The Keep Dancing Podcast

In Episode 12, we rake over the embers of Bonfire night. Let’s light the blue touch paper and stand well back.

This week:

- We finally find out who is wearing the 4th Beatles wig.

- What did we see in Strictly this week that we usually only see on Ru Paul’s Drag Race?

- A bit of a stats moment over Score Inflation

- Lisa turns into the embodiment of the heart-eyes emoji for Rob Rinder

- Huge appreciation for everyone who lets the joy of dance escape through their face

- Was Louise’s Argentine Tango a spectacular breakthrough moment

- Michelle brutally dismisses the ‘look at my kids’ type of training VT (although Greg’s kid = adorable)

All this, plus anticipation of the return of the giant mirrorball. And an excellent idea for a Strictly costuming program on BBC 4.

It’s Episode 11 and Halloween has sent terrifying chills down all of our spines, and not all of them are related to Ed Balls. The burning issues this week include:

- How did Louise take all the edge out of Harley Quinn?

- Would you stop your mate Becky going as a moth for Halloween?

- Is the Strictly Rule Book the sort of enchanted tome where the text flows and changes within the course of a single episode?

- We wouldn’t give up Brendan on a hoverboard for anything

- Why Harsh Craig is boring and also normal rumbas are boring

- Daisy’s Paso prompts questions about cultural appropriation

Plus, Frock of the Week is challenged by Nightie of the Week. Next week, we urge you to spare a vote for our #SaveDaisy campaign, because Greg’s bum doesn’t need all your votes.

After a weekend stricken by injury, illness and bodged lifts, we cling to our remaining celebs and pros like Lesley to Anton’s manly tango chest. In Episode 10, we ask:

- Can anyone discreetly supply us with a file entitled ‘StrictlyOfficialRules2016final.pdf’?

- Should the podcast crew be getting sidetracked by Anastacia posting nudes on twitter?

- Should Lisa be enraged by spurious Parisian theming? Michelle has a theory about a shrink ray.

- What’s better: Greg’s bum or Natalie’s legs (this is a trick question)

- Is Dawn starting a rumble with Emily over fringing?

- Will Robert Rinder come to Eurovision with us?

- Will we ever see a spontaneous, unanimous selection for Dance of the Week?

Contributors: Ellie, Dawn, Lisa and Michelle

A classic drama like Strictly Come Dancing has a pretty strong three act structure.

In Episode 9a, we have another It Takes Two Cynics discussion with Ewan Spence. We’re investigating how everything we’ve seen so far in the series has been Act One: lots of exposition, setting up the storylines, introducing characters and conflicts that culminated in last week’s mano-a-mano duel between Danny and Ore. We take a look ahead to the themes and stories we think we’ll be seeing in Act 2 - which culminates in BLACKPOOL!

In Episode of 9 of the Keep Dancing Podcast, we go off on many tangents.

- The joys of cortisone injections (stay in school, kids!)

- We ask if gold lamé is too subtle for Strictly?

- We’re getting freaked out by the infantilisation of grown adult & Olympian, Claudia.

- We wonder where you can obtain a medium sized dragon and if you break the terms of the lease by bedazzling it.

- Is Daisy’s rumba on a yacht or not?

- Are we the only ones who watch rumbas from behind the sofa? Does anybody even like the rumba?

Plus, we invite Robert Rinder to party with us in Kyiv, but only after schooling him severely about his Eurovision theming.

Contributors: Ellie, Dawn, Emily, Lisa

Got a question or comment? @keepdancingpod on twitter or [email protected]

In Episode 8, we settle down with popcorn and some slightly laboured Hollywood jokes to examine Movie Week. We’re talking about our love for Greg and Ore’s respective American Smooths (Americans Smooth? How does that pluralise?), but we also cover the more important topics like:

- Will Young Shoe Speculation

- why we’d rather see a serious, sensual rumba from Robert Rinder than Ed Balls

- is an obsessive Moulin Rouge fan on the production team ruining Movie week?

- our startling theory about the costume department’s use of Beatles wigs

Also, in our results show section, a nuanced discussion about how Laura and Tameka ended up low in the public vote. We get intersectional about it.

Contributors: Ellie, Dawn, Emily, Lisa, Michelle

Following the weekend's dramatic dance-off with no dance-off we talk to friend of the show, Ewan Spence, about what happens when live broadcasts go off-script and how controversy is not necessarily a bad thing for the show.

In Episode 7 of The Keep Dancing Podcast, we work out what Eurovision and the yellow wagtail have to do with Laura and Giovanni’s romantic waltz, get effusive about Ed Ball’s banjography and stand in solidarity with Anastacia. Plus our new regular feature ‘Ten Minutes of Bum Chat’, this week featuring Greg. In our weekly awards ceremony Ellie attempts to award Dress of the Week to a dress which technically doesn’t exist and we ask… why do we call him Judge Rinder anyway?

Contributors: Ellie, Dawn, Emily, Lisa and Michelle

In Episode 6 of the Keep Dancing Podcast we’re still reeling from the back-to-back dazzling danceathon that was the opening weekend of the Strictly season.

We’ve seen 6 cha-chas, 4 waltzes, 2 tangos, 2 jives and a Week One Paso, which we think might be a clever strategic move.

To help make sense of what we’ve just seen, we'll talk it through together. Our podcast team was: Ellie, Lisa, Michelle, Richard and Emily

In our last episode before the live shows start, we're talking to Cassie who turns Strictly into a year-round, multi-generational 360-degree whirlwind of positivity and friendship with her Strictly Support Group.

Follow her at @scd_support to join in!