Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'' returned for its eighth series on

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

with a

red carpet A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events. History The earliest known reference t ...

launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when

Kara Tointon Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', and in 2015, she appeared ...

and

Artem Chigvintsev Artem Vladimirovich Chigvintsev (russian: Артём Влади́мирович Чи́гвинцев; born 12 June 1982) is a Russian-American professional dancer, specializing in Latin dancing. Chigvintsev was a cast member of '' Burn the F ...

won the competition. According to BARB data, this series was the consistently highest rated of the show to date, peaking at 14.28 million viewers. Len Goodman,

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is an Italian choreographer, ballroom and Latin dancer, and Television personality. He has appeared as a judge on the British television dance competition ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and American adaptation ...

, Craig Revel Horwood and

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded ...

returned as judges. Five professional dancers from the last series didn't return for this series, Matthew Cutler,

Brian Fortuna Brian Fortuna (born September 20, 1982) is an American professional ballroom dancer, choreographer and instructor. Biography Brian Fortuna is currently starring in Theatre Production's Limited ''Over the Rainbow'' as Danny Cassidy. He recent ...

Ian Waite Ian Waite (born 29 January 1971) is a British professional dancer specialising in Latin American dance, a teacher and choreographer. Biography Waite was born in Reading, Berkshire. He started dancing at the age of 10. Mary Richardson, a former ...

and married Darren Bennett and

Lilia Kopylova Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova (russian: link=no, Лилия Андреевна Копылова; born 18 June 1978) is a Russian professional dancer. With her husband Darren Bennett, she has been competing as an amateur since July 1997 and as a p ...

. Three male professionals joined this years series,

Robin Windsor Robin Windsor (born 15 September 1979) is a British professional Latin and Ballroom dancer, best known for his appearances in the BBC television series ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Personal life Windsor was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and grew u ...

and

Jared Murillo Jared Makaio Murillo (born August 6, 1988) is an American professional dancer, choreographer, actor, and musician. known for his works as a dancer in the Disney Channel movies, ''High School Musical'', ''High School Musical 2'' and for having a ...

. For series 8 the set has been totally revamped to try to attract more viewers to the programme, the backstage room where scores were given has been replaced by a tower above the dancefloor so the couples can watch as their teammates perform (much like the so-called 'celebriquarium' on the '' American version of the programme''). In week 8 of the competition the live show was transmitted from 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 ...

Ballroom.

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series ''Sunday Night ...

and

Tess Daly Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English model and television presenter who co-presented the BBC One celebrity dancing show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2004 to 2013; she has been the show's main presenter since 2014. ...

returned to present the main show on

. For the results show, Daly is joined by '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' presenter

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English television presenter, radio personality, film critic and journalist. Between 2004 and 2010, she presented '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' on weeknights on BBC Two. Since ...

. The celebrities did not know their professional partners until they were introduced to each other at the launch show. At the age of 61,

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...

became the oldest contestant to ever make it to the finale.

Couples

Scoring chart

Average chart

This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 40 points scale (the scores for the swing-a-thon are not included).

Highest and lowest scoring performances of the series

The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:

Couples highest and lowest scoring dances

Weekly scores and songs

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

.''

Week 1

Night 1 – Friday

;Running order

Night 2 – Saturday

* Musical guest:

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stu ...

and

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

—"

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

" ;Running order

Week 2

* Musical guest:

—"

Rock DJ "Rock DJ" is a song by English singer and songwriter Robbie Williams, featured on his third studio album, '' Sing When You're Winning'' (2000). The song was released on 31 July 2000 as the lead single from the album. It samples Barry White's ...

" ;Running order

Week 3

* Musical guest:

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...

—" Defender" ;Running order * Tina O'Brien was unable to perform due to illness. Under the rules of the show, she was granted a "bye" to the following week.

Week 4

* Musical guest:

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

—"

Midnight Train to Georgia "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a song by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records. Written by Jim Weatherly, and included on the Pips' 1973 LP ''Imagination'', "Midnight Train to Georgia" ...

" ;Running order * Ian Waite standing in for Brendan Cole who was away attending his father's funeral.

Week 5: Halloween Week

* Musical guest:

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

—"

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

" ;Running order

Week 6

* Musical guest:

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry and ...

—"You Can Dance" ;Running order

Week 7

* Musical guest:

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

—"

Universal Child "Universal Child" is a single by Scottish recording artist Annie Lennox, released worldwide on 12 October 2010 on Island Records. It is the lead single from her fifth studio album, '' A Christmas Cornucopia''. Background "Universal Child" was ...

—"

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...

" ;Running order

Week 8: Blackpool Week

* Musical guest: Viva Elvis—"

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and ...

