Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool special – as it happened

That completes Saturday’s liveblog but meet you right back here for the results show, which airs at 7.20pm Sunday on BBC1 and features a performance from nutty boys Madness. Welcome to the house of fun indeed.

I’ll reboot the blog at 6.50pm for build-up, so please rejoin me then. In the meantime, I’m @michaelhogan on Twitter, so feel free to say hi.

Thanks for watching along with me, as always. See you tomorrow but in the meantime, it’s ye olde Blackpool mantra: keeeeeep dancing!

You can flip to BBC2 now for Blondie night or ITV1 for The Voice. At 9pm, there’s David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived on Sky Documentaries – an affecting film about Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double, who broke his neck while filming Harry Potter – or Aussie thriller Scrublands on BBC4. At 9.35pm, Irish crime drama Kin starts on BBC1.

Film-wise, it’s slim pickings but at 9pm, there’s Sneakers on Legend or Kill Bill Vol 2 on Dave. Or, um, you could simply watch the Strictly Blackpool special again? It’s a thought.

Finally, MikeMoonlight says: “Angela Rippon is probably for the chop tonight. Unless, of course, she has a 130-year-old Nan to wheel out before the voting closes, in which case, all bets are off.”

LazyMillennial concludes: “With Layton and Angela S’s dances, the BBC have really gone all out on the filth for their Saturday night entertainment. And I love it. What a time to be alive. Remember when all you got was Noel Edmonds with Mr Blobby and the gunge tank?”

On Nigel Harman’s quickstep, tuityfruity says: “Of course the staging gave it a real bit of Hollywood fizz and end-of-show bling but didn’t have ‘that swing’ for me.”

MartGray says: “Excellent! And so elegant. I think I saw the ghost of Len up there with the backing dancers, resplendent in tails. Nigel and Katya, love ‘em!”

SecretPuddleJumper says: “Nigel really couldn’t pretend then, could he? Still, he gets a vote from me tonight.”

On Angela Scanlon, acanthe says: “I thought the staging of that was really good, making such an intimate setting in that great big floor. The dance was fab – loved it. This is a really good show tonight, it’s really living up to the hype.”

VictoriasSecret adds: “Angela’s Irish dancing background has been more of a hindrance than a help for most of this series but it really worked tonight. Her legs were amazing. I agree with Anton, not Craig there.”

On Annabel Croft, styletraveller says: “Annabel could well reach the final. She does just get a bit better every week.”

whyisnothingsimple says: “I don’t care where they end up but to me, Annabel and Jojo are the spirit of Strictly.”

joanieloves adds: “Oh, I love JohAnnabel. Agree with Motsi – amazing connection and Annabel seems to have blossomed over the past couple of weeks. JOURNEY!!”

SparklingDormouse says: “Not my favourite from Ellie and Vito. Good but not amazing. Felt Vito showcased more than Ellie & needed a bit more energy at times.”

Mssss Middlechop says: “Soo much content from E&V, enough for two dances.”

MartGray says: “Ellie and Vito, wow! That backwards pass-over. The attitude. The early Lily Allen vibe! I also love that even Graz looks bemused when Vito is explaining something – ‘Claud asks Vito to explain’ has been even more fun that the running Jay joke.”

On Layton Williams’ Couple’s Choice, Climbingrose says: “Think Nikita must be loving being able to choreograph dances as ambitious as those he can do this year.”

MarkRoche says: “Well, that’s impossible to compare and judge fairly against tonight’s other offerings. Bit too many aerobatics at the expense of dancing for me, but performed at an extraordinarily high level.”

KernowKnacker says: “Well, I’m sorry, that did nothing for me,. If you wish to be in Magic Mike, at least get some kit off. It was a performance, not a dance.”

acanthe says: “Extension? Take THAT Angela Rippon! Heh. I love this show – it goes from beautiful tea-for-two to pole dancing . Fabulous.”

wagwanpiffting says: “I’m a 53-year-married man with three kids. I think I’m pregnant after watching that.”

davewatcher adds: “Was hoping for a truly honest ‘journey’ video from Layton. ‘This is a breeze compared to doing eight shows a week in the West End. As Billy Elliot, then Michael Jackson, then Jamie the drag queen,ot. Nonly did I have to carry the entire the show, but I had to sing as well as dance at the same time.”

The judges were inconsistent, according to many. Gardener_Maidhc says: “Why are the judges being so condescendingly kind to Angela? That looked a mess to me but maybe I’m wrong. Overmarking in 3,2, aaaannd ….. Oh, thank you Craig. Eight, Anton, really?”

Rufusonly adds: “Anton’s just given Nigel a worse mark than Angela Rippon. Is he up to the job?”

A swift seaside vox pop of your thoughts. Angela Rippon looks doomed, according to commenters.

mcculloch29 says: “That was pretty amazing for a 79-year-old woman. However, it was very clearly a 79-year-old woman, who made several very visible errors.”

VictoriasSecret adds: “Well, Angela looked to be enjoying herself. I absolutely agree with Craig. Full of mistakes but I am glad she got her (several spins) round the floor at Blackpool. But I think it’s the end of the road for Angela and it looks like the judges agree.”

Layton Williams and Ellie Leach finish joint top of the leaderboard, which somehow seems fair as they’ve been slugging it out all series. The judges’ scores will now be combined with the public vote and the bottom two will get one last chance to grace the Tower Ballroom floor in tomorrow evening’s dance-off.

Angela Rippon will surely be fearing that red light of doom but who could she face? Nigel Harman looks likely and I suspect he’ll fix many of those mistakers if he does appear in the dance-off. It might also be an anxious wait for Annabel Croft.

What a worthy Tower Ballroom spectacle that was. Backing dancers, big performances and ambitious choreography added up to some truly spectacular routines. Sure, Craig forgot to pack his 10 paddle but I love how he refused to bend to the “40! 40!” peer pressure. Nobody quite deserved a 40. Nobody got one, despite the other three judges whipping out the 10s for Layton, Ellie and Angela Scanlon.

It was the first split judges’ decision of the series last week as the contest starts getting serious. We’re into the climactic four weeks after tomorrow, so the stakes are high. That glitterball trophy is beginning to glint temptingly…