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.
Will Mellor doing a Madchester routine in front of Bez is the Strictly content I never knew I wanted
Will Mellor, thank you for bringing the Madchester scene to Strictly. You've made me so happy. I'm even happy tomorrow's Monday 🙂 #Strictly#SCD#StrictlyComeDancing
Just as I was starting to find Will Mellor annoying he’s done a Manc Lad medley by a tram stop and a Northern Quarter mural and won me over again #twistingmymelon#Strictly
Lee Rigby’s son is raising tens of thousands for charity in honour of his dad
Danny Jones
Jack Rigby, the son of soldier Lee Rigby, is raising an absolutely huge amount of money for charity in memory of his father.
Rigby, a former Royal Fusilier who served in Afghanistan for three years, was tragically murdered by extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale outside the Woolwich Barracks in May 2013 and now, over a decade after his death, his son is hoping to raise as much as possible in his honour.
His dad was 25 when he was killed and Jack himself was only two-years-old at the time. Now 13, the inspiring young man set out on his fundraising journey earlier this year, completing a marathon on behalf of Scotty’s Little Soldiers back in May, a military bereavement charity.
Setting himself the goal of reaching the ‘Scotty’s March’ £10k target — i.e. hoping to raise a £1,000 for each year since his passing — Jack and his family have been blown after the fundraiser has already amassed over £55k in donations.
Thank you to @DailyMirror for helping Scotty Member Jack Rigby to boost his fundraising for other bereaved military children just like him. https://t.co/qNnMgcCF9a
With the goalposts now being moved to £60,000 after Jack and his mum Rebecca’s efforts have led to nearly £55k in contributions to the specialised bereavement organisation to support grieving military children and young people up to the age of 25.
Writing in his post when the fundraiser was first set up, Jack said, “This year marked the 10-year anniversary, it’s never easy but this year felt even harder for some reason. To help me through this year I have been concentrating on raising funds and awareness for Scotty’s Little Soldiers…
“This [has] really helped me to concentrate on something positive at a very difficult time while helping this amazing charity“, an intitiave he has been a part ever since he was a young child, adding that he named his dog Scotty in tribute to their important work for military families across the UK.
It was only earlier this year that the teenager spoke out about his father for the first time having already smashed his fundraising target before he had even run his marathon.
Speaking in an exclusive with the Mirror, who have decided to double his total donations to £100,000 as part of a Pride of Britain GoFundMe campaign, Jack says that the “It helps to know [he’s] not the only one in [his] situation and that there’s people [he] can reach out and talk to”.
As for mum, she said: “Jack was so excited to see the amount grow and seeing how much each donation made him smile meant the world to me. He and I read all the messages of support and were thankful for them all. We honestly couldn’t believe how kind and generous people were being.”
Featured Image — Gov.uk/Jack Rigby (via Scotty’s Little Soldiers)
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You can now stay at Shrek’s Swamp on Airbnb — yes, really
Danny Jones
Are you a Dreamworks fan or perhaps an onion/ogre enthusiast? Well, you can now book to stay at Shrek’s Swamp in a land far, far away… and it’s completely free!
‘What are you doing in my swamp?!’ is something that Shrek may roar at you as you lay your weary head in his humble abode this autumn but now, thanks to Airbnb, you’re actually welcome to stay there.
So, if you’re thinking of treating yourself to a getaway, forget the romantic vistas of Rome, say nay to the breathtaking views of the Amalfi Coast and revel in the mud-laden, moss-covered surroundings of Shrek’s very own swamp instead.
For those looking to live out their swampiest childhood fairytale dreams, Airbnb is giving you the opportunity to escape to the Scottish Highlands and embrace your ogre-like tendencies.
Credit: Airbnb
Bookings for this special stay open on Friday, 13 October at 6pm and, if you’re lucky, up to three of you will be picked to enjoy a two-night swamp stay at absolutely no cost to yourselves from 27-29 October. A nice pre-Halloween treat.
You’ll need to make sure you have a good rating on Airbnb to stand a chance of being chosen and, if you are, you can expect the following:
To relax in the ambience of ‘earwax candlelight’
Kick your feet up with a parfait (everybody likes a parfait!)
Swap stories around the fire until late in the night
Enjoy a stack of freshly made waffles in the morning
And, of course, enjoy the ultimate privacy of Shrek’s trusted outhouse (you know the one)
The Airbnb website also states: “To honour good childhood memories that last a lifetime, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to HopScotch Children’s Charity, which provides some of Scotland’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children with respite breaks through nurturing and dynamic holiday trips.”
Guests must also note that the shower and toilet facilities are located 20 metres away from the swamp and that those chosen to stay must make their own travel arrangements to and from Scotland.
Might we suggest a fairytale-style horse and carriage shaped like an onion? No reason…
To find out more and to place your booking on 13 October, visit the Shrek Swamp listing on Airbnb.
Emily Sergeant -
12th December 2022 
