Ultimate Strictly

At last, we're back to the old format for our results show ... live programme on a Saturday night, and although it was still 45 minutes long, we did have much better "padding" to keep us going until the results - the group Viennese waltz and the freestyle show dances.

After the review of the earlier programme, it was down to business with the group Viennese waltz which they danced to "This Years Love". It was a beautiful dance, with each couples choreography echoing the other, and I thought it was delightful to watch. Bruno said (again) it was the closest final ever and they were a shining example to young people. Craig said he'd never known such electricity in the room, and thought that both couples were running on a parallel at the moment, and that it was just beautiful. Arlene said Matt led the Viennese waltz like a champion and Alesha danced like she was riding the crest of a wave, while Len thought that Matt had proved to everyone that he deserved his place in the final and Alesha had been Miss Consistency throughout the entire competition.

A few good luck messages from family and friends, then Tess had a chat with current Strictly Champion Mark Ramprakash, who complimented both Matt and Alesha, and made a special mention of the two professionals, telling us how much they have to look after their celebrities and have to put so much into the competition as well.

Finally we got to the show dances. Matt & Flavia first again, dancing to "Are You Gonna Go My Way". It was a fantastic routine from Flavia, with plenty of dancing and not just lifts, but the lifts that were there were original and breathtaking. Len told us that the freestyle is absolutely up to the professionals what they do, and he said Matt nailed it, and Bruno said he'd delivered above everybody's expectation. Craig said Matt was completely fearless and powerful, while Arlene said it was brave and bold, dynamite. I'm so pleased that Matt made it through all five dances, and didn't let himself down. It was a great freestyle routine, and Flavia deserves the highest praise for giving us something different in the show dance that we haven't seen before.

Alesha & Matthew were next, dancing to "Holding Out For A Hero". A heart stopping paso doble influenced show dance, it was magnificent! Arlene just stood up and told Alesha she was her hero tonight. Len loved the paso and the tango influence, and Bruno said it was more than a dance, it was a stunning, epic performance. Craig said she danced like her life depended on it and it was fantastic.

And that was it. No more dances, just results. They had to have a bit of time to count the votes, and after having to postpone last week, the Spice Girls were on hand for a musical interlude, and performed "Two Become One", with Ian & Camilla, James & Ola and Darren & Lilia dancing for us.

Finally, the time had come, the results were in, the votes counted and the Champions of Strictly Come Dancing 2007 were named as ... ALESHA & MATTHEW.

Alesha was in tears and jumping for joy, and I have to admit, I was punching the air and crying along with her. A worthy winner in my eyes, and my favourite from the beginning.

Congratulations Alesha & Matthew!

The final programme already! Where have those 12 weeks gone? And who would have predicted all those weeks ago that we'd only have two couples in the final, and they would be Alesha & Matthew and Matt & Flavia (well, I did actually predict it would be them and Kelly & Brendan, but I probably didn't put it in writing, so no-one's going to believe me)?

Still, on with the show, and we knew we were going to get five dances from each couple - their favourite ballroom, favourite latin, group Viennese waltz, Judges' choice and the no-holds-barred show dance, spread over the main show and the results show, and both programmes were live this week and on Saturday night. After the quick introduction from Bruce and Tess, it was an even quicker introduction to the remaining contestants.

And then the dancing started! Matt & Flavia were the first couple to perform, and started with their favourite ballroom, and they chose to reprise their first ballroom dance, the American Smooth. I think it was a good choice as it was one of their best dances for me, and it was nice to see Flavia in a lovely green dress, as I hated the hideous gold trouser dress she'd worn the first time round. They danced to "For Once In My Life" again, and it was a very good opening to the show, although I still felt there was some times when he lost the performance. Len said it was great start to the show, Bruno said it was a good job, although he could see a few nerves here and there. Craig said occasionally there was unsteady placement of the foot, but very good, while Arlene said it was lacking slightly from the waist down. A 9 from me.

Judges scores - Craig: 9 Arlene: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9 Total = 36

Alesha & Matthew chose the waltz for their favourite ballroom dance, another good choice, as I think it was their best ballroom in the entire competition. They danced to "A Time For Us", and it was fabulous. Bruno said it sent shivers down his spine and that Alesha's musicality was superb. Craig had goosebumps again, and he found it flawless. Arlene alliterated again, with "Alesha Absolutely Amazing" and reminded everyone that Alesha had had no dance training. Len found a couple of faults, and said it wasn't flawless, but that she was an elegant dancer. I absolutely adored it and gave them a 10.

