Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse dancing the Jive to ‘Long Tall Sally’ (Little Richard)

Craig – 9
Darcey – 10
Len – 9
Bruno – 10
Total: 38

A pool table and ‘Snooker Loopy’…suddenly I’m transported back three years on Digital Spy.

Ash – 8
Callum – 8
Izzie – 8
Ross – 7
Total: 31

Callum: Fast paced, enthusiastic, energetic and strong characterisation. However, I can only compare it to previous Jive's from the shows history and I wouldn't put it at the top. Sometimes, I feel you don't concentrate as much on your technique as you think you do.

A distinct absence of 10s from this panel (and 9s) leaves them with…

SEVEN MARKS FEWER

Looking to bounce back from the bottom two once more are Daisy and Aljaž…

Daisy Lowe and Aljaž Škorjanec dancing the Viennese Waltz to ‘Daisy Bell’ (Harry Dacre)

Craig – 8
Darcey – 8
Len – 9
Bruno – 9
Total: 34

Did that dance from Daisy ring our judges’ bells?

Very harsh judges today! I loved Danny's Jive. Especially those leg swish things that Jay did in his Jive.

Ash – 9
Callum – 9
Izzie – 8
Ross – 5
Total: 31

Ross: I found the quirky nature of the Viennese Waltz rather endearing, and some of the steps were really nice, but it was all a little bit sugary sweet and forgettable. You had a nice frame throughout though.

A fair bit of a divide between the judges…but not the biggest we’ll see this round…

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Ore and Joanne were next on the floor…

I found his free arm very distracting at times. I loved his split thingy though?

Yeah I loved that bit

Thought he was a bit stompy at times though.

Give me one minute thirty seconds whilst I rewatch and look out for his free arm!

Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton dancing the Salsa to ‘Turn the Beat Around’ (Vicki Sue Robinson)

Craig – 8
Darcey – 8
Len – 9
Bruno – 9
Total: 34

Probably for the best the Strictly producers didn’t make the most of The Martian’s use of this song or Ore would still be on his way to Mars to ‘get him in the mood for the dance’.

Ash – 8
Callum – 8
Izzie – 7
Ross – 8
Total: 31

Ash: Some really good moments in this. But it was a bit hit and miss. There was the odd bit that just looked a little bit just "ok". Sometimes a bit frantic but still great energy. Great lifts too.

Three dances in, three dances are tied on 31…

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Continuing his ‘can actually dance’ arc, Ed and Katya…

Okay, Danny's free arm wasn't very good. He either let it flop around or placed it awkwardly.

Ed Balls and Katya Jones dancing the Quickstep to ‘Help!’ (The Beatles)

Craig – 6
Darcey – 7
Len – 7
Bruno – 7
Total: 27

That pun’s too obvious for even me, so I will instead fill this space to swiftly move on to our judges.

Ash – 6
Callum – 6
Izzie – 5
Ross – 3
Total: 20

Izzie: I’ll start by confessing that I was jabbering ‘is Katya supposed to be one of The Beatles?’ to my other half at the beginning, because the VT completely passed me by. That said, I did actually really love the theme, engineered as it was to give you a breather. Onto the dancing and it is fairly competent for a comedy contestant. I much prefer this balance of dance and character to you gurning your tits off in front of a dragon.

Not too surprising that Ed was the man to break the run of 31s…

SEVEN MARKS FEWER

Slap bang in the middle of the show are Laura and Giovanni…

Laura Whitmore and Giovanni Pernice dancing the Samba to ‘Bamboléo’ (Gipsy Kings)

Craig – 7
Darcey – 8
Len – 8
Bruno – 9
Total: 32

You have to wonder just what Laura would have to do to get anything other than a 9 from Bruno.

Ash – 7
Callum – 8
Izzie – 7
Ross – 5
Total: 29

Ross: Giovanni did a massive disservice to you tonight Laura, and he made it all about himself, as evident in the side-to-side moments where he outshone you. Alot of basic samba steps were missing and it just fell flat.

Bombale-no.

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Dancing the Quickstep were Robert and Oksana…

Robert Rinder and Oksana Platero dancing the Quickstep to ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)’ (Chantz Powell)

Craig – 8
Darcey – 9
Len – 8
Bruno – 8
Total: 33

Here, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t impressing these judges…

Ash – 6
Callum – 6
Izzie – 7
Ross – 8
Total: 27

Ash: This is such a tight series and whilst I think this was a strong dance it wasn't one of tonight's stand outs simply because the series is THAT tight. Great effort though.

Not quite the highs of their current on Strictly…

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With the first Argentine Tango of the series, Louise and Kevin…

Bombale-no

Still chuckling at that

Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton dancing the Argentine Tango to ‘Tanguera’ (Sexteto Mayor)

Craig – 9
Darcey – 10
Len – 10
Bruno – 10
Total: 39

I can’t tell you how relieved I am that we’ll never have to see Len tell us what he wants from an Argentine Tango ever again.

Ash – 10
Callum – 10
Izzie – 9
Ross – 9
Total: 38

Ross: For me, this was near perfect, HOWEVER, it felt a bit frantic and rushed in places which made it feel less passionate and intimate than it could have been, but still, your best performance!

A very impressive performance from this pair on a relatively low-scoring round…

ONE MARK LESS

Greg and Natalie were the next couple out…

Not a patch on Arlene Philips "I just want raw sex" comment to Matt Dawson

Greg Rutherford and Natalie Lowe dancing the Viennese Waltz to ‘You Don’t Own Me’ (Grace)

Craig – 8
Darcey – 8
Len – 8
Bruno – 8
Total: 32

Greg may not own Natalie, but did he own that dance?

Ash – 8
Callum – 7
Izzie – 8
Ross – 7
Total: 30

Callum: A lovely Viennese Waltz, beautiful lines throughout it and as always your partnership with Natalie blossomed. One of your better performances.

It would have been a 10 if they’d spend the entire dance on the chaise lounge (no, that would not fall under 'too much faffin' abaht')…

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Finally, it’s Claudia and AJ…

Claudia Fragapane and AJ Pritchard dancing the Paso Doble to ‘Shut Up and Dance’ (Walk the Moon)

Craig – 8
Darcey – 8
Len – 8
Bruno – 9
Total: 33

I’m wondering just how far the producers can push this ‘modern music’ angle, because an Argentine Tango to ‘I Took a Pill in Ibiza’ could be quite something.

Ash – 10
Callum – 8
Izzie - 8
Ross – 5
Total: 31

Izzie: As we have noticed, via the medium of 'modern popular music for the younger generation', cream pies and school-based Foxtrots...you are a young lady. Unfortunately, you are young lady being lumbered with all of these things to your detriment. There were a few faults in the dance - the smile, the frantic energy and AJ showboating (although to a lesser extent than Gio), but overall this was such a powerful routine. It would have had a much better quality to it had you not, once again, been lumbered with a song to 'get down the yoofs'.

Not too much difference for the gymnast and partner as we face yet another 31...

TWO MARKS FEWER

Let’s see how the leaderboards compare…