Perhaps not a vintage year, but Strictly ended on a high with a closer than expected final, bananas returning contestants encore, and a deserving winning couple in Caroline and Pasha.
It was a show noticeably light on ballroom – because nothing says telly gold like ropey Week 1 disco cha chas! – but that sums up a series in which trad dancing gave way to circus themes and fever dreams. Yet several standout final numbers featured a good blend of entertainment and technique, proving you don’t need to sacrifice one for the other. (Or to satisfy THE GREAT GOD OF SATURDAY NIGHT RATINGS.)
MARIANKA SWAIN ~ WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW 