So are we down to a one couple final then?

First off, I am absolutely gutted for Ali and Brian, and feeling so very sorry for Ali. One series and two injuries, poor lass. I have had a fall exactly like the one that she had, and I ended up hurting my lower back, so much so that I had to have 6 weeks of sports massage on the lower back to get me back in action. Ali must be in so much pain. And Brian looked absolutely gutted about Ali's injury. In his heart, he must know that their future in the competition is in jeopardy.

But getting back into critical mode - surely the BBC have actually got to do something to bring this series back under control. They should have acted the week Jade and Laila were both injured, but were probably too busy running around thinking of how to integrate Ronnie Corbett into the show and how to replace Mariah Carey, rather than keeping their eye on the main ball ie. putting the dance and the dancers first.

The rules this year clearly state that if a dancer is injured and medical advice is such that they should not dance, then they get a bye to the next round. The rules also state (for the first time) that the BBC reserve the right to reinstate the most recently eliminated couple, or the highest average scorer, in such circumstances, as long as this happens before the quarter or semi finals. They could of course cancel the public vote and dance off for a week, but that would mean risking a drop in ratings and having to shorten the show. Possibly a small price to pay in the circumstances.

But there has been fudge after fudge, and now we are at this point. One of the clear front runners unlikely to be able to dance this weekend, forcing the BBC to act somehow. Plus, with the introduction of Charleston and Rock and Roll, a potentially watch behind cushions show coming up. I am all for broadening the scope of SCD when it comes to getting outside experts in to do demo dances, but expecting the pros to pick up new dances, and to do them justice (leave alone the celebs) is a big ask. And at this stage at the competition? Seriously, with possibly just 4 couples dancing, there is going to be nowhere to hide, and this week could be an all time low for SCD. Producers, I hope the P45 reaches you after Christmas, not before.

And so to the mid week review, with Ryan and Jenny proving just how media friendly "our pros" have become over the course of SCD. And James Jordan, hang on in there - you are getting cross over media appeal (but best to learn from Camilla's example as to how to handle your post SCD opportunities). Also I thought that I saw a glimspe of Lana in the training footage. That is Lana as in Darren and Lana from Strictly Dance Fever 2 (they wuz robbed!). Yay!

So the training footage was rather depressing, and I didn't think it was particularly fitting for Ryan to criticise Vincent, a fellow professional dancer. It was clear, to me at least, that he was marking things through to help his celeb partner, (whose training needs he knows) as much as possible. Vincent is one of the most versatile pros on SCD, having competed in 10 dance, then diversified into show dance, then Argentine Tango, then milonga, then vals......so Ryan, zip it please.

The girls added some sparkle, if not as many belly laughs as the boys yesterday. Good to see Lisa, Heather and Cherie on the couch together, being refreshingly honest, and also obviously pleased to see each other. Claudia tried to steer the conversation to Natalie and then to Laila - and the girls were quick to steer that conversation to costuming and looks.

And the verdict? Clean sweep for Ricky Whittle.