Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' returned for its seventh series on 18 September 2009 on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was an English entertainer and television presenter whose career spanned more than 75 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the Associated Te ...

and

Tess Daly Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English television presenter and former model. Since 2004, she has co-presented the BBC One dancing competition show '' Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Helen Elizabeth Daly was born o ...

returned as presenters of the main show on BBC One, while

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She has been nominated three times for the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance for co-presenting the BBC One dancing compet ...

presented the spin-off show '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

Len Goodman Leonard Gordon Goodman (25 April 1944 – 22 April 2023) was an English professional ballroom dancer, dance teacher, and dance competition adjudicator. He appeared as head judge on the UK television programme ''Strictly Come Dancing'' – in w ...

Craig Revel Horwood Craig Revel Horwood (born 4 January 1965) is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Horwood is a jud ...

, and

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is a British-Italian television personality, choreographer and dancer. He has judged on the British television talent shows ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (2004–2019), ''DanceX'' (2007) and ''Britain's Got Ta ...

returned as judges. Series 5 winner

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B / UK Garage group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, ...

joined the judging panel as a replacement for

Arlene Phillips Dame Arlene Phillips (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, former television judge, presenter, and dancer. She reached mainstream fame on television as a judge on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (2004-2008) a ...

Darcey Bussell Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle; 27 April 1969) is a retired English ballet dancer, ballerina and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Trained at the Arts Educ ...

served as a guest judge beginning with the quarterfinal.

Camilla Dallerup Camilla Sacre-Dallerup (born 6 April 1974) is a Danish author, life coach, hypnotherapist and former ballroom dancer. Dance career Dallerup was born in Aalborg, where she started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother took her t ...

, Karen Hardy, and Hayley Holt were replaced as professional female dancers by Natalie Lowe,

Aliona Vilani Aliona Valeriya Kavanagh (''née'' Vilani on 1 May 1984; ), also known by her stage name Aliona Vilani, is a Russian-Kazakh TV personality and was a professional dancer in the BBC series of ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Biography Vilani started ...

, and Katya Virshilas. The show on 7 November was filmed from the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for the first time since the finale of series 2. Due to illness, Bruce Forsyth did not appear in the show on 14 November. As a result, Tess Daly took over as main presenter, and Claudia Winkleman took over Daly's normal role. ''

BBC Breakfast ''BBC Breakfast'' is a British television breakfast news programme, produced by BBC News and broadcast on BBC One every morning from 6:00am. It is also broadcast on the UK feed of BBC News channel on weekends. The simulcast is presented live, ...

'' sports presenter Chris Hollins and

Ola Jordan Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan ( Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a Polish-British professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. She appeared as a professional on the British BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Danci ...

were announced as the winners on 19 December, while ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' actor

Ricky Whittle Richard George Whittle (born 31 December 1979) is a British actor. Whittle first came to prominence as a model for Reebok in the early 2000s. He is known in the United Kingdom for his role as Calvin Valentine in the soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. ...

and Natalie Lowe finished in second place.

Format

The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points. The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with

, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote.

Couples

This series featured sixteen celebrity contestants.

Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger (). Color key: ;Notes

Weekly scores

''Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

.''

Week 1

Musical guest:

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.I Believe" Only half of the couples performed this week, and they performed once each on two different nights. On the first night, they performed either the

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

or the

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

; and on the second night, they performed either the cha-cha-cha or the

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

. The couples who did not compete this week performed a group merengue that was not scored. One couple was eliminated after the second night. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Night 1 ;Night 2 ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Martina & Matthew *Dixon: Martina & Matthew *Tonioli: Rav & Aliona *Goodman: Rav & Aliona ''(Since the other judges were not unanimous, Len Goodman, as head judge, made the final decision to save Rav & Aliona)''

Week 2

Musical guest:

Jamie Cullum Jamie Paul Joseph Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, pianist, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He h ...

