Strictly 2020

[diggedy derek]

Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse's routine to "Rapper's Delight" last night was tremendous. It's part of the increasingly absurd Couple's Choice choice that each couple has to make, which usually seems to relate to someone's life journey in some pathetically reductive way, and rarely makes any sense at all. But, who needs an excuse to dance to this? Fantastic.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Oh dear. Shame for NA. Fingers crossed no further cases on the programme.

[Gangster Octopus]

Will they reach the end of the competition?

[diggedy derek]

Katya and Nicola are out of the competition after Katya gets Covid. Boooooooo.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

ha ha, of course not! That's the risk of making your predictions before any of the contestants have done any performances. I'll be several places out with BB. Still, not bad to have got the first two in correct order, even if the first was a no-brainer.

[Gangster Octopus]

So Evariste Euler Gauss, still expect Bill to go next?

[diggedy derek]

I didn't notice that actually.

I think most of the celebs seem alright.

[Gangster Octopus]

Just dawned on me; the singers aren't actually there, are they.

[Gangster Octopus]

Hmmm, Evariste Euler Gauss could be right about Jason. Pity, he seems like a nice bloke.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Just realised yesterday who it is that perma-annoying Anton Du Beke reminds me of - the Kevin Eldon character that turns up to Alan Partridge's hotel leaving party.

I have one friend who you could maybe classify as a micro-celebrity.

Anyroad, he attended some showbiz bash and went up to a bloke he thought was me (why I would be at this party, God only knows) only for it to be Anton Du Beke. I was unimpressed.

[wingco]

Re: Rogin commenting upthread about Jacqui Smith "pretending to be a human being"; I thought she was a poor home secretary, carrying out the Daily Mail-appeasing shtick you would expect of a New Labour Home Secretary. However, I was with her at Oxford; she went to the same college at me. She was already a Labour member. She was no militant firebrand who shifted rightward a la Straw when eventually in power. But she was very much a human being, and a very nice one, a good-humoured, smiling presence in the college, kind and with a sense of fun. I didn't recognise the Jacqui Smith I saw interviewed on TV when she became Home Sec; it felt like someone robotically going through the motions of pragmatism required of those in high political office. I lost respect for her for taking the job at all - no one had a gun to her head and she could have declined to go for the job, work from the back benches. Maybe there was a sense of cold ambition I missed in her during her college days. I knew her quite well but not that well. Still, the Jacqui Smith of a recent Guardian profile seems closer to the one I remember, rather than a sham confected to make her seem Strictly-friendly. Interesting that the interviewer commented how boring she had been when she interviewed her as Home Sec, how much more effervescent now.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Justice predictably done in the first round as Jacqui Smith exits. My missus commented that Anton was moving her around like a lawn mower.

HRVY is proving to be a lot less irritating than I had initially feared. In fact, nowhere near irritating enough for me to still wish him an early exit, given that his partner is, errm, very watchable.

[E10 Rifle]

Bill Bailey surprisingly good yesterday I thought - he won't get anywhere near the closing stages but he's enjoying himself. Caroline Quentin also a decent outside bet though women of her age rarely do that well.

Just realised yesterday who it is that perma-annoying Anton Du Beke reminds me of - the Kevin Eldon character that turns up to Alan Partridge's hotel leaving party.

[Gangster Octopus]

I've seen better opening numbers...

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

My 9 year old told me a nice Strictly/COVID cross-over joke:

Q: How do they keep safe from COVID on Strictly this year?
A: They have Tess Daley.

[diggedy derek]

I always have to wait for a fair bit to get used to and understand the celebrities on there – sometimes what you'd assume is a vacuous YouTube star turns out to be a diamond.

I really like how they've handled the lack of a big audience: a few socially distanced NHS staff, and the other couples take a seat by the dancefloor. Feels like they've struck the right tone.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

So, every year, before any of the pairs have performed their first dance, my wife and I try to guess the ranking/exit order. Very tricky challenge, as it's often difficult to guess who will be surprisingly good or poor at dancing, and how much to adjust for possible comedy factor or for public sympathies and prejudices coming out in the public vote contribution to the results

This time I'll go public with my rash prediction: in order of exit from first exit to winner, naming just the celeb half for brevity I am predicting:

Jacqui
Jason
Bill
Ranvir
JJ
Nicola
Clara
Jamie
Hrvy
Caroline
Maisie
Max

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Well, I also hope Jacqui Smith doesn't last long, but I'm not worried about that because she has first exit written all over her. I'm more worried about that vacuous partying twat HRVY, whose verbal output has a similar effect in our household to nails scraping down a blackboard, and who worryingly looks as if he'll probably have what it takes to stay in until the final.

All the others seem at least ok, and in some cases quite appealing.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

My enjoyment was spoiled by having to watch Jacqui Smith pretend to be a human being. I hope she doesn't last long. The one off Eastenders will presumably be favourite, either her or somebody apparently called 'HRVY'.

[Sam]

By the way, we've danced on the Blackpool Tower dance floor.

Me too, when I was about four, with my mum. She's got a photo of it somewhere.

[Gangster Octopus]

Which one's the tory?

[Logan Mountstuart]

Well, the tory is obviously the first to go.

[Logan Mountstuart]

I admit that I took a year out last year, but this winter of all winters I think it might really serve its purpose. And I think Jason Bell really is a top bloke.

[Gangster Octopus]

How would Bruno've coped without being able to fondle his fellow judges?

[Gangster Octopus]

By the way, we've danced on the Blackpool Tower dance floor.