Strictly Come Dancing week 7: Stacey Dooley dances injured – plus four other talking points

Stacey dazzled even with a rib injury – should we just send the glitterball to the engravers now?

Seann Walsh and Katya Jones dance the Quickstep on Strictly Come Dancing

For the first time in weeks, we were actually talking about the dancing on Strictly tonight – not the Halloween make-up, tabloid headlines or guest judges. There were some stunning, traditional ballroom dances that really showcased what our celebrities are capable of, as well as a couple of dance floor dis-ah-sters. Here are the standout moments:

Ashley tops the leaderboard yet again

Getting a bit boring now, isn’t it? Ashley tried to create some tension by suggesting she wasn’t getting on well with the foxtrot, but surprise surprise she was absolutely flawless! Pasha choreographed a sensational classic big band routine to a Natalie Cole track, and it was everything Strictly should be – elegant, entertaining and effortless. Craig still resisted reaching for a ten, but that’s 39/40 two weeks in a row. Pasha was already the most successful pro in the show’s history, and these scores will definitely cement that status. Special mention to Faye and Giovanni’s incredible tango which would have got the same mark had Shirley not got pernickety about footwork.

Stacey dazzles through injury

Despite insisting she didn’t want to talk about it, it was impossible to ignore Stacey’s bruised rib injury; mainly because she tweeted about it. Tonight, the judges’ favourite couple (there’s no denying it) swapped their Doctor Who tango for a Fred and Ginger-inspired street dance, which aimed to prove that commercial performance doesn’t require a baseball cap. After rave reviews they scored 36/40 and finished third on the leaderboard. Should we just send the glitterball to the engravers now?

The Argentine tango is back

Forget your street dance nonsense, the Argentine tango remains the most hotly-anticipated style every year, which is exactly why they hold it back until the halfway point. Aljaz and an injured Kate (another rib problem – what are they doing in training?!) were the first to showcase it. The routine was choreographed by Argentine Tango King Vincent Simone, and Aljaz fell in love with the dance, but Kate couldn’t really do it justice. And it wasn’t just because of the injury. Shame. There will be better examples of the style to come, wait and see.

The Paso Joe-ble brings the house down

Lovely Joe is just the kind of boy you’d want your daughter to bring home, but he managed to dig deep and find some raw aggression to close the show with a powerful paso tonight. Brrrrruno was extremely excited by the whole thing and described Joe as a ‘young bull dressed by Gucci’. Joe looked scared. But delighted with his hug from Shirley at the end.

Will Danny be in the dance-off?

The unthinkable now looks possible. Danny gave us his trademark level of performance, but he set out on the wrong foot and the timing was a complete mess. He’s at the bottom of the judges leaderboard and will need voted if he’s to avoid dancing again. As for the other spot, it’s a tough one this week. Usually one dance-off means there are more to come, but by ending up mid-leaderboard it’s possible that both Graeme and Charles could have dodged the bullet. Which leaves Kate and Dr Ranj in deep trouble…

Follow the episode as it happened with what was our live blog below (please allow a moment for it to load):

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC1.

[3 November 2018 19:15 · emmabullimore]

Shirley says Lauren looks like she's gaining confidence and takes time to praise the moment AJ jumped over her head. Not clear whether she actually liked it or not. Brrrrrruno trying to be down with the kids is excruciating and brilliant all at the same time.

[3 November 2018 19:17 · emmabullimore]

'Watch it back and discover I'm absolutely right,' says Craig as he nitpicks the routine. Should be his mantra. Darcey hits the nail on the head: lots of energy but no characterisation. Get Lauren to an acting class pronto.

[3 November 2018 19:19 · emmabullimore]

Lauren and AJ: Jive scores

Craig: 7

Darcey: 8

Shirley: 8

Bruno: 8

Total: 31

They did it! All they wanted was a higher score than 30. Big smiles all round.

Oh and here's Boyzone with the Ts&Cs. Once again Ronan doing most of the talking while the others look awkward. Oh Keith got to say something! Groundbreaking!

[3 November 2018 19:20 · emmabullimore]

Graeme and Oti are up next with their waltz. They categorically hated their cha cha last week – Graeme lost sleep, Oti cried and they ended up in the dance off after rehearsing till 2am in a car park, a proper tale of woe! They plan to turn things around tonight though, dancing to a song Graeme remembers his grandparents waltzing to, so it could get emotional.

[3 November 2018 19:21 · emmabullimore]

Stop with the sob stories, IT'S NOT X FACTOR!

[3 November 2018 19:23 · emmabullimore]

It's like the summerhouse from Sound of Music! This is a very simple, classic waltz, a throwback to the early days of Strictly. Oti is stunning and it's difficult to concentrate on Graeme - a nice trick if you can pull it off. The routine was in time, elegant and sophisticated. Sure, there are things he can work on, but so much better than the moonwalking last week.

[3 November 2018 19:24 · emmabullimore]

'The improvement is insane, it's like another man!' says Brrrruno. Darcey even says it was touching. Craig's not happy with the top line or the balance but praises Graeme for showing a serious side. Shirley mentions a huge growth, I hope it's nothing serious...

[3 November 2018 19:27 · emmabullimore]

Graeme and Oti: Waltz scores

Craig: 6

Darcey: 7

Shirley: 8

Bruno: 8

Total: 29

'I'm so emotional, I remember my gran and grandad dancing to that song in the kitchen,' says Graeme, holding back tears. Aww.

[3 November 2018 19:27 · emmabullimore]

She may be injured, but there was no way Kate was going to miss her chance to perform the first Argentine Tango of the series. Incidentally, this is Aljaz’s first Argentine Tango ever on Strictly, and if you’re thinking it’s a dance that hasn’t been as good since Vincent and Flavia left, guess what? Vincent is actually doing the choreography! Kate may be one of the weaker dancers in this year’s series, but her tango a few weeks ago really sizzled. This could be stunning.

[3 November 2018 19:28 · emmabullimore]

Why aren't they showing Vincent in the VT? That would actually be interesting! Instead we get Katie Derham. Why?!