Strictly 2022: Week 5 BBC Centenary

By The Recs SCD - Steve Coats-Dennis 4 years ago

Strictly Come Dancing launches a new theme week to celebrate the Centenary of the BBC.

Just when you thought it was safe to return to the ballroom, Strictly Come Dancing foists another theme week on us. Feedback from The Recs readers on social media has said theme weeks are not as popular with viewers as BBC producers seem to think. The issue raised repeated is costumes and styling can unfairly benefit or detriment certain couples.

But first, a bit of love for the just-a-tad emotional BBC retrospective group dance. 

All images by BBC/Guy Levy

Given that “Centenary Week” is possibly the most Billy Bonkers theme week Strictly has ever attempted, which couples are going to win and who will lose the theming roulette?

Was there ever a chance that Helen & Gorka  wouldn’t get the Blue Peter theme?  A brilliant, sharp and efficient Charleston to that tune. There’s something that’s all workmanlike / workwomanlike about Helen. All very task-focussed and nothing wrong with that! 

Tyler & Dianne with a tango to the Doctor Who theme – preceded by TessBot rivalling the Cybermen for joke delivery!

First victim of the theme night – a frenetic tango that dropped being Doctor Who within seconds of the start… happy if that regenerated into a tango with at least some light and shade. Exterminate!

We’re calling Foul on this one. (Love it was introduced by the neu-Wogan, Graham Norton) ‘Waterloo’ representing Eurovision is such a stretch to be part of BBC’s 100 years theme. Imagine getting an awful theme tune while Fleur & Vito get a proper and popular song. But no idea why Vito was so over-dancing – messy and unconnected. Strange energy from Fleur.

Would you Adam and Eve it? Martin Fowler James “Family, I’ve Got A Faaaamily” & Amy getting the theme from EastEnders for their Foxtrot. That would never get a Doof Doof. STOP SAYING FAMILY!!!!  Get owt of ma Strictly.

Ellie S & Nikita with a Paso Doble to the theme from The Apprentice (also known as ‘Montagues and Capulets’ from Prokofiev’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’). Just a thought: has Nikita taken Pasha Kovalev’s VT Acting module? Well the judges suddenly seemed to remember that dances should contain certain steps having ignored that all series! We’re loving Ellis S throwing herself completely into the Strictly vibe.

Molly & Carlos getting a Couples’ Choice to the theme for Grange Hill is another puzzlement. A show that started 22 years before Molly was born. An extra point for the iconic Sausage but basically, just say no, kids! Too young to get the vibe of Grange Hill. 

‘On Top Of The World’ by Imagine Dragons is not the most obvious choice for BBC 100. Oh it represents BBC Nature Programming…riiii-iight! Hamza & Jowita – Hope these CGI intro animations don’t cost much. “I can recognise a duck from a pigeon” said Hamza – though his moves were more duck, his feet were a tad pigeon in that Quickstep. Sorry Hamza fanzas!

Ellie T & Johannes – Tango to the Casualty theme tune was just begging for some introductory high-jinx befitting the medical soap’s opening scenes. Perhaps Ellie walking towards a banana skin carelessly discarded by Day Varch? Or Johannes cutting himself on Claudie’s fringe? Or perhaps both needing an ambulance after their sides have split at one of TessBot’s comedy skits? Nope, just an inanimate object in bed…not Tess! In sequin-free green scrubs, has Ellie offended the Wardrobe department more than any other contestant ever? Loved that one! Well done Jojo – that was suitably camp!

And the winners of the theming week are… Jayde & Karen. Getting a Charleston to ‘The Ballad Of Barry and Freda (Let’s Do It)’ by Victoria Wood – possibly the most Strictly-audience-pleasing song ever – is like getting a free pass to the next round.

“I am performing…” announced Jayde seemingly forgetting that she’s going to be dancing with Karen. 

Except she didn’t perform. Jayde barely picked her feet up. About time to get some actual criticism from the judges. A lazy disappointment of a dance. Vote for her? We can’t do it!

Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Wee Donkey! Why is Will Mellor not dressed as Ted Hastings for his Viennese Waltz to the Line of Duty theme (fella)? Now we are sucking diesel! Far from criminal, good to see Will doing better. A VW that had elements of tango and paso. 

The Grandstand theme tune is a cracker but Tony & Katya‘s Cha Cha was a goalless draw. Please Strictly give Katya a decent partner next year. Terrible but funny and can do a Cuban break. Apparently.

The legend that is Angela Rippon introducing Kym & Graziano with another questionable theme choice: ‘Ballroom Blitz’ to represent Come Dancing. But what a decent quickstep with a hint of charleston sprucing it up – gorgeous frock! There goes Shirley flattening the finale. 

The Bottom Two

Well we’ve completely failed to choose anyone who has been in the bottom two so far in the series…

But fortune favours the brave foolish and we are guessing Molly and James. 

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