Noor Nanjiculture correspondent
bbcAfter weeks of intense competition, the Strictly Come Dancing finalists are ready to hit the dance floor for the last time.
Only three couples remain of the 15 at the start of the series, with celebrities Amber Davies, George Clarke and Karen Carney vying to take the Glitterball trophy.
It is also the last time Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will host a Strictly final. The pair announced they would be stepping down at the end of the current series.
The grand final will be broadcast on Saturday from 19:00 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer.
Amber Davies says she earned her place in the final
One of the main talking points ahead of the final has been whether Amber Davies’ acting experience has given her an unfair advantage.
The Love Island star has faced backlash online with people pointing out that she had roles in West End musicals Pretty Woman, 9 to 5: The Musical and The Great Gatsby, as well as competing on series 16 of Dancing on Ice.
This week, he told BBC News and other reporters at a Strictly press conference that he could “appreciate” where the comments are coming from.
“I have experience compared to these two,” he said, pointing to the other finalists. “I’m not going to shy away from that. However, I would say that love actually eclipses hate.”
When asked if she deserved to win, the actress, who is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin, said: “I feel like I’ve worked as hard as these guys to get to the final, because I had to fight to get to the final.”
The reaction is perhaps a symptom of a wider issue on Strictly, where over the years some viewers seem to form their own judgments about contestants, regardless of what the judges think or what the overall audience vote says.
Earlier in this series Lewis Cope received criticism for having been a child actor in Billy Elliot, for example, and last year JB Gill was criticized for having previously danced in the boyband JLS.
“I can’t believe that a footballer is in the final”
And it seems many viewers value an element of surprise or beating the odds, as was the case with Strictly’s first blind contestant, Chris McCausland, who won last year.
For Karen Carney, becoming the first footballer to reach the final of Strictly Come Dancing feels “strange” but she is also “very, very proud”.
“I can’t believe that a footballer is in the final,” he said at the press conference.
The former Leona, who is partnered with Carlos Gu, said she had struggled with her confidence in recent years, but added: “I always knew in my heart that Strictly would be the thing to fix me… It’s by far the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Crown for social stars?
For social media star George Clarke, getting to this point in the contest is “mental.”
“It’s a completely different world than what I’m used to,” he said.
Another online star, AngryGinge, was recently crowned king of the jungle on this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. It opens up the possibility of two social media stars winning two of the biggest shows on television.
“I feel like it’s a whole demographic that hasn’t really been touched massively on mainstream television,” said Clarke, a partner at Alexis Warr.
Who is dancing what this week?
The finalists will perform three routines: they will review a previous routine, perform a dance performance, and then hit the floor with their favorite dance from the series.
This is what they will dance:
Amber and Nikita
- Showdance with Rain On Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
- Judges’ Choice: Paso Doble to Keep Dreaming by Aerosmith
- Favorite dance: Jive to Proud Mary
Jorge and Alexis
- Showdance to Human by The Killers
- Judge’s Choice: Viennese Waltz for Someone to Love by Queen
- Favorite dance: Paso Doble for Game of Survival by Ruelle
karen and carlos
- Showdance to Inner Smile of Texas
- Jury’s Choice: Argentine Tango with Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- Favorite dance: Jive one way or another by Blondie
Other highlights of the show will include a group routine from professional dancers and this year’s finalists.
The 2025 cast will return to the dance floor one last time for a group number, although BBC News understands Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner will not be joining in.
What time does the Strictly final start?
The grand final of Strictly Come Dancing 2025 is at 19:00 GMT this Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer.
It will also be available to watch on the live page of the BBC News website.
The live page will also have a lot of pre-show information, plus additional information about the dances, outfits, judges’ comments, and much more.
How can I vote for my favorites?
This year, Strictly has moved to online-only voting.
When voting is open, visit this website to make your decision.
As happens in every final, all of us at home have all the power to decide the winner.
The judges will give their scores, but they will be indicative only and will not be combined with the votes of the viewers.
What happened last weekend?
Warning: The following section contains spoilers for last week’s Strictly show.
Last week the level was incredibly high, as expected in a semi-final.
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin maintained their perfect score for the third week in a row, while Karen Carney’s Waltz had judge Anton Du Beke “a little excited” and George Clarke wowed the judges with his hip movement.
In the end, Balvinder Sopal and Caillon left the competition, after a dance off on Sunday night against Davies and Kuzmin.
Tess and Claudia’s last Strictly final
In October, Daly and Winkleman made a surprise announcement that they would be stepping down at the end of this year’s series.
The celebrity contestants later told me that the news took them by surprise as well. “Nobody saw it coming,” one said.
Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014, having presented Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two since 2004.
This Saturday will be the last time they host a Strictly final. Speaking on Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two last week, the pair admitted they could be feeling “emotional” after the show.
His last appearance on the show will be the Christmas special, which will air on December 25.
There have been many twists and turns in the show’s 21st year.
But the show has also been mired in controversy.
In November, it emerged that an unnamed Strictly star had been arrested on suspicion of rape. It comes after another man involved in the hit BBC dance show was also arrested on suspicion of rape in August.
It is understood that none of the developments were related to the current series of Strictly.
It came after a difficult few years for the show, with several famous former contestants speaking out about their negative experiences on Strictly.
Last year the corporation introduced new duty of care measures, including sending chaperones to rehearsals.
