Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Movie Week results: Rev Richard Coles sent home after dance-off with Simon Rimmer
Reverend Richard Coles is second celebrity to leave the competition, after the judges opted to save Simon Rimmer
Charlotte Hawkins, Ruth Langsford and Brian Conley were safely voted through
Sheridan Smith performed a song from West End Show Funny Girl
The professionals danced a Disney-themed routine?
We're sad to see the Rev go - but the judges made the right decision
Yes, the Reverend Coles - whose drug-fuelled disco past you can read about here - seemed absolutely lovely, and was clearly giving his all. And yes, his Flash Gordon routine was an absolute joy to behold, and excellent entertainment value. But, these things notwithstanding, his departure tonight felt fair. He was, after all, at the bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday Night - and the judges, quite rightly, based their decision purely on technical ability. On Strictly, which needs to differentiate itself from the likes of X Factor by not elevating its less-skilled contestants at the expense of more talented competitors, these things are important.
After last week, this result was something of a relief
After last week's shock elimination of Chizzy Akudolu, which many felt was distinctly unfair (the Holby City actress was far from bottom of the leaderboard, and probably didn't deserve to leave quite so early on), it was also something of a relief that this week's departure was a fairly uncontroversial one. Of course, that said, it wouldn't be nearly so exciting if the public vote always tallied up with the judges' scores. But the occasional spot of exact correlation, as per tonight, feels right.
Charlotte Hawkins and Ruth Langsford both had a lucky escape
Earlier tonight, we speculated that Ruth Langsford, who was second from the bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday night with a score of 15 (just one point ahead of Richard), could be in trouble. During her Rumba to Diamonds Are Forever she certainly nailed the Bond Girl glamour, with her long blonde wig and sparkly split-to-the-thigh frock, but failed to bring in the necessary points. It also looked as if Charlotte Hawkins, who had the third lowest score, could be in danger. In the event, however, both women were saved by the all-important public vote - and it was Simon Rimmer, who was fourth from the bottom, who ended up in the dance-off.
Sheridan Smith can certainly sing
Her performance of the song My Man, from her West End musical Funny Girl, went down a treat with her audience - and, judging by the Twitter reaction, viewers at home were equally impressed.
That Disney medley was absolutely fantastic
Forget movie week: can every week please just now be Disney week? The colourful opening to this week's show, which saw the professionals perform to classic hits from the likes of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, was an absolute delight.
Join former Strictly Come Dancing stars Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite for Waltzing down the Danube, a wonderful eight-day cruise into the artistic highlights of the river and watch a private ballroom dance in the Palais Liechtenstein by Rihanoff and Waite. Book now at telegraph.co.uk/tt- waltzingdanube
Here's all the action as it happened:
And it's a sad goodbye to Rev Richard, as he becomes the second celebrity to leave the competition
It's a shame: we thoroughly enjoyed watching his Flash Gordon routine a second time round. Overall, however, the judges' decision felt fair, based as it was on technical dancing ability.
"I love the entertainment value of one couple, I really have to save the couple that are technically better, and Simon and Karen," said Craig,
Darcey and Bruno also opted to save Simon and Karen, meaning that Shirley was not called upon to cast a deciding vote - although she said she agreed with the decision of her fellow judges.
Coles was philosophical about his departure, admitting that he "cant actually dance", but said that he had had enjoyed every minute of his time on the show.
Dance partner Dianne Buswell said that she had had "the time of her life" and that Richard would be "a friend for life".
Fittingly, they then spun around to the song Time Of My Life, before sharing emotional farewell hugs with the other contestants.
Rev Richard Coles will join Simon Rimmer in the dance-off
Sad news, given how much fun his Flash routine was, and how much effort he put into it - but. given his position at the bottom of the leaderboard, this feels like a fair outcome.
Do the judges have any pieces of advice for Richard for tonight's dance-off? Just one: to please control his wayward splayed fingers!
Sheridan Smith goes down a storm
Her performance of the song My Man, from her West End show Funny Girl, was an absolute treat - proving beyond all doubt that she's an excellent singer as well as an excellent actress.
The results of the public vote are in - and Simon and Karen are in the dance-off
Poor Simon Rimmer was fourth from the bottom of the leaderboard last night, and he and partner Karen will be performing their Toy Story Quickstep a second time and dancing for survival later this night. For his sake, let's hope he manages to take it to infinity and beyond this time round...
The contestants who are confirmed safe so far are: Gemma, Alexandra, Charlotte, Brian, Joe and Aston.
Quick recap of last week's dances
And a recap of some of Craig's best insults.
"You were stomping around like a three year old having a tantrum..."
Yep, poor Reverend Richard is definitely in trouble tonight.
And we're off!
And what a spectacular way to start the show that was: a joyous, exuberant medley of Disney classics, complete with dazzling costumes and, as per usual, some top-notch dancing from the professionals. We'll happily be their guest.
Not sure how Tess and Claudia will feel about being introduced as "our very own Lady and the tramp", however...
So, who is definitely (probably) safe?
As previously discussed, there's no surefire way of predicting this. But, based on last night's results, we're pretty sure Aston Merrygold and partner Janette, who gained the highest score of the week for their rather brilliant Trolls-inspired Cha Cha, should be safe - as should Alexandra and Gorka, who performed a lovely My Fair Lady-themed number.
Gemma Atkinson, who gave us that delightful Jungle Book Charleston, also thoroughly deserves to stay in - as does Debbie McGee, who again proved that, when it comes to Strictly, it's not just the young 'uns we should be watching out for.
Here's a quick recap of the combined judges scores from last night:
Aston Merrygold - 35
Alexandra Burke - 33
Joe McFadden - 32
Gemma Atkinson - 31
Mollie King - 30
Debbie McGee - 29
Jonnie Peacock - 26
Davood Ghadami - 25
Brian Conley - 22
Susan Calman - 20
Simon Rimmer - 19
Charlotte Hawkins - 17
Ruth Langsford - 15
Richard Coles - 14
Welcome to our Movie Night live results blog
Good evening, and welcome to our Strictly results show live blog.
The show itself, which will see the second elimination of the season, kicks off on BBC One at 7.15pm tonight - and we'll be here to cover all the action, including the dance off, and the sad-but-inevitable elimination itself, from 7pm.
So who's in line for the dreaded dance off tonight? Poor Charlotte Hawkins could well be in trouble: her Top Gun-inspired routine might have looked the glamorous part, but failed to impress the judges, who gave her a combined score of just 17, third from bottom of the leaderboard. Ruth Langsford, too, suffered from a similar fate: during her Rumba to Diamonds Are Forever she certainly nailed the Bond Girl vibe, with her long blonde wig and sparkly split-to-the-thigh frock, but her brave efforts failed to bring in the necessary points.
Former pop star turned radio presenter and Church of England priest Rev Richard Coles could also very well be in trouble: his Flash Gordon Paso Doble was good fun to watch, but his lack of, well, dancing ability, landed him with the week's lowest score: just 14.
Then again, as last week's elimination showed, looking at the judge's scores isn't always the most accurate way of predicting who might end up in the bottom two: there's always that sneakily unpredictable public vote to factor in too...
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