Judges scores - Craig: 10 Arlene: 10 Len: 9 Bruno: 10 Total = 39

According to Bruce, it was a bit of light relief next, with his Strictly version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, and then we had a video review of the first six weeks of the series. This was followed by the first six couples who left the competition who came back and perform one of their dances again, so we saw Brian & Karen with the waltz, Stephanie & Vincent with the quickstep, Willie & Erin with a waltz, Gabby & James with a jive, Dominic & Lilia with their cha cha cha and Penny & Ian with their samba. A quick chat with some of the celebs next, the highlight being Gabby saying when she started the show she wanted to be the best dancer in the world and now she's not even the best dancer in her house!

Onto the latin round, and Matt & Flavia danced their salsa again which was definitely their best latin dance of the competition and probably was the dance he enjoyed most, and in the video section before the dance, Matt actually said it was the highlight of Strictly for him. They danced again to "Vehicle" and it was another brilliant dance. Craig said the energy was amazing, full of interweaving, interlocking steps and it was brilliant, while Arlene thought there was sensational shimmying and proved Matt was worthy of the final (although she did stumble on her words). Len said he loved it last time Matt danced it, and this time it was a gnats scrotum better than that, and Bruno said Matt was flying high! Another 10 from me.

Judges scores - Craig: 9 Arlene: 10 Len: 10 Bruno: 10 Total = 39

Unsurprisingly, Alesha & Matthew chose to dance the cha cha cha again to "Crazy In Love". It was their highest scoring latin dance of the series, and it was probably their most memorable as well. You could just see the joy on Alesha's face throughout the whole dance and it was just gorgeous to watch. Arlene said it was really exciting but there were a couple of places where Alesha should have straightened her leg. Len said in the past people have always asked him who the best female celebrity on Strictly was and he's always said Jill Halfpenny, but from henceforth, he will be saying Alesha Dixon. Bruno said he wants to watch that cha cha cha again and again and again, while Craig said it was fierce and he loved it. Yet another 10 from me.

Judges scores - Craig: 9 Arlene: 9 Len: 10 Bruno: 10 Total = 38

The video review of the second half of the series was next, followed by the other six couples who came back to dance again. We had Kate & Anton back with their paso doble, John & Nicole danced a salsa, Kelly & Brendan with their Viennese waltz, Kenny & Ola back with the kilt and the paso doble, Letitia & Darren with their foxtrot and Gethin & Camilla danced their salsa.

Back to the competition with the Judges Choice dance, where both couples dance to the same piece of music which the judges have chosen. The song was "We Love To Boogie" which Matt & Flavia chose to quickstep to, while Alesha & Matthew decided to jive. Matt & Flavia danced first using his tap dance skills at the top, but I just felt the song was slightly slow for the quickstep, while Alesha looked fantastic to me, I think it was almost identical to the jive they did in week three. Len said Matt held his own against the best girl dancer we've ever had, and Alesha was great. Bruno said both did well and it was a good job. Craig commented that it was one of the tightest finals we've had, while Arlene said both couples were in it to win it, but Matt slightly lost the performance and Alesha had slight tension in her shoulders. I would give them both a 9.

Judges scores for Matt & Flavia - Craig: 9 Arlene: 8 Len: 9 Bruno: 9 Total = 35
Judges scores for Alesha & Matthew - Craig: 9 Arlene: 8 Len: 9 Bruno: 9 Total = 35

The final exhibition of the even was Bruce singing "Cheek To Cheek" with the accompaniment of all the other celebrities and professionals.

And then it was over - that was the end of the first part of the evening, with the results show to come later, with the Viennese waltz and the show dance, plus either Matt & Flavia or Alesha & Matthew being crowned Strictly Champions 2007.

Can you believe it's nearly all over? I know I can't! The last It Takes Two of series five today, with a live link to the studio rehearsals to catch up with the contestants, plus all four judges talked to Claudia as well as the Friday panel, with a superfan line up.

First of all it was over to Television Centre, and Claudia talked to Alesha, who apparently is so nervous she's been physically sick today, but she said she's very excited, while Matthew looked calm and composed. Alesha said she's most looking forward to the waltz, and it was one of her favourites of the series. Claudia told her she's seen footage of their showdance and it looks "bonkers", and Matthew said there are quite a few bits in it that could go wrong, so they are a bit nervous about it, but Alesha said the dress is great!