— " I'm All Over It" The format this week was the same as last week. The half of the couples who did not perform last week performed once each on two different nights. They performed either the

or the

on the first night, and either the cha-cha-cha or the

on the second night. The couples who did not compete this week performed a group merengue that was not scored. One couple was eliminated after the second night. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Night 1 ;Night 2 ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Craig & Flavia *Dixon: Craig & Flavia *Tonioli: Craig & Flavia *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Richard & Lilia''

Week 3

Musical guest:

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

— "

Moon River "Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 19 ...

" Couples performed either the

paso doble Pasodoble (Spanish language, Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This often wa ...

or the

quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal ...

, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Lynda & Darren *Dixon: Lynda & Darren *Tonioli: Lynda & Darren *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Lynda & Darren.''

Week 4

Musical guest: Dionne Bromfield — " Mama Said" ''(with

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

providing backing vocals)'' Couples performed either the

foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a time ...

or the salsa, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Lynda & Darren *Dixon: Lynda & Darren *Tonioli: Craig & Flavia *Goodman: Craig & Flavia ''(Since the other judges were not unanimous, Len Goodman, as head judge, made the final decision to save Craig & Flavia)''

Week 5

Musical guest:

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet ( ) were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids (New Romantics), ...

— "

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

" Couples performed either the jive or the

Viennese waltz Viennese waltz () is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, dance ...

, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Zöe & James *Dixon: Zöe & James *Tonioli: Zöe & James *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zöe & James''

Week 6

Musical guest: Harry Connick, Jr. — "

The Way You Look Tonight "The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film '' Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, ...

" Couples performed either the

American Smooth This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those. This glossary lists terms used in various types of ballroom partner dances, leaving out terms of hig ...

or the

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Jade & Ian *Dixon: Jade & Ian *Tonioli: Jade & Ian *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Jade & Ian''

Week 7

Musical guest:

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

— "

You Should Be Dancing "You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album '' Children of the World'', released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in ...

" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Ali & Brian *Dixon: Zöe & James *Tonioli: Ali & Brian *Goodman: Ali & Brian

Week 8: Blackpool Week

Musical guest:

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

— " It's the Same Old Song" This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the

Blackpool Tower Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in P ...

in Blackpool, Lancashire. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Ricky G. & Erin *Dixon: Ricky G. & Erin *Tonioli: Ricky G. & Erin *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky G. & Erin''

Week 9

Musical guest: Cast of ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...

'' — "

Beggin' "Beggin" is a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and first released as a single by American band the Four Seasons in 1967. Initially charting at number 16 in the US Billboard Chart, the song became popular in the Northern soul scen ...

did not attend the live show due to influenza;

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...

stepped in as guest host.

Laila Rouass Laila Rouass ( Abdesselam; born 22 June 1971) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in ''Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in ''Pri ...

only performed half of her

due to a backstage injury. The judges scored the dance only on what they saw. Jade Johnson also suffered a knee injury during dress rehearsal and was unable to perform on the live show. Under the rules of the show, she was granted a bye to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Ricky G. & Erin *Dixon: Phil & Katya *Tonioli: Phil & Katya *Goodman: Ricky G. & Erin ''(Since the other judges were not unanimous, Len Goodman, as head judge, made the final decision to save Ricky G. & Erin)''

Week 10

Musical guest: Dame Shirley Bassey — " This Time" Jade Johnson withdrew from the competition earlier in the week due to her prior injury. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Laila & Anton *Dixon: Laila & Anton *Tonioli: Laila & Anton *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Laila & Anton''

Week 11

Musical guests: James Morrison &

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...

