Strictly Come Dancing, week eight: 6 talking points, from Ashley making Shirley cry to Danny coming last on the leaderboard

Stacey Dooley, Faye Tozer and Ashley Roberts look firm favourites to make it through

Strictly Come Dancing 2018: Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev dance on week eight

Another week, another display of stunning routines on Strictly Come Dancing.

Glossing over the obsession with Blackpool, there was lots to enjoy tonight (10 November), and it was heartening to see Lauren and Charles climb the leaderboard, mixing up the competition.

We had tears from the judges, Rylan Clark Neal announcing the Ts and Cs, and more mentions of the Tower Ballroom than even the tourist board would think reasonable. Here’s what happened…

Ashley makes Shirley cry…

…in a good way of course! Ashley has, perhaps unfairly, received a lot more stick than Faye for being a trained dancer. That’s probably because Faye is fizzing with excitement to be on the show, whereas Ashley can come across as rather blasé.

Not tonight though. She shared the story of her recent bereavement and dedicated her breathtakingly emotional couple’s choice contemporary routine to her late dad. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and even Shirley was blubbing. The routine still didn’t get a full 40 though, Craig is still looking for his ten paddle…

Faye and Joe come crashing down to earth

By this stage in the competition, we can usually predict which couples will sail through the judges’ comments without any serious putdowns. Faye and Joe both have a foot in the final already, but it wasn’t the best week for either of them.

Yes, Faye finished second on the leaderboard but Shirley really went to town with her critique, telling the Steps star that all the other couples looked like they were fighting much harder than her. A bit of a kick in the teeth for a woman who has spent a big chunk of the week in physio because she’s training so hard.

Golden boy Joe couldn’t nail the samba either and finished fourth from last. You can bet your Facebook password he’ll be back on the show next week though.

Graeme channels Mr Motivator

There should have been a ‘do not adjust your set’ warning for Graeme and Oti’s fluorescent aerobics-inspired routine, complete with treadmill choreography, tiny shorts and impressive lifts.

Entertaining and energetic, the judges mostly just looked shocked at what they had witnessed and couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t translate into amazing marks though – they’re third from bottom and with one dance-off under their belt could be about to face another.

Charles nails the Charleston

Every year there’s a celeb who faces the humiliation of repeated dance-offs. This series it’s Charles and his partner Karen, who have survived it three times. I’ll be surprised if they’re back there tonight though – their window-cleaning themed Charleston (yes, really) earned them a whopping 35/40 and helped them finish third on the leaderboard. Strong work.

Danny’s in danger

Oh, how the tide has turned since Danny wowed us in the early weeks. He’s been the subject of headlines after a training room spat with Amy, and must be worried he’ll face trial by media as happened to Sean(n) and Katya. We’d all hoped his fall to the bottom of the leaderboard last weekend was a one-off but he’s back there again tonight after the judges found his samba too spiky. Will the public still be supporting him?

Something’s happening in Blackpool

Yes, the annual Tower Ballroom spectacular is on the horizon next week and all the couples are desperate to take part. They only mentioned it 6000 times. Claudia mocked the obsession and recommended strong black coffee for anyone who had been taking a shot for every mention.

Still, Strictly faces the strong possibility that everyone is now bored of Blackpool already. But much fun can be gleaned from watching rich celebs pretend they’re desperate to visit the British seaside in November rather than jet off to Barbados.

The Independent live-blogged along with all the action. Catch up on everything that happened, moment-by-moment, below.

Catch the Strictly results show on BBC One at 7.50pm.

[10 November 2018 19:47 · emmabullimore]

Shirley agrees that it was competent and capable but doesn't feel Faye was fighting hard enough for her place in the competition, Shirley expects more from her. I agree. Brrrruno doesn't, he's up on his feet (nothing unusual there), he calls it a picture perfect routine and even uses the word 'exquisite'. Craig loved it too. Oh and H from Steps is in the audience FYI, always good to know.

[10 November 2018 19:49 · emmabullimore]

Faye and Giovanni: Jive scores

Craig: 9

Darcey: 9

Shirley: 8

Bruno: 10

Total: 36

Giovanni is overjoyed with that. 'I'm just happy we've done it!' says Faye.

[10 November 2018 19:52 · emmabullimore]

Here come Stacey and Kevin, aka the judges' favourites. They can do no wrong. They're dancing a waltz to Moon River, a song Stacey claims she's never heard before 'other than on the chocolate advert'. Stacey says the dance is very slow and therefore it feels very exposed and trickier than she expected. I still think this will be well received, could it be their first ten?

[10 November 2018 19:53 · emmabullimore]

Always seems odd when they pump smoke onto the dance floor and we can't actually see their feet... Still, Stacey has a beautiful top line in this routine and there's a true elegance and romance to the number. Very traditional and they're making it look effortless and dreamy. Strong work, guys!

[10 November 2018 19:56 · emmabullimore]

Brrrrrruno says Audrey Hepburn would have loved the routine, he adores it but thinks it lacked fluidity and Craig agrees. Darcey 'agrees with the boys'. Love it when she says that. As if Craig and Bruno are two little 12-year old students at the Royal Ballet.

[10 November 2018 19:58 · emmabullimore]

Stacey and Kevin: Waltz scores

Craig: 8

Darcey: 8

Shirley: 8

Bruno: 8

Total: 32

Stacey is happy with that, she hasn't enjoyed the waltz at all so 32 will do nicely.

[10 November 2018 20:00 · emmabullimore]

Call your millennials into the living room, Joe and Dianne are about to perform! They're doing a samba to Mmmbop by Hanson and they've been training 9am-10pm every day to make it happen. Joe's been having fun renaming all the steps ('Voltas' are now 'vultures' etc), let's hope he had time to actually learn how to perform them too... If nothing else, Craig finally followed Joe on social media this week, so that's something.

[10 November 2018 20:02 · emmabullimore]

I hope the judges dock marks for Joe's reluctance to wear a blonde wig in honour of Hanson. Joking of course! Have really warmed to Joe but this really isn't his best dance, he looks like he's concentrating hard and his approach is tentative, you can see the cogs turning in his mind. I suspect his millions of followers will vote for him whatever he does on the dance floor though, so no need to worry Joe fans.

[10 November 2018 20:03 · emmabullimore]

'I love your little face!' patronises Tess. Can someone please tell Team Strictly that he's 27, not 7. Craig tells Joe his shimmy could start a tsunami. No idea if that's a compliment or an insult. Darcey says she was 'distracted by Joe's divine mouth'. This is the weirdest set of critiques ever.

[10 November 2018 20:04 · emmabullimore]

Brrrrruno's finally lost it.