Onto Matt & Flavia, and Matt had a bloody mouth, because he claimed Flavia had attacked him and he'd gotten an elbow in the face, but she said it was an accident. He said he's so glad he's in the final with Alesha because they've had such a laugh, and he wants to really enjoy it. Claudia asked him which dance he was most looking forward to, and he said the show dance because it is the same category as Alesha's and is insane.

Then it was back to the ITT studio and Claudia was joined by all four judges. Claudia said everyone feels tense and excited, and asked how Bruno felt, and he said he wasn't tense at all, but excited as it's going to be a dance marathon and a real treat. It was then the return of Len's Christmas hat (remember last year!), and Claudia just couldn't talk to him, so she moved onto Arlene who she asked how this years final ranks against the others. Arlene said, that all finals are exciting, but this years is particularly hot, because we've got two incredible dancers up against each other. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), it was difficult to concentrate on what she was saying, as Len and Bruno had gone into hysterics in the background. Talking seriously, Len said the final is a celebration, and both couples should just go out and enjoy it. Craig said it was an open final though, as Alesha had been the most consistent throughout the series, but he's worried that Matt's nerves could cause problems, however, Matt is a talented dancer. A quick look at some training footage, but we've seen the dances before, so it's just a case of if they've improved technically or in the performance. Talking about Judges Choice, Craig said they've tried to choose a song to challenge them, and we saw a bit of Matt's quickstep and Alesha's jive (both looked like they'll be good). Claudia then asked the judges what they're looking for in the final, and Arlene said technical perfection while Bruno said "Va-va-voom"! A treat for us all next, with Claudia showing us an outtake of the judges which was captured when the Cliff Richard performance was being played back during the results show. Very funny and worth a look if you haven't already seen it.

The final Friday panel next with judge Len and superfans Zoe Ball, Melanie Sykes and Mark Frith. Zoe said she is so excited about tomorrow night, although she wasn't sure about whether the right couples had gone through after last week to start with. Melanie said she predicted the couples who would get through to the final a couple of weeks ago but she was sad to see Gethin go. Mark is the editor of Heat magazine and they had been backing Gethin all the way, and his guess is that the Heat readership votes will now go to Alesha. He also suggested that people have a different view about voting in the final and tend to vote for the best dancer. Onto the main point of the Friday panel and a look at Matt & Flavia's show dance, which Len said looks like a cha cha cha, and the song choice is "Are You Gonna Go My Way" which Mark thought was a good choice, while Zoe suggested there might be a subliminal message in the song! Alesha & Matthew are dancing their showdance to "Holding Out For A Hero" and Len's concerned that it might be too fast and she could look too wild and uncontrolled, while Zoe thought it was her chance to just go out and let go completely. Their Viennese waltz next, and Len said Matt doesn't quite move across the floor enough, while Matthew is obviously a professional ballroom dancer, and Len thinks that will give him and Alesha the advantage as he will be able to lead her more. Claudia asked Mark who was going to win, and he refused to give an answer, while Melanie and Zoe started a chant "Alesha! Alesha! Alesha!" so I think we know where their allegiances lie.

Finally, the series highlights video was a lovely reminder of all we've seen over the last 12 weeks, before Claudia said her last farewell and they let Craig sing again, this time singing "Winter Wonderland" although Len and Bruno couldn't resist getting in on the act. All I can say is, "Don't give up the day job"!

My general thoughts on this series of It Takes Two are that it has been a great series, but has suffered occasionally from being too routine. You knew who was going to be on the show on certain days, and due to their Dancing With The Stars commitments, there was a distinct lack of Len and, particularly, Bruno. Some of the good additions have been the extra professional technical reviews, when professionals who have left the competition review the remaining couples dances, although I find Phillip Jackson a bit strange and watching him on the show just makes me uncomfortable. It was good to see the return of some of the celebrity fans, such as Marian Keyes who is just brilliant every time she is on the show, but I could have done without the musical guests making an appearance during the following week; the one exception to this was John Barrowman, as he was obviously a fan and could talk knowledgeably about the show and the contestants. Some of my highlights this series were the Strictly Mastermind competition for Alesha & Matthew, the footage of Matt pretending to challenge Gethin, and I always love Len's Masterclass. At the end of the series, all I can say is, there hasn't been a single programme in the entire series when I haven't laughed at least once, and any minor criticisms I have, are really just that, and haven't detracted too much from the enjoyment.

