Strictly Come Dancing series 8

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its eighth series on BBC One with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. According to BARB data, this series was the consistently highest-rated of the show to date, peaking at 14.28 million viewers. Alesha Dixon, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli all returned as judges.

Five professional dancers from the last series did not return for this series: Darren Bennett, Matthew Cutler, Brian Fortuna, Lilia Kopylova, and Ian Waite. Three new professionals joined this series: Artem Chigvintsev, Jared Murillo, and Robin Windsor. For the eighth series, the set was totally revamped: the backstage room where scores were given was replaced by a tower above the dance floor so that the couples could watch as their teammates performed. During week 8, the live show was transmitted from the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower.

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to present the main show on BBC One. For the results show, Daly was joined by Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two presenter Claudia Winkleman.

The celebrities did not know their professional partners until they were introduced to each other at the launch show. The series concluded on 18 December when EastEnders actress Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev were announced as the winners, while television presenter Matt Baker and Aliona Vilani finished in second place, and psychologist Pamela Stephenson and James Jordan finished in third.

Format
The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points.

The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with Len Goodman, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote.

Couples
This series featured fourteen celebrity contestants.

Dance troupe
The members of the dance troupe included Darren Bennett & Crystal Main, Ian Waite & Aneta Piotrowska, and Shem Jacobs & Tanya Perera.

The dance troupe performed the following:
 * Launch show: Quickstep and jive, "Ballroom Blitz" — Sweet
 * Week 2: Quickstep, "Hey, Soul Sister" — Train
 * Week 5: Viennese waltz, "Never Tear Us Apart" — INXS
 * Week 6: Rock 'n' Roll, "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay" — Danny and the Juniors, "Roll Over Beethoven" — Chuck Berry & "Shake, Rattle And Roll" — Bill Haley
 * Week 7: Paso doble, "Radio" — Alesha Dixon
 * Week 10: ABBA medley ("Mamma Mia", "Lay All Your Love on Me" & "Take a Chance on Me")
 * Week 11: Paso doble, "Fire With Fire" — Scissor Sisters

Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in  with a double-dagger (‡).

Color key: • {{legend|gold|Winners}}

• {{legend|silver|Runners-up}}

• {{legend|tan|Third place}}

• {{legend|lightblue|Bottom two}}

• {{legend|#fff383|Excused from competition for the week}}

• {{legend|#f4c7b8|Eliminated}}
 * Notes

Weekly scores
Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli.

Week 1
Half of the couples performed on the first night and the other half performed on the second night. Couples performed either the cha-cha-cha or the waltz. There was no elimination this week; all scores and votes carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.


 * Night 1 (Friday)

Musical guests: Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow — "Shame"
 * Night 2 (Saturday)

Week 2
Musical guest: Robbie Williams — "Rock DJ"

Couples performed either the foxtrot or the salsa, and are listed in the order they performed.

Week 3
Musical guest: Peter Andre — "Defender"

Tina O'Brien was unable to perform due to an illness. Under the rules of the show, she was granted a bye to the following week.

Couples performed either the quickstep or the rumba, and are listed in the order they performed.

Week 4
Musical guest: Neil Diamond — "Midnight Train to Georgia"

Ian Waite filled in for Brendan Cole, who was attending his father's funeral.

Couples performed either the Charleston or the tango, and are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5: Halloween Week
Musical guest: Alice Cooper — "Poison"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 6
Musical guest: Bryan Ferry — "You Can Dance"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 7
Musical guests:
 * Annie Lennox — "Universal Child"
 * Alesha Dixon — "Radio"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 8: Blackpool Week
Musical guests:
 * Viva Elvis — "Blue Suede Shoes"
 * Duffy — "Well, Well, Well"

This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower in Blackpool, Lancashire. Couples performed either the American Smooth or the samba, and are listed in the order they performed.

Week 9
Musical guest: James Blunt — "So Far Gone"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 10: Movie Night (Quarter-final)
Musical guest: Manic Street Preachers – "Some Kind of Nothingness"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 11: Semi-final
On the first night, each couple performed one routine and then all couples participated in a swing dance marathon for additional points. On the second night, each couple performed one additional routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Night 1

Musical guests:
 * Night 2
 * Take That — "The Flood" & "Back For Good"
 * Bruce Forsyth & Lance Ellington — "The Three Little Bears"

Week 12: Final
Musical guest: Paloma Faith – "Upside Down"

During the first show, each couple performed two routines, one of which was their showdance routine, and the other of which was a reprise of their highest-scoring dance from the series. At the end of the first show, the couple was the lowest combined scores was eliminated. During the second show, each couple performed two additional routines, one of which was their favourite dance of the series. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Show 1
 * Show 2

Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
 * Week 1: One unlearned dance (cha-cha-cha or waltz)
 * Week 2: One unlearned dance (foxtrot or salsa)
 * Week 3: One unlearned dance (quickstep or rumba)
 * Week 4: One unlearned dance (Charleston or tango)
 * Weeks 5–7: One unlearned dance
 * Week 8: One unlearned dance (American Smooth or samba)
 * Weeks 9–10: One unlearned dance
 * Week 11 (Night 1): One unlearned dance & swing dance marathon
 * Week 11 (Night 2): One unlearned dance
 * Week 12 (Show 1): Highest-scoring dance of the series & showdance
 * Week 12 (Show 2): One unlearned dance & favourite dance of the series

Ratings
Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB.