To me, he's the most improved technically from the start of the series. His last two dances in particular have been excellent.

He seems a nice guy too - I think he's a slow burner as far as popularity is concerned.

It would not be a shock to me if he sprung a bit of a surprise result.

I think it is going to be interesting seeing how the votes hold up the fewer people are in there. I don't know if his bottom two appearance was because he was deemed safe. Can't remember when the press hoo-hah about him being allegedly disliked by the other celebs came up, was that the same week?

I love his dancing and hope he does well.

Patrick is fantastic! He would deserve the win imo, and he and Anya have a lovely partnership. Anya always choreographs entertaining and complex routines, I look forward to them every week.

At his age, at 50 !!!

Why the heck not, he's in decent nick and can dance.

There's been folk on there half his age who were noewhere near half as good.

He might not win on other grounds but age I don't think matters in this case. Unless you're thinking of ageism in the voting public...

He may have improved, but I don't think he has that core backing you really need to win.

has anyone ever won and been in the dance off? (not including semi final - like Aleisha)

I think Susanna has a stronger chance than Patrick

Patrick has certainly improved and I like the quiet and professional relationship that he has with Anya. Her choreography is great and I have enjoyed their dances, by and large.

Having said that, I think the judges have been over-stating how good he is and I very much doubt he has the core viewer support that is necessary to win Strictly. His unassuming nature doesn't make him stand out from the crowd and he has come over as a bit too earnest, which is never a popular trait (I'm looking at you, Jason Donovan).

Patrick may make the final, although I wouldn't bet on it if he's in the dance-off against a better dancer, but I really can't see him as the winner.

Patrick won't win. He will only make the final if he is in the dance off against people worse than him. He doesn't meet the demographic for any past winners.

Nobody has won from being in the dance off apart from Alesha & that week was a very skewed result & she almost probably wouldn't have been normally.

There's a first for everything though.

I didnt really notice him until Halloween week when he kicked off the show with that QS - it was the first time one of his dances had actually made me think "ooh, he could win this...."

I dont think he will BUT I think he has as good a chance as anyone

He's getting much better but I still find him rather awkward at times...

Patrick's certainly improving but I don't think he'll win.

I can see him as a semi-finalist, though.

I think Patrick is good and definitely there has been an improvement with his dancing over the last few weeks BUT I don't think he's going to win it, though he may come close.
I'm not sure he's very popular and I think there are others in the mix who are probably more popular than him (Susannah for sure).
I think he'll have a good week this week. He's very good at Latin has a natural rhythm it should be a good routine and hopefully enough to keep him in for another week.

Natasha was in the bottom 2 in series 1 (week 3 I think) and went on to win.

I have the same reservations about Patrick as previous posters . He just doesn't cut the mustard for me - not quite anyway. He seems oddly gauche for a man of his experience and maturity, and this limits his appeal somehow. I have noticed before that actors can be wonderfully suave and self assured when playing a role but awkward and shy in real life. Not all actors of course. Mark isn't for one - but he is nothing like the dancer Patrick is! Well you can't have everything. But I don't think Patrick will win.

Didn't watch Series 1 so don't know how it worked.

Well as its unlikely that the result will have much to do with dancing I would not hold out much hope of Patrick winning...simply because we will be down to personality and fan bases and as far as I can see Patrick has very little personality (well I find him rather bland and uninteresting anyhow).
I dont think he has much of a fanbase either as he was in the bottom 2 before the judges decided to elevate him to best male (laughable imo).I still dont see what others are seeing in him dancewise, he still looks disjointed to me as if his top half and bottom half are working at a different pace, he always looks awkward and frantic to me.Not that I mind too much who actually wins but I just dont see him pulling in the voters.

not surprising if you look at the rest of the lineup for s1 and they only had 8 contestants then

I would love Patrick to win. He's the one I watch out for each week (Mark too, though the last two producer-mangled routines have been poo; plus latterly, Susanna). But Patrick looks like a dancer to my uneducated eyes, and he has that touch of sparkle when he takes to the floor.

Against winning: age (though he doesn't look 50), colour (still, I fear), low profile (I didn't realise Casualty was still running), new Pro (though amazing), and other celebs are more popular, younger, more current, more glam, more experienced etc. So I'm not holding my breath for it. But I'll buy everyone here a virtual drink if he does win. If he makes the final stages I'll be delighted. For what it's worth, his character works for me just fine. Man doesn't need to be giddy to be attractive.

Patrick could win, but I don't think he will. His ballroom is good, not so sure about his Latin, and at the end of the day it comes down to popularity. Does he have much of a fan base?

Must add - I love Anya. She's a great addition to the Strictly 'family'.

I like Patrick as a dancer, I just find him a bit forgettable. I think for him to win, he needs to show more personality as he's coming across as a little bit too bland at the moment.

I do love Patrick, his dancing is always exciting and I like the theatrical element he puts into it too. I find his partnership with Anya very understated and warming. She is lovely, so much more preferable than the full-on, showing off type like Kristina. He has an excellent chance of getting to the final, but maybe not a winner. It would be amazing if he did but imo, not likely. I also love Natalie and would be really pleased if either she or Patrick won.

The problem is, he is a quiet personality - it seemed like he tried to be 'more' the week of the poorly arm - and just came over as wayyy too much.

I like Patrick. On the first show group dance a family member pointed him out as one to watch with his 'natural rhythm'... But, I don't think he will win. Knocked out at semi final week would be my guess.