The penultimate It Takes Two of the series, and after Alesha & Matthew on the programme yesterday, it was Matt & Flavia's turn today. To start the show though, we had an in-depth look at the two professionals left in the competition, one of whom will be the new Strictly champion on Saturday, with a potted history of how they got into dancing in the first place, and how they started on Strictly.

Matt & Flavia then joined Claudia in the studio, but before she had chance to chat to them, we had the extended video segment of their "Road To The Final". When we finally got to see Claudia talk to them, Matt said that for the last two weeks he's just tried to have fun and not let the pressure get to him. Claudia asked Flavia what Saturday was like, who said it was amazing performance from Matt. Flavia just could get the smile off her face throughout the interview, particularly when talking about getting that perfect score.

A trip to the training rooms next, with Len's Masterclass taking to the road to visit the two finalists. First off to visit Alesha to work on her foot and leg action in the cha cha cha, as it's something that has been commented on in her latin dances. He demonstrated the footwork in the New Yorker step and just gave them advice to go out and perform it. Onto Matt, and for him, Len decided to help him out with his hip action in his salsa. He used the basic salsa to help Matt improve, and said to him to just go out and enjoy it. As a final comment, Len said he thinks it could be the best final we've ever seen, as both couples are determined to win that mirrorball trophy.

Back to Matt & Flavia, and Matt said Len's advice in the training room was really helpful. Claudia asked them what their strategy was for coping with five dances, and Matt basically said it was get in early in the morning and put in the hours. They talked about their choices for the final, and they said that because they're doing the quickstep in the judges choice, they decided to go with the American Smooth. The necessary family footage followed with his mum and brother talking about their Strictly experience and the good luck messages. Claudia asked them how much they want to win, and Flavia just said, with a huge grin on her face, more than anything.

The second batch of outtakes and bloopers over the credits tonight finished off the show, and with just one more programme this series to go, tomorrow night will include Claudia going live to BBC Television Centre to speak to Matt and Alesha in their final rehearsals of the series.

Bruce and Tess were Claudia's first guests on It Takes Two tonight to talk about how series five has been for them. Bruce started off saying it's been an incredible series, while Tess said we've never had so many ten's with Alesha alone breaking the record. Bruce thought from about week three that Alesha could make the final along with Kelly, but Tess said it has been so unpredictable this year, that you could just never guess what what going to happen. Claudia asked them both what their personal highlights of the series have been so far, and while Bruce said Matt & Flavia's waltz, from a professional dancers point of view Vincent & Flavia's Argentine tango blew them away, Tess said she loved Matt's salsa with his shimmying shoulders. Finally, Tess discussed how she's supporting a campaign to get Bruce knighted!

Craig was the next guest to tell us all about the final. There will be five dances: favourite ballroom, favourite latin, judges choice (where the judges choose the music and the couples can dance whatever they want), group Viennese waltz and the no holds barred show dance. Matt & Flavia have chosen to do the American Smooth again, while Alesha & Matthew will dance their waltz again. For the latin, Matt & Flavia will perform the salsa again, and Alesha & Matthew are going to dance their cha cha cha. For the judges choice, the song will be "We Love To Boogie" by T Rex with Alesha dancing a jive and Matt dancing quickstep. The show dance from Alesha & Matthew will be danced to "Holding Out For A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, with Matt & Flavia choosing "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz.

Before Alesha & Matthew joined Claudia in the studio, there was an extended video segment of their "Road To The Final", letting us relive all the fabulous dances they've performed over the series. Alesha got a bit emotional watching the footage, and said she was just delighted to be in the final. Asked if she felt strange about it being just her and Matt in the final, Alesha said it was strange but she was really looking forward to it and just wants to do her best. It's both Matthew and Flavia's first time in the final as well, and Matthew said he was pleased when they got to the bar after the weekend shows and Flavia was as unprepared as he was, and neither had even got their song choices ready. Following some good luck messages from Alesha's mum and nan, she said she was gutted that it was her last time on the sofa, although Claudia revealed that Alesha has already said she'll be back next year on the Friday panel to discuss the new celebrities music choices.

After Claudia told us that Matt & Flavia and Len will be on tomorrow night's show, she said they had a little treat for us, which turned out to be the outtakes and bloopers reel over the credits.