Strictly Come Dancing (series 7)
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its seventh series on 18 September 2009 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as presenters of the main show on BBC One, whilst Claudia Winkleman presented spin-off show on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood returned as judges. Series 5 winner Alesha Dixon joined the judging panel as a replacement for Arlene Phillips. Darcey Bussell was a guest judge from the quarter final onwards.
Series 6 winner Camilla Dallerup, series 4 winner Karen Hardy and Hayley Holt were replaced as professional female dancers by Aliona Vilani, Katya Virshilas and Natalie Lowe. The show on 7 November was filmed from the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for the first time since the Grand Final of series 2. Due to illness, Forsyth did not feature in the show on 14 November. As a result, Daly took over as main presenter and Ronnie Corbett was a surprise guest. Winkleman took over Daly's normal role.
The series was won by sports presenter Chris Hollins and his professional partner Ola Jordan.
Format
Each week since, 18 September 2009 to 19 December 2009. The couples dance a new routine hoping to impress judges: Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli. Each judge reviews the performance and then give a mark out of 10, giving the maximum score to 40. Once everyone has performed, they are ranked on the judges' leaderboard. So, for example if 10 couples were dancing: The highest scoring couple/joint highest scoring couple receives 10 points. The lowest scoring couple will be getting one point.Couples
There were 16 couples in this series.| Celebrity | Known for | Professional partner | Status |
| Martina Hingis | Professional tennis player | Matthew Cutler | Eliminated 1st on 19 September 2009 |
| Richard Dunwoody | Former horse racing jockey | Lilia Kopylova | Eliminated 2nd on 26 September 2009 |
| Rav Wilding | Crimewatch presenter | Aliona Vilani | Eliminated 3rd on 3 October 2009 |
| Lynda Bellingham | Actress & television presenter | Darren Bennett | Eliminated 4th on 10 October 2009 |
| Joe Calzaghe | Retired professional boxer | Kristina Rihanoff | Eliminated 5th on 17 October 2009 |
| Jo Wood | Model & entrepreneur | Brendan Cole | Eliminated 6th on 24 October 2009 |
| Zöe Lucker | Footballer's Wives actress | James Jordan | Eliminated 7th on 31 October 2009 |
| Craig Kelly | Coronation Street actor | Flavia Cacace | Eliminated 8th on 7 November 2009 |
| Phil Tufnell | Former England cricketer | Katya Virshilas | Eliminated 9th on 14 November 2009 |
| Jade Johnson | Olympic long jumper | Ian Waite | Withdrew on 21 November 2009 |
| Ricky Groves | Former EastEnders actor | Erin Boag | Eliminated 10th on 21 November 2009 |
| Natalie Cassidy | Former EastEnders actress | Vincent Simone | Eliminated 11th on 28 November 2009 |
| Laila Rouass | Footballer's Wives actress | Anton du Beke | Eliminated 12th on 5 December 2009 |
| Ali Bastian | The Bill & former Hollyoaks actress | Brian Fortuna | Third place on 12 December 2009 |
| Ricky Whittle | Hollyoaks actor | Natalie Lowe | Second place on 19 December 2009 |
| Chris Hollins | BBC Breakfast sports presenter | Ola Jordan | Winners on 19 December 2009 |
Scoring chart
Average chart
This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 40-points scale| Rank by average | Place | Couple | Total | Number of dances | Average |
| 1 | 2 | Ricky W. & Natalie | 682 | 19 | 35.9 |
| 2 | 3 | Ali & Brian | 512 | 15 | 34.1 |
| 3 | 10 | Zöe & James | 220 | 7 | 31.4 |
| 4 | 1 | Chris & Ola | 589 | 19 | 31.0 |
| 5 | 7 | Jade & Ian | 247 | 8 | 30.9 |
| 6 | 5 | Natalie & Vincent | 310 | 11 | 28.2 |
| 7 | 4 | Laila & Anton | 362 | 13 | 27.8 |
| 8 | 8 | Phil & Katya | 240 | 9 | 26.7 |
| 9 | 6 | Ricky G. & Erin | 258 | 10 | 25.8 |
| 10 | 13 | Lynda & Darren | 93 | 4 | 23.3 |
| 11 | 16 | Martina & Matthew | 46 | 2 | 23.0 |
| 12 | 9 | Craig & Flavia | 168 | 8 | 21.0 |
| 13 | 14 | Rav & Aliona | 61 | 3 | 20.3 |
| 14 | 15 | Richard & Lilia | 38 | 2 | 19.0 |
| 15 | 11 | Jo & Brendan | 113 | 6 | 18.8 |
| 16 | 12 | Joe & Kristina | 92 | 5 | 18.4 |
Highest and lowest scoring performances of the series
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' scores are as follows:| Dance | Best dancer | Best score | Worst dancer | Worst score |
| American Smooth | Ali Bastian | 40 | Laila Rouass | 27 |
| Argentine Tango | Ricky Whittle | 39 | Ali Bastian Chris Hollins | 34 |
| Cha Cha Cha | Ricky Whittle | 38 | Joe Calzaghe | 16 |
| Charleston | Chris Hollins | 40 | Laila Rouass | 31 |
| Foxtrot | Ricky Whittle | 39 | Joe Calzaghe Jo Wood | 20 |
| Group Viennese Waltz | Ali Bastian | 10 | Natalie Cassidy Chris Hollins | 7 |
| Jive | Ricky Whittle | 35 | Craig Kelly | 20 |
| Lindy Hop | Chris Hollins Ricky Whittle | 35 | __ | __ |
| Paso Doble | Ricky Whittle | 35 | Joe Calzaghe | 19 |
| Quickstep | Ricky Whittle | 40 | Rav Wilding | 20 |
| Rock 'n' Roll | Ricky Whittle | 31 | Natalie Cassidy | 26 |
| Rumba | Ricky Whittle | 32 | Jo Wood | 18 |
| Salsa | Ali Bastian Ricky Whittle | 32 | Laila Rouass | 21 |
| Samba | Ali Bastian | 35 | Jo Wood | 14 |
| Showdance | Ricky Whittle | 40 | Chris Hollins | 37 |
| Tango | Ricky Whittle | 35 | Joe Calzaghe | 16 |
| Viennese Waltz | Ali Bastian | 40 | Jo Wood | 23 |
| Waltz | Ricky Whittle | 38 | Richard Dunwoody | 19 |
Ricky Groves, Phil Tufnell, Zoe Lucker, Lynda Bellingham, Martina Hingis and Jade Johnson are the only celebrities to not land on this list.
Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances
| Couples | Highest Scoring Dances | Lowest Scoring Dances |
| Chris & Ola | Charleston | Jive |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | Quickstep Showdance | Rock 'n' Roll |
| Ali & Brian | Viennese Waltz American Smooth | Jive |
| Laila & Anton | Foxtrot | Salsa |
| Natalie & Vincent | Foxtrot | Tango |
| Ricky G. & Erin | Paso Doble American Smooth Viennese Waltz | Waltz |
| Jade & Ian | Viennese Waltz Foxtrot | Waltz |
| Phil & Katya | American Smooth | Cha-Cha-Cha |
| Craig & Flavia | Foxtrot Waltz | Cha-Cha-Cha |
| Zöe & James | Foxtrot American Smooth | Waltz Jive |
| Jo & Brendan | Viennese Waltz | Samba |
| Joe & Kristina | Jive | Tango Cha-Cha-Cha |
| Lynda & Darren | Paso Doble | Tango |
| Rav & Aliona | Rumba | Tango |
| Richard & Lilia | Waltz Cha-Cha-Cha | Waltz Cha-Cha-Cha |
| Martina & Matthew | Rumba | Waltz |
Weekly scores and songs
Unless indicated othwise, individual judges scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli.Week 1
- Musical guest: Katherine Jenkins—"I Believe"
Night 1 – Ballroom
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music |
| Rav & Aliona | 19 | Tango | "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing"—Chris Isaak |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 21 | Waltz | "What'll I Do"—Irving Berlin |
| Chris & Ola | 26 | Tango | "Sharp Dressed Man"—ZZ Top |
| Jade & Ian | 25 | Waltz | "Weekend in New England"—Barry Manilow |
| Martina & Matthew | 22 | Waltz | "Jesse"—Roberta Flack |
| Lynda & Darren | 21 | Tango | "Under Pressure"—Queen & David Bowie |
| Ali & Brian | 30 | Waltz | "Reach Out and Touch "—Diana Ross |
| Joe & Kristina | 16 | Tango | "Cite Tango"—Ástor Piazzolla |
Night 2 – Latin
;Running order| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Jade & Ian | 27 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Ain't No Other Man"—Christina Aguilera | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 30 | Rumba | "That's What Friends Are For"—Dionne Warwick | Safe |
| Lynda & Darren | 23 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"—Elton John and Kiki Dee | Safe |
| Rav & Aliona | 22 | Rumba | "Temptation"—Tom Waits | Bottom two |
| Chris & Ola | 30 | Rumba | "Don't Know Much"—Linda Ronstadt | Safe |
| Joe & Kristina | 16 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Chain of Fools"—Aretha Franklin | Safe |
| Martina & Matthew | 24 | Rumba | "Alone"—Heart | Eliminated |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 26 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Jump "—The Pointer Sisters | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Martina & Matthew
- Dixon: Martina & Matthew
- Tonioli: Rav & Aliona
- Goodman: Rav & Aliona
Week 2
- Musical guest: Jamie Cullum—"I'm All Over It"
Night 1 – Ballroom
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music |
| Natalie & Vincent | 24 | Tango | "Spider of the Night"—Pedro Manilla |
| Zöe & James | 30 | Waltz | "Some Day My Prince Will Come"—Adriana Caselotti |
| Craig & Flavia | 22 | Tango | "Jai Ho"—Pussycat Dolls |
| Richard & Lilia | 19 | Waltz | "Truly"—Lionel Richie |
| Laila & Anton | 30 | Tango | "El Choclo"—Ángel Villoldo |
| Phil & Katya | 29 | Waltz | "Sam"—Olivia Newton-John |
| Jo & Brendan | 18 | Tango | "Let's Dance"—David Bowie |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 33 | Waltz | "It Is You "—Dana Glover |
Night 2 – Latin
;Running order| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Phil & Katya | 22 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Daddy"—Della Reese | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 22 | Rumba | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"—Amy Winehouse | Bottom two