Strictly Come Dancing should put an end to theme weeks, according to Metro columnist Adam Miller, who argues that fancy dress is now taking priority over the dancing itself.
Writing after Halloween Week, Miller said the show is "just about on the right side of naff" and remains watchable, and he finds the tacky jokes from new hosts Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe "quite charming". However, he said he is struggling with the theme weeks.
Halloween Week and the judges' costumes
Last night the judges, contestants and hosts went all out for Halloween, with the exception of Josh Widdicombe, who presented the entire show in a plain green suit and was subsequently criticised by viewers on social media for looking like "he doesn't want to be there". Miller defended him, saying he does not think Widdicombe should be critiqued for his lack of enthusiasm for fancy dress.
Miller noted that so far this series there has also been Movie Week and Icons Week. He said the judges spend the entire show in suitably themed costumes and usually look "quite sensational", but taking Craig Revel Horwood seriously when he is giving feedback to a contestant dressed as Liam Gallagher is "extremely off-putting".
Mixed results for contestants
The columnist said contestants revolve their entire routine around the theme, dressed as a character that has no doubt been selected for them, as if they were not already out of their comfort zone ballroom dancing in front of millions. He cited Graeme Hall, aka The Dogfather, who opened last night's show dressed as something between Shrek and a zombie to perform a samba to Coconut, with his look, routine and the song all feeling out of sync with each other. At the other end of the scale, John Nellis and Katya Jones' tango in matching latex was "absolutely mesmerising".
Miller said the most frustrating flaw of theme weeks is watching a great routine ruined by fancy dress. He named Delta Goodrem as the victim who suffered the most, whose Viennese waltz with partner Kai Widdrington was one of the best he has seen on Strictly. He said she makes every routine feel effortless and their chemistry is possibly the strongest of any couple this series.
Delta Goodrem's waltz and the impact of themes
Goodrem performed her Viennese waltz to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers, a song closely associated with the film Ghost, particularly the moment Patrick Swayze's spirit wraps his arms around Demi Moore while she has her hands on the pottery wheel. Delta even began her routine with the pottery wheel, only she was dressed as Morticia Addams and Kai as her husband Gomez, because presumably Ghost was more appropriate for Movie Week than Halloween Week.
Miller said he firmly believes that had she worn a short black wig and white shirt dress, with Kai topless in a pair of jeans, it would have been one of the most memorable Viennese waltzes ever seen. Instead, he feels Goodrem was "done dirty" because the theme takes precedence.
Earlier this month, Icons Week also worked for some contestants better than others. It was a miracle for Shaun Wright-Phillips, who performed a James Brown medley and got to channel a singer who had clearly been in his bones from an early age, while others were visibly uncomfortable. Dame Sarah Storey left the competition that week, largely because she could not capture the spirit of Shania Twain in the video for That Don't Impress Me Much.
Repetition and the future of theme weeks
At this stage of the competition, Strictly Come Dancing is still two hours long, and the confines of Halloween Week drag on when there are still 11 couples left to dance, becoming more and more repetitive every year. Ghostbusters has now been performed four times on Strictly after Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał's tango last night, even though it is far too goofy to be repeated more than once.
Miller said that when theme weeks start to affect the performances, they have gone too far. He added that Delta will be absolutely fine, and he cannot imagine she is at risk of landing in the bottom, even with the twist tonight that will see three couples in the dance-off. He concluded that viewers have been robbed of what could have been one of the best Strictly performances of all time because the daft fancy dress has taken priority over the dancing, which is "frankly absurd".
