Each year the Strictly Final provides partnerships with the opportunity to reprise two of their previous routines; allowing us to see how far they have progressed over the course of the competition.

In this week’s blog we look back at the ten routines that saw an improvement of 8 (or more) points.

=8th Simon Webbe & Kristina

• When: Series 12, 2014
• Dance: Charleston
• Improvement of: 8 points (31 in Week 4; 39 in Week 13 Final)

Each of the judging panel gave Simon & Kristina an additional two points for their second Charleston performance. Given the Pearly King & Queen theming, Len said that the dance ‘was a treat for his mince pies and put a smile on his boat race’.

=8th Natalie Gumede & Artem

• When: Series 11, 2013
• Dance: Cha Cha Cha
• Improvement of: 8 points (31 in Week 1; 39 in Week 13 Final)

Out of the forty female celebrities to have performed the Cha Cha Cha in Week 1, it is Natalie who holds the highest score. Twelve weeks later, the routine was just one mark short of perfection.

=8th Abbey Clancy & Aljaz

• When: Series 11, 2013
• Dance: Waltz
• Improvement of: 8 points (32 in Week 1; 40 in Week 13 Final)

Abbey remains the only female celebrity to have topped the Week 1 Leaderboard before going on to be crowned as Series Champion. Incredibly, Abbey & Aljaz’s Waltz from the Series 11 Final is the most recent ‘perfect score’ for this particular dance style.

=5th Georgia May Foote & Giovanni

• When: Series 13, 2015
• Dance: Rumba
• Improvement of: 9 points (27 in Week 3; 36 in Week 13 Final)

Georgia & Giovanni’s repeat of their Movie week Rumba received an additional three marks from Len, who with the Bond theming, thought it was ‘Double O Heaven’.

=5th Louis Smith & Flavia

• When: Series 10, 2012
• Dance: Salsa
• Improvement of: 9 points (30 in Week 3; 39 in Week 12 Final)

Len awarded Louis & Flavia’s ‘Dirty Dancing’ Salsa an extra 4 points in the 2012 Final; saying ‘I gave you a six last time Louis; you were like a budgie. Tonight you were like an eagle.’

=5th Faye Tozer & Giovanni

• When: Series 16, 2018
• Dance: Viennese Waltz
• Improvement of: 9 points (31 in Week 2; 40 in Week 13 Final)

In the Series 16 Final, Faye & Giovanni achieved the only ‘perfect’ Viennese Waltz seen on the show in the last thirteen years.

Shirley increased her individual mark for the routine by three points, and praised Faye on how she had worked on her technique over the eleven weeks between the two performances.

=3rd Mark Wright & Karen

• When: Series 12, 2014
• Dance: Cha Cha Cha
• Improvement of: 11 points (24 in Week 1; 35 in Week 13 Final)

Mark & Karen’s Cha Cha Cha is the lowest scoring routine to be repeated again in the Final since Series 2.

Despite an impressive improvement of eleven points, this remains the only Cha Cha Cha performed in a Final (out of seven) that didn’t receive at least one ‘ten’.

=3rd Jay McGuiness & Aliona

• When: Series 13, 2015
• Dance: Quickstep
• Improvement of: 11 points (25 in Week 4; 36 in Week 13 Final)

Jay & Aliona’s initial Quickstep routine took place one week on from ‘that’ Jive. Perhaps the pressure to follow up that iconic routine took its toll, as what followed was a bit of a ‘dance disaster’.

In the second performance, Craig awarded the routine with an additional four points; saying that although it wasn’t perfect, he maintained his top line brilliantly.

=1st Caroline Flack & Pasha

• When: Series 12, 2014
• Dance: Cha Cha Cha
• Improvement of: 13 points (27 in Week 1; 40 in Week 13 Final)

Caroline & Pasha’s first attempt at the Cha Cha Cha was the opening routine performed in Week 1 of Series 12.

Twelve weeks later, their dance received four ‘tens’, and this remains the most recent ‘40’ seen on the show for this dance style.

=1st Kellie Bright & Kevin

• When: Series 13, 2015
• Dance: Tango
• Improvement of: 13 points (27 in Week 1; 40 in Week 13 Final)

One year after Caroline & Pasha opened a Series and scored 27 before earning ‘full marks’ in the Final, history repeated itself with Kevin & Kellie’s Tango.

This routine saw Kevin earn his first ever ‘40’ on Strictly, and is one of only two ‘perfect’ scores for this dance style performed in a Final (alongside Kimberley Walsh & Pasha).