— " Broken Strings" Each couple performed either the Charleston or

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, and then all couples participated in a group

for individual points. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Ricky W. & Natalie *Dixon: Ricky W. & Natalie *Tonioli: Ricky W. & Natalie *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie''

Week 12: Quarter-final

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

.'' Musical guest:

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

— " The Rose" Each couple performed two routines, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Ricky W. & Natalie *Bussell: Ricky W. & Natalie *Dixon: Ricky W. & Natalie *Tonioli: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie'' *Goodman: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie''

Week 13: Semi-final

''Individual judges' scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

.'' Musical guest:

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

— "

Not Fair "Not Fair" is a song by British singer-songwriter Lily Allen from her second studio album, ''It's Not Me, It's You'' (2009). Written by Allen and Greg Kurstin, the song was released as the second single from the album on 20 March 2009 by Regal ...

" Each couple performed two routines, one of which was the

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a Time signature, or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in pat ...

and the other of which was selected by the judges. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 14: Final

''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli.'' ;Show 1 Musical guests:

— " Something's Gotta Give" Each couple performed one routine (either their highest-scoring ballroom dance or their highest-scoring Latin dance), and then both couples participated in a group

Lindy Hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the African-American communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of ...

for individual points. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Show 2 Each couple performed two routines, one of which was their showdance routine and the other of which was either their highest-scoring ballroom dance or their highest-scoring Latin dance, whichever they had not performed the night before. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Dance chart

The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week: *Week 1: Cha-cha-cha or rumba tango or waltz; group merengue *Week 2: Cha-cha-cha or rumba tango or waltz; group merengue *Week 3: One unlearned dance (paso doble or quickstep) *Week 4: One unlearned dance (foxtrot or salsa) *Week 5: One unlearned dance (jive or Viennese waltz) *Week 6: One unlearned dance (American Smooth or samba) *Weeks 7–10: One unlearned dance *Week 11: Charleston or rock 'n' roll group Viennese waltz *Week 12 (Quarterfinal): Two unlearned dances *Week 13 (Semifinal): Argentine tango & judges' choice *Week 14 (Final): Highest-scoring ballroom dance, highest-scoring Latin dance, group Lindy Hop & showdance

Reception

In September 2009 ''Strictly Come Dancing'' earned a place in the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

as the "most successful reality television format", with licensing rights sold to broadcasters in 38 countries. Nonetheless, the sixth series' audiences had suffered as a result of direct clashes with ITV rival ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

''. The BBC's decision in August 2009 to screen the seventh series on Saturday nights only was partly an attempt to reduce conflict with the rival talent show, as ITV had hinted that ''The X Factor'''s results show would be broadcast on Sunday evening. Sources at the BBC described the move as "better for the viewers... people at home lose out if things are competing against one another... We wanted to make ''Strictly Come Dancing'' an unmissable TV event". However, the BBC still came under intense criticism when the extended Saturday show, initially running from 7–9pm, clashed almost entirely with ''The X Factor'''s main show. ITV sources accused the BBC of "effectively splitting the audience". Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' George Dixon, head of scheduling for BBC One, argued that "the ability of viewers to see programmes again, whether via personal video recorders like

Sky+ Sky+ (pronounced Sky Plus) is a discontinued personal video recorder (PVR) and subscription service from the satellite television provider Sky in the UK and Ireland. Launched in September 2001, it allows customers to record, pause and instant ...

, online catch-up services including

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

or on channels such as E4 or

ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...

, akesthe notion of 'forcing' viewers to watch... outdated", adding that "There are around seven repeats of ''The X Factor'' on ITV1 and ITV2 each week". The scheduling conflict ended with ''The X Factor'' securing a higher audience throughout the series. On 22 October 2009, the BBC rescheduled the Saturday show, now down to eight contestants, so that the overlap between the two programs was only 45 minutes. The BBC denied that the move was in direct response to the success of its ITV rival, saying instead that the move was to accommodate a new series with impressionist Jon Culshaw. ''Strictly Come Dancing'''s runtime, previously fixed at two hours, was also expected to decrease as contestants were progressively eliminated, leading to a further reduction in overlap.

Ratings

Weekly ratings for each show on

. All ratings are provided by

BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...

References

External links

*
Strictly Come Dancing series seven
BBC Press Release {{Strictly Come Dancing Season 07 2009 British television seasons