"; Duffy—" Well, Well, Well" ;Running order

Week 9

* Musical guest:

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After ...

—" So Far Gone" ;Running order

Week 10: Movie Night (Quarter-final)

;Running order

Week 11: Semi-final

;Night 1 ;Running order ;Night 2 ;* Musical guest:

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead sin ...

—"

The Flood A flood is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land. Flood(s), The Flood, Flooded or Flooding may also refer to: Computing * Flood fill, an algorithm that determines the area connected to a given node in a multi-d ...

" and " Back For Good";

Lance Ellington Lance Ellington (born 22 June 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. Ellington, the only son of the band leader Ray Ellington, specialises in swing and big ballads. He has worked with many artists including Sting, George Michael, Glo ...

—"The Three Little Bears" ;Running order

Week 12: Final

Show 1

;Running order

Show 2

;Running order

Dance chart

: Highest scoring dance : Lowest scoring dance : Not performed due to illness *Week 1: Waltz or Cha-Cha-Cha *Week 2: Foxtrot or Salsa *Week 3: Quickstep or Rumba *Week 4: Tango or Charleston *Week 5 – Halloween: Viennese Waltz, Jive, Paso Doble or Argentine Tango *Weeks 6 & 7: One unlearned dance from weeks 1–5 *Week 8 – Blackpool: American Smooth or Samba *Week 9: One unlearned dance from weeks 1–8 *Week 10 – Movie Night: One unlearned dance from weeks 1–8 *Week 11 – Semi-final (Night 1): First unlearned dance from weeks 1–8 & Swing Marathon *Week 11 – Semi-final (Night 2): Second unlearned dance from weeks 1–8 *Week 12 (Show 1): Highest scoring dance of the series & Showdance *Week 12 (Show 2): One unlearned dance from weeks 1–8 & couple's favourite dance of the series

TV ratings

Weekly ratings for each show on

. All numbers are in millions and provided by BARB

Professional partners

Each year the professional dancers perform professional routines and dance to the special guest. With three new male professional dancers some of the professional pairings have changed again. The following professional partners danced with each other for the professional routines: *Anton du Beke & Erin Boag *Brendan Cole & Natalie Lowe *James Jordan & Ola Jordan *Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace *Artem Chigvintsev & Katya Virshilas *Jared Murillo & Aliona Vilani *Robin Windsor & Kristina Rihanoff

Professional Dance Troupe

*Darren Bennett & Crystal Main *Ian Waite & Aneta Piotrowska *Shem Jacobs & Tanya Perera The dances that the Dance Troupe have performed: * Launch Show: Quickstep and Jive to " Ballroom Blitz" by

Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, keto ...

. * Week 2: Quickstep to "

Hey, Soul Sister "Hey, Soul Sister" is a song by American rock band Train. It was written by lead singer Pat Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, '' Save Me, San Francisco'' (2009). ...

" by

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often k ...

. * Week 5: Viennese Waltz to " Never Tear Us Apart" by

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farris ...

. * Week 6: Rock 'n' Roll to "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay" by

Danny and the Juniors Danny & the Juniors are an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally consisting of Danny Rapp, David White (musician), Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most wid ...

, "

Roll Over Beethoven "Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records single, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace class ...

" by

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

, "

Shake, Rattle And Roll "Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone (usually credited as Charles Calhoun, his songwriting name). The original recording by Big Joe Turner is ranked number 127 on the ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of The 500 Gr ...

" by

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

. * Week 7: Paso Doble to "

" by

(in front of live artist). * Week 10:

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

Medley to " Mamma Mia", " Lay All Your Love on Me", "

Take a Chance on Me "Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses an ...

". * Week 11: Paso Doble to " Fire With Fire" by

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...

Celebrity performances

Each week various celebrities perform on the results show, often accompanied by some of the professional couples. *Week 1:

– "

" *Week 2:

– "

" *Week 3:

– " Defender" *Week 4:

– "

" *Week 5:

– "

" (

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

special) *Week 6:

– " You Can Dance" *Week 7:

– "

" &

– "

" *Week 8: Duffy – " Well, Well, Well" *Week 9:

– "So Far Gone" *Week 10:

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus Nic ...

– "

Some Kind of Nothingness Some Kind of Nothingness is a song by Manic Street Preachers and the second single from their tenth album Postcards from a Young Man. It features Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch. Release The single entered the UK singles chart at nu ...

" *Week 11:

– "

" & " Back for Good" *Week 12:

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer and actress. Her debut studio album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?,'' was released in 2009 and was certified double platinum in the UK. The album spawned the si ...

– " Upside Down"

References

External links

* {{Strictly Come Dancing Season 08 2010 British television seasons