Strictlywatch 2009: Week 2 Part 1

Well I have to say, after a lacklustre year last year, mostly remarkable for in-fighting over John Sergeant and me barely being able to remember who the finalists were, this could actually be a vintage Strictly season. Lots of great dancing, lots of personality, and the dresses don't actively make me want to retch. Even Tess's.

First up, Natalie Cassidy. What I said in my preview: "mainly known for her tabloid-chronicled yoyo weight, and thus is the most likely person to go on a Strictly Journey and be told endlessly by the judges that she 'looks beautiful'" The reality: Tabloid weight mentioned in training video (Natalie dealt with it brilliantly, pointing out, entirely believably, that she's very happy how she is, thanks) and was told by Claudia on It Takes Two that she looked beautiful, so tick and tick. Whether she goes on a "journey" remains to be seen, but meanwhile I loved her tango faces, and Vincent's routine. I'd love to dance a tango with Vincent, though his head would only come up to my boobs; still, somewhere for him to blow his nose and for me to rest my drink. So that's fine.

Next, Zoe Lucker dancing a really romantic waltz with (gag) James, but it's not her fault she got James. When did James turn into Brendan anyway? Round about the time that Brendan fell in love and became nice, I think. Do you think all the male dancers had to pick a card and whoever got the Ace of Spades had to be the arrogant bastard? Anyway, what I said: "Take the girl that most of the female viewers are likely to hate and pair her with the dancer everybody hates already." Actually I didn't hate her at all. I thought she was elegant and sensible, which is a tricky combination.

Craig Kelly followed up with a tango. What I said: "he's the sweet, unsexy one from Queer as Folk, and he isn't unsexy any more, plus he is dancing with fabulous Flavia. I am very keen to see his moves on the dancefloor." Still sexy, still dancing with Flavia, and did I say Natalie had great tango faces? Craig's tango faces were incredible. He kept shouting out "ho", though presumably not as a commentary on his partner. I'm not sure he was very good actually, but I enjoyed the drama and the way he dragged Flavia all over the floor, and he looked really gutted for having, basically, buggered the whole thing up. I think, if he stays, he will get better fast.

Next, Richard Dunwoody. What I said: "I can't help suspecting they have dealt Lilia ANOTHER lemon." The reality: they have dealt Lilia another lemon.

Following him onto the floor was Laila Rouass. What I said: "Can it be possible? Have they paired Anton with somebody who might actually be able to dance?" Answer: yes, indeed they have. I LOVED Laila's tango, there was something so... *serious* about it, it was my dance of the night. Also, after years of watching Anton wrestle with crud, it was quite a surprise to discover that he can dance too.

The next dancer was Phil Tufnell. What I said was: "I reckon this could be an early exit unless Phil has secret dancing shoes." I forgot how likeable Tuffers is. He'll get loads of votes for that, and it turns out that he has secret dancing shoes as well. Then again, I was so busy looking at his comedy face that I didn't even notice how good his waltz was and I had to rewind and watch it again after the judges all went mad for it.

Jo Wood was next. What I said: "The producers have pulled a mean trick pairing her with Brendan, because she comes across as sweet but not too bright, and Brendan will chew her up and spit her out within seconds." The reality: she is sweet but not too bright, but Brendan absolutely loves her. I can't get my head around this new, lovely Brendan, it's surreal. Especially as Jo made loads of mistakes. God, she must have been *really* crap to start with. Even so, I'd like her to stay in, as she's entertaining and spirited and there was a good bit where she fell over in training.

Lastly, Ricky Whittle. What I said: "This man is going to LOVE the costumes. And I will love him in them." The reality: he has certainly not been hit with the ugly stick in the interim. He got rave reviews from the judges for his waltz, which I actually doubt very much is his dance - he strikes me as someone who'll prefer to get moving a bit more. Tomorrow he's doing a rumba, which I also reckon will not be his best, and this may be a canny move from his partner, new girl Natalie: get his worst ones out of the way while the competition is easier, and let him shine later in the series. Speaking of Natalie, anybody else think she's the spitting image of Zoe Lucker?

And that's all. After week 1 I thought Ali would be hard to beat, but there are lots of strong contenders in Group 2. Impossible to say for sure without seeing tomorrow's Latin moves, but surely Richard Dunwoody must go.

Brucie Bonus number 1: Alesha was MUCH better this week. She actually showed what she's there for: giving comments from the point of view of someone who's been through it before. Lots of tips on how to get past nerves / deal with criticism etc. I still think she comes across as a bit patronising but there's not much she can do about that, being poacher turned gamekeeper. That effect should wear off next series. And I do not miss Arlene's alliterations, miss them I do not.

Brucie Bonus number 2: Terrific group dance to Michael Jackson. The cameras cut every half a second so it was impossible to see who was actually any good, but I loved Ricky Groves's moonwalk. He is doing a seriously good job at keeping himself in the competition for several weeks before anyone even starts to think about whether he can actually ballroom dance.

Until tomorrow.... Keep Dancing!

Full programme and clips here.