Is Strictly just a load of old Balls this year?

I am, and always have been, a massive fan of Strictly Come Dancing. What’s not to love? In this mad world we live in, with such terrible events happening almost daily it seems, Strictly gives us a fabulous ninety minutes of escapism every Saturday night – it is joyful and entertaining. Wonderful music, sparkly and glittery beautiful costumes, and a fair amount of comedy too. Every year there is a contestant who might not be the best dancer but their ability to entertain us none the less is certainly not in question. I refer, of course, this year to Ed Balls. Who would have known that this somewhat stiff and starchy previous politician had such a huge ability to entertain? I didn’t see that coming!

At the beginning of the series he looked more like a fish out of water than anyone I can think of. To say that this guy was completely out of his comfort zone is something of an understatement, and if I am completely honest I watched his first few routines without my glasses on. It was less uncomfortable to watch if the screen was blurred! But then something happened, a couple of weeks ago, he got his steps right, his timing appeared spot on, he found his rhythm – it all seemed to be coming together for Ed. And then to cap it all he blew us away with his Gangnam Style routine didn’t he. He is a born entertainer and by God he is giving it his all. He has no previous experience, unlike the majority of the other participants, but he isn’t going to let that stop him. I know the judges, particularly Craig, are scoring him low but the public vote is keeping him in, and long may it continue. I would love to see him in the final, after all this is a show about people who can’t dance learning to dance and he has learnt so much, and he HAS improved beyond measure.

My Mom obviously isn’t the only person voting for him every Saturday night that’s for sure. I just wish we could vote for the professionals – it would be Aljaz for me every week 🙂

If you love the whole Strictly concept, not just Ed, you can continue enjoying the experience during the year while it’s not on TV while cruising with P&O. On four carefully selected sailings next year some of the professionals, along with the ever cheerful Craig Revel Horwood, will be on board, giving dance lessons to passengers who will also have the chance to take part in a real live ‘show’. I must warn you though, feedback from clients is that he isn’t any less harsh with cruisers than he is with celebrities on a Saturday night – you have been warned! Don’t expect an easy ride just because you are on holiday.

The following are P&O’s Strictly Themed cruises for 2017 and if you would like more information about any of them please contact me on 0800 408 6084 or email me at [email protected] and I will be delighted to chat to you about them.

For now, big up the Ed Balls Massive, and happy cruising folks!