Strictly Come Dancing's Final 'Hurrah' as top trio turn it on

Ore Oduba and Jo Clifton are pronounced champions, Danny and Oti send the temperature soaring, we bid Len farewell and now we’re counting down the days till … well, 6.45pm on Christmas Day.

How lovely was it to see all three dancers do all three of their dances, unlike past finals where one couple would be eliminated halfway through? Finals with four couples usually I know, but it always strikes me as unfair.

So happy days as we got to enjoy all the dancers in their glory. They weren’t all perfect, but the judges weren’t going to spoil the final by being overly picky. That’s my job.

This was the closest final in a long time, I’m sure. Ore had been in the dance off twice, Danny fell into it in the semi while Louise has consistently been a huge favourite. So the overwhelming impression is that fans were completely torn between all three couples tonight, literally deciding who to vote for on a dance-by-dance basis.

Ore and Jo reprised their Singing in the Rain American Smooth, before their I Got Rhythm showdance cemented the votes of everyone who loves a bit of ballroom smaltz (hi, mum), even though there was a lack of finesse in some of it. They finished off with a much improved jive – far less frantic and a lot more controlled than before. My head said they would win, even though my heart belonged to Danny and Oti.

I don’t think the judges did Louise and Kevin any favours with the Cha Cha instead of one of her lovely ballroom routines, as sadly she was lacking a bit of energy. Even so, it’s been a pleasure watching her dance Kevin’s wonderfully choreographed routines. Their contemporary/mix showdance was quite different to what we’ve seen from him before, and their Argentine Tango will stay on record as a classic.

The eagerly awaited quickstep was Danny and Oti’s Judge’s Pick and sadly, over-excitement and a heel-caught-in-the-frock-moment for Oti meant it wasn’t as clean as before. But we didn’t care and it was soon forgotten as their showdance set fire to the ballroom floor. Dramatic, explosive and intense and, as has been their trademark, mesmerising storytelling. That left only that samba to close the competition and a fitting finale it was indeed. I can imagine that anyone, wherever they are and whatever they’re doing, upon hearing that Sergio Mendes song begin, will involuntarily begin to bounce.

We welcomed back all the competitors, except Will Young, who’s pretty much been airbrushed out, and we got emotional as we said farewell to Len, whose Lenism’s will be sorely missed.

How do you replace the irreplaceable? Like the man himself said, Strictly is made up of a lot of cogs and they need to be well oiled to continue the momentum. The professionals gave him a beautiful send off, with a proper ‘Come Dancing’ formation ballroom dance. I for one will miss him.

So a wonderful series comes to an end. We all knock the show at times, but we wouldn’t be without it, would we? The Strictly juggernaut rolls on and I’ve a whole new library of favourite dances added to my watch list to keep me going till next year. See you then.

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