Anton Du Beke and all the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 gang are gearing up for the dance competition's annual trip to the ballroom haven of Blackpool this weekend.
Eight couples remain in the competition — comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas, singer and presenter JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, Gladiators' Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe, reality star Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał, actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, model and Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, and opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones — and they're all hoping that they'll dazzle the audience and the judges this week in the Tower Ballroom to secure a place in next week's show.
Ahead of Strictly's Blackpool bonanza, we caught up with Anton, who joined the judging panel permanently in 2021 after 17 years as a professional dancer on the show, to get his thoughts on the series so far — and who he thinks could win it...
Anton Du Beke interview for Strictly's Blackpool week
How excited are you for Blackpool this year?
"As always, very! It's such a great show. I have to tell you, everybody who has ever been on the show and has made it to Blackpool has had exactly the same reaction when they walk through the doors into the ballroom — it has the absolute wow factor. It's special — it's a beautiful building, a beautiful room, and then you've got all the Strictly lot in there with cranes, cameras, the set and lights, and then come showtime the atmosphere is heaving. It comes at a lovely point in the series too, just over halfway, and it feels like the run-in to the final."
You've been to Blackpool a lot over the course of your career — do you still get that "wow" moment when you arrive?
"I do. I spent most of my life going to the other place, the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens, and there's nothing like walking into that room on what we used to call 'pro nights' — the place would be heaving, hundreds and hundreds of people in the room. I feel the same way about going to the Tower Ballroom; it's not as many people but it's such a special room that it's a lovely moment."
You've experienced Blackpool Week as both a pro dancer and a judge. How do the two compare?
"The result for me as a judge is always better than the result for me as a competitor: many a time I've come away from Blackpool being eliminated, but not so as a judge! One of my favourite moments ever was doing an American smooth with [EastEnders star] Emma Barton [in 2019]. I think that's my highlight at Blackpool, really, and that's the one that might even top being a judge. Moments like that are few and far between - we got 10s!"
Do you do anything differently to prepare for Blackpool as a judge than you did as a competitor?
"I won't deny, I take extra socks because it's a bit chilly! I wear layers — all the coats and stuff come out. But no, not really. The dancefloor is bigger than the one in the studio, so when I was dancing, my dance would have been more expansive, I would prepare it differently for the Blackpool floor. But as a judge, no; I enter into it the same way I do when we're at Elstree."
Have you got any sightseeing plans for this year?
"If it's not too bad, I'll go down the front — and they've just opened a variety-themed museum there called Showtown. That, I shall be going to see, that's on my list of things to do!"
What have been the moments that have stood out for you this series?
"Well, anything that Chris does, I'm blown away by. I think Chris being blind and pulling off the numbers he does is extraordinary. I have to take my hat off to Dianne for what she's done there — I think it's probably one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen on Strictly Come Dancing."
We've had several different couples topping the leaderboard. Does it still feel like it's anyone's game to win?
"Yes it does, I literally think anyone could take this. Of course, in the final it's up to the audience anyway; once we get to the final, the judges' job is done, really. But I think from this week on, you could pick four couples and call it the final and everybody would be happy! Tasha's been doing quite well, but she hasn't topped the leaderboard every week — it keeps it interesting, and everybody feels like they've got a shot."
Is it harder for you to judge when the overall standard is so high?
"Yes. I mean, you could argue that's our job, that's the point of us being there. The problem is going to be the dance-off — as a judge, you sort of hope that when they come to the dance-off, one couple does the most extraordinary job and one couple doesn't, so it's a very simple task — that's me being a lightweight and not wanting to have to make the hard decisions!"
Finally, we have to ask about you and Craig dressing up as the twins from The Shining for Halloween. What was that like?
"How about that?! Wasn't it brilliant? I think it was one of my most brilliant nights on Strictly Come Dancing ever. It was so very well-received, we had such fun with it. But I will never make it onto RuPaul's Drag Race, that much I have decided. I do not brush up well when I put on a wig and some slap — it goes quite the other way!"
Strictly Come Dancing continues with Blackpool Week on Saturday, November 16 at 6.45pm on BBC1, with the results on Sunday, November 17 at 7.20pm.
