Strictly 2023

Shirley knows her stuff and danced at a very elite level in Latin mainly I think. Apart from possibly Anton she is the most "qualified" judge to mark on a technical latin/ballroom level. Whilst I'm not that keen on her personally a lot of that is because she had huge shoes to fill when Len stepped back and it is almost you still think what would Len have said about that.

In other news apparently Layton has been asked to "cover up" when rehersals are filmed but this is in the Daily Mail so read into that what you will. It would seem he must be wearing tight shorts as he talks about wearing a jock strap so things stay in place. Layton has done a huge amount of stage and TV work so would have been in numerous rehersal rooms over his career so I'd assume he would have worn similar there and there has never been an issue we have heard of.

Nikita clearly has no problem or interest in what Layton wears or doesn't so probably some junior producer trying to read them the moral code. It is their rehersal and if others come in to film it they shouldn't have to compromise as long as they are reasonably clothed.

Very valid point as always Anthony. But if people watch Strictly they are seeing dancers in pretty revealing outfits and if a show Layton was in contained say a juvenile cast or older actors would the dancers be told to dress more conservatively in rehersals then I wonder.

Children would probably be asking more questions about why Layton was dancing with a man or in a dress rather than if his lycra was a bit tight and showed his "outline"?

It seems to be any excuse for a headline at the moment. Plenty other male pros and celebrities have rehearsed in lycra without comment being passed. None of these sequences are shown live, so it's the production team that's at fault if they choose to show anything less than"appropriate for family viewing".

Angela rumba 💀.

The more I think about the 10 from Shirley, the more odd I think it is. There must have been an agenda behind it…

Aren't there 6 ballroom to 7 Latin? Doesn't seem that heavy.

Annabel probably best to get the jive out of the way when there's still a lot of couples around, can't see it suiting her.

Any bets on whether we'll see Angela R's leg extension again this week given the dance!

Finally got to watch Saturday's show fully on catch up. The girl sat behind Craig looked totally disinterested and I'd love to know why she was sat there as usually they can move people around if they look disinterested. I also saw a lad sat behind Anton with music earphones on as they didn't look like noise protectors which some people with sensory issues may need to wear.

Unfortunately, I think that Krishnan has been out of his depth from the first show.



This is nothing against Krishnan. In fact, if truth be told, in our household we are big Krishnan fans, especially my flatmate who is Asian and reports for an Asian publication. This is just me observing his standard against others who (I believe) are more accomplished.



And as we all know, as each one goes, there is more of a focus on the ones that remain which means he really needs to improve.



But, to be fair, he’s out there, giving it a go, and he’s grinning throughout and clearly loving it so we’re hoping he stays in as long as he can.



And who knows, maybe Lauren’s whipped him into shape and he may successfully achieve the ‘banana arch’ required for the Paso and blow us all away!



I would love to be proven wrong on this one.

Honestly, I don't care that Layton has an unfair amount of previous dance experience (I mean, being a former Billy Elliot means he'll have had years of intensive ballet training drilled into him in childhood so...) - that Cha Cha Cha was a thrill to watch. Great to see Nikita clearly having a blast also.

Hope Ellie and Angela S aren't in trouble after the scoring tonight. They're the only other contestants this year who I'm rooting for.

I’m also starting to care less about Laytons experience, but I’ve never liked him as a person due to the way he’s come across in real life a lot. But I’m starting to see a better side to him. The cha cha cha was great tonight.

Somethings gone on with dianne and Bobby. He said in the press this week that he’s falling in love with dianne, and even if you’re meant to take that with a pinch of salt, I think this is actually the issue. I’m guessing Joe is a bit jealous of the friendship and has reacted to bobbys comments. Dianne said Bobby had been her rock all week, so a shoulder to cry on maybe?

Angela R did so much better than I thought she would, although it wasn’t really much of a rumba.

I think Zara has got a lot better again, but I think she’s gonna be that one couple every year who are ALWAYS in the bottom 2. I just don’t think she has a fan base.

I think krishnan did great again, and he’s really not getting the praise he deserves. He’s definitely not the worst, and he’s improved week on week. I thought his paso was great.

Jody ripped his shirt off and then had a sudden realisation of “what the hell am I doing?”. I think he lost all confidence. If you’re gonna rip your shirt off you have to just go for it and sell it all.

I think Jody will go, with either Eddie or Zara in the bottom 2.

Well, that (hopefully manufactured) bit about being triggered by the word "basic" was a bit annoying. I quite like him in general though.

But I can't help feeling that him being on Strictly is a bit like Annabel Croft going on Strictly Badminton and acting all surprised she's better at it than one of the Saturdays and an ex-Blue Peter presenter...

I think the reason a lot of people on this forum aren’t keen on him is an attitude thing. He just comes across as a bighead and many of our experiences of his performance as Jamie were that he’s nothing to be big headed about. I think generally speaking a bit of humility goes down well. 

The make up and costume chosen for him this week were a vast improvement. Androgynous but glamorous and perfect for the dance.