Strictly Come Dancing final: 5 talking points, from Stacey Dooley's win to the return of Danny John Jules

Out of four finalists, it was Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton that came out on top, despite Craig Revel Horwood's refusal to give her a ten for her showdance

Joe Sugg says he's loved inspiring young men to dance through Strictly

So there we have it, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton are your Strictly champions for 2018! They were bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, but the audience didn’t care. On this show, if you don’t have a journey you’ve got no chance of glitterball glory. Here’s what happened:

Kevin turned into Brendan Cole

The stakes were high for Grimsby’s finest Kevin Clifton. This was his fifth Strictly final and he was fed up of coming a close second. So perhaps that’s why he got so stroppy with Craig when he refused to give them a ten and poured scorn on Kev’s showdance choreography. ‘He does this to me in every final!’ moaned Kevin as Craig dismissed his masterpiece as ‘lots of running around’. Ouch.

The showdances!

The highlight of any Strictly final, amid all of the strung-out VTs and voting reminders, it’s the showdances we tune in to see. Faye’s was by far the best – an old school Hollywood number with glamorous, cinematic choreography. It oozed showbiz and Faye sparkled.

Joe’s attempt to be a rock and roller wasn’t quite as successful (although his trampolining was good) and Ashley’s contemporary routine was technically amazing but hardly a crowd pleaser. Stacey’s energetic jive-based number was full of commitment but it split the judges. Clearly it was enough to make people vote though.

Great dancing won’t win the glitterball

Ashley faced the dance-off for three weeks in a row and did her best to ignore a huge backlash about her dance background. Tonight, both she and Faye produced clean show-stopping performances, scoring a perfect 120 out of 120. But it wasn’t enough. Alas, it’s not just about the dancing ladies, but you did yourselves proud.

Look who’s back!

Let’s face it, Strictly is on telly for a long, long time every year. So it’s easy to forget who graced that dance floor until they reunite for a special nostalgic routine in the final. It was great to see Danny John Jules put his ‘show must go on’ smile on after boycotting It Takes Two when he got eliminated. And nobody batted an eyelid when erstwhile national villain Sean(n) Walsh recreated his Matrix number. Dr Ranj was great fun, Susannah brought back her ridiculous props and it was great fun to get the gang back together.

Naughty Brrrruno

Yet again Brrrruno said a naughty word on telly as he tried to talk about Stacey’s ‘Greatest Hits’. To be fair, it’s quite a minor slip-up for Mr Tonioli, he’s said a lot worse. The judges were falling over themselves to praise the contestants tonight, although for once Bruno didn’t actually fall off his chair.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more

[15 December 2018 17:09 · clarisse.loughrey]

Welcome to the live blog for the Strictly Come Dancing final! The action begins at 18.30pm tonight on BBC One. 

[15 December 2018 17:11 · clarisse.loughrey]

Here are five talking points from the semi-final, from Lauren Steadman's disappointing evening to Ashley Roberts and Faye Tozer topping the leaderboard

[15 December 2018 17:13 · clarisse.loughrey]

Last week also saw Bruno Tonioli hit back at Craig Revel Horwood after his fellow Strictly judge labelled him "attention seeker"

[15 December 2018 17:58 · emmabullimore]

Half an hour until this year's Strictly final gets underway! Cue dramatic video:

 

[15 December 2018 18:10 · emmabullimore]

Weather + Strictly + terrible puns = Peak Englishness.

 

[15 December 2018 18:13 · emmabullimore]

Of course the final also marks the last week of impatiently watching Pointless, sometimes playing along, sometimes just raging that they won't hurry up and show Strictly. Looking forward to a healthier relationship with Xander and Richard in 2019...

[15 December 2018 18:19 · emmabullimore]

So to remind you: each couple will perform:

- A showdance: no rules, lots of lifts and tricks, full on razzle dazzle - these dances can win or lose the glitterball

- A judges' choice: a dance from earlier in the series that wasn't quite as good as it could have been. The couples will show off all they've learned by nailing it this time

- The couple's favourite: they've kept their choices a secret until tonight...

[15 December 2018 18:20 · emmabullimore]

I don't care about the Pointless trophy, Xander, it's all about the Glitterball!!

[15 December 2018 18:23 · emmabullimore]

Make sure you're sitting comfortably, this final is going to last for two hours and thirty minutes once it gets going. Too much of that time will be spent needlessly telling you how much the Strictly journey has meant to the celebs and how ace their partners are. Too little of the time will be devoted to Michael Buble singing, but that's just a personal gripe.

[15 December 2018 18:29 · emmabullimore]

Come on then gang, time to sparkle!! And of course time roll your eyes at some annoying VTs, but let's focus on the glitz.