thanks to Len and Alesha! Claudia dubs him Little Cape Man!

Lainton rumba and I can't help but wonder - why's Anton wearing a coat in training? Is it very cold there? Do they not have a portable heater they can borrow? Anyway, Laila's limping after injuring her ankle slipping on the stairs (I said they looked steep!) and what might have been a lovely rumba had she not been concentrating on alleviating the pain, ends abruptly as it becomes too much. They judges can only score on what they saw, they all say the same. Score: 22.

Vinalie foxtrot, lovely song and Nat has clearly worked hard on technique, but at the expense of her fun attitude. I found it a little pedestrian. Bruno: Kept close to him, head back, lacked freedom of movement, good job; Craig: Didn't have the flow, beautifully simple, sweet, honest; Len: Quality right up my street, full of magic moments, your best dance; Alesha: A dream to watch , elegant and composed; Score: 34

Alian cha cha next and the touchy feely stick your ass out moments are coming along! I Got A Feeling this could be her best Latin so far, a little stumble but overall it was well done and well choreographed too, not as fragile. Alesha: Technically very very good, arms and cha cha walks great; Bruno: You finish every beat with the arms, incredible range of movement but I want a bad girl; Craig: Difficult job because of the music, choreographically brilliant; Len: Hips truly hip-notic, bit arty farty prim and proper but I liked it. Score: 35

That's it, says Claudia and there's good "Oooohing" backstage! The phone lines are open and while we wait, Brian and Kristina perform a Patrick Swayze tribute to She's Like The Wind, which is gorgrous - a special Bolero, says Tess; Joke of the series to Ronnie and his weather report: The sun will be killing 'em in Gillingham, choking in Woking, cool in Goole, dry in Rye and if you live in Lissingdown, take an umbrella! The Pro Dance treat One Night Only - Darren and Lilia, James and Kristina, Matt and Aliona, fast and fantastic. The Jersey Boys and the Boy Blue Hip Hop dancers rip up the floor with another hint of what So You Think You Can Dance will bring us.

The Moment of Truth: Ricalie; Vinalie; Alian; Chrola; Lainton! Visibly shocked, the pair of them. It's VW versus AS as Rickin and Phitya are left to dance it out - it's an evenly matched contest, both doing their strongest discipline and both do a good job - I can see this being a Len decision. It is, Alesha and Bruno go for Phitya but Craig and, more importantly, Len, go for Rickin - who are equally shocked.

Well, I'm surprised - I kept reading that Phil was second in the public vote - so is it that the fans just can't help themselves when it comes to a bit of sympathy voting? Perhaps they'll now start to realise they can't afford to do that! Maybe, just maybe, if Ianade are out for good, they'll reinstate Phitya for next week, that is apparently in the rules. Personally, I don't think there should have been an elimination tonight - to use DWTS as an example - if Jade or Laila or anyone else didn't subsequently pull out, they could have had a double elimination next week.

This whole numbers game is where SCD loses its way for some reason – the rest of the show worked really well: I thought Tess did a fantastic job presenting; Claudia, of course, was on excellent form as we all knew she would be and they pitched Ronnie perfectly, with just the occasional reference to Brucie bringing familiarity without trying to actually replace him. It’s just those numbers ... we don’t want a three couple semi with a dance off again – it does the show a disservice – especially with so many good dancers this year. Maybe they should consider my league table idea ...