Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been left divided over Will Mellor’s Madchester-inspired Couple’s Choice routine.
The Stockport-born actor – who is best known for his role on the BBC sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, as well as in Hollyoaks, Line of Duty, No Offence, and Broadchurch, and as Harvey Gaskell on Manchester-based ITV soap Coronation Street – and his dance partner Nancy Xu had earned themselves top spot on the leaderboard for past two weeks in a row.
But after yesterday’s semi final, they unfortunately found themselves in last place.
Many fans are saying a big part of the pair’s placing on the bottom of the leaderboard last night had to do with their Couple’s Choice routine – which was inspired by the legendary Madchester music scene.
With all competing couples performing two dances last night in the fight to make it to next week’s grand final, Mellor and Xu initially took to the floor to perform a dramatic Paso Doble, but their scores added up to be the lowest of the first round after the judges had a fair few critiques of the routine.
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It was then the pair’s turn to perform their Couple’s Choice routine – which was added to the list of dances on Strictly a couple of years back, and gives the contestants one opportunity to choose any dance style to perform, with the routines tending to have a theme and choreography inspired by something personal or meaningful to them.
Couple’s Choice routines are often some of the highest-scoring dances of the series, but this wasn’t exactly the case for Will Mellor.
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Will explained in the VT before the performance that he was inspired by the city of Manchester and the legendary Madchester music scene.
With a backdrop of a Metrolink tram stop, and the couple aptly dressed in bucket hats, Will’s Couple’s Choice routine combined his love for his hometown with his passion for 90s music, and was performed to a medley of Stone Roses and Happy Mondays songs.
Fools Gold and Step On were just two of the iconic songs the actor performed to.
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Going on to receive a score of 38, the routine went down better with the judges than their earlier Paso Doble – with Anton du Beke declaring that Will “smashed the place up,” Shirley Ballas calling it a “daddy cool dance”, and Craig Revel Horwood saying it ended up going “very well” despite being initially nervous about it.
Not only that, but Happy Mondays’ maraca-shaking hype man Bez was even in the audience on the night, and seemed pretty chuffed with the routine when the TV cameras panned over to him.
But despite the judges and Bez being pretty positive about the performance, fans on social media were a little more divided.
Lots of viewers panned the performance and labelled it “dad dancing”
Everton manager Sean Dyche randomly pops up in the music video for Blossoms’ new single – and he’s great
Danny Jones
Did anyone else think they’d ever see Sean Dyche make his acting debut in the role of a Northern crime boss in a silly little music video for the Blossoms?
No, us neither but that’s the bizarre alternate reality we’re living in, apparently.
Blossoms are currently working on the fifth studio album and have already released their lead single entitled, ‘To Do List (After The Break-Up)’, but now they have a new song out as well, with a rather amusing music video to go along with it and somehow Sean Dyche has found himself the star.
The Stockport band teased the curious collaboration in April, giving us just short glimpses of the Everton manager and former Burnley boss with very little explanation – all we know is that it looked funny and it was.
Dyche is still busy trying to finish the Premier League campaign as strong as possible after successfully navigating the Toffees to safety even in spite of their points deductions this season, but it sounds like keeping them up has given him enough time to moonlight as an actor.
Sending the indie five-piece on a mission to collect something of value (yes, that’s all the info we have at this point as the story is still to be continued), it looks like the Kettering-born coach has a larger role to play in whatever this narrative turns out to be.
Playing what can only be described as some kind of semi-Manc mafia figure on the hunt for a very valuable piece of art, i.e. a big giant gorilla statue – one that many Stopfordians spotted being lugged around various parts of the borough –
They also shared a little bit of BTS footage from the shoot for the music video last week. Some lovely head-bobbing and unassuming surroundings here:
As for the track itself, it’s a bit of stylistic change for the lads who’ve mastered their 80s-tinged indie formula over the past decade but it’s an absolute pop and is already stuck in our heads.
Revealing that they’ve collaborated with contemporary funk, disco and electronic icons Jungle on the track, it doesn’t take too long to hear the influences. Look forward to hearing it at Wythenshawe Park this summer.
You can watch the music video for ‘What Can I Say?’ and the ginger-goatee’d football manager extraordinaire in full character HERE.
He’s not the only footballing figure who’s made an entertainment crossover recently either.
Featured Images — Blossoms (via YouTube)/Virgin EMI
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KFC have launched their own perfume – oh, and a new burger
Danny Jones
Fast food giants KFC have launched their very own perfume in one of the weirdest marketing stunts we’ve seen in a long while.
That being said, we definitely want a bottle.
KFC‘s fried chicken-themed fragrance launches next month and is fashionably named ‘No 11 Eau de BBQ’, a nod to their newest menu item, the Ultimate BBQ Burger, which we also want in our possession as soon as humanly possible.
The franchise’s new signature scent launches in just a week’s time and, yes, you can genuinely buy it along with the new burger for a limited time only.
The UK-only release actually sold out when it came to pre-orders but Brits will be able to get their hands on another batch when the second lot drops on 7 May.
Promising a charcoal and smoky wood-scented aroma that immediately transports you to your mate’s back garden as he turns cheap burger patties into overly blackened dry pucks of meat that you definitely would’ve cooked better if you were in charge, the stunt is also helping raise money for non-profits.
Available in 100ml bottles and for just £11, 100% of the proceeds of every sale will go towards the KFC Foundation, which supports grassroots organisations empowering young people to unleash their potential and build a positive future in local communities across the country.
As for the burger that inspired it, the special edition menu item is a nod to BBQ season gradually approaching and they’ve even made a nod to our famously reliable British weather and its attempts to derail the art of outdoor grilling in a new advert.
KFC perfume and a new burger? Christmas has come well early this year.
The Ultimate BBQ Burger has already launched and will be on the menu until 9 June, priced at £6.49 or £9.99 for a box meal which comes with the burger, a regular mini fillet, regular fries, BBQ sauce and a drink.
And don’t worry, it’ll be available on delivery too — we know we’ve had problems with that when it comes to specials in the past.
As KFC’s No 11 Eau de BBQ perfume, you can wait in the online queue like everyone else HERE and let’s just say you’ll be fighting us and plenty of other Mancs for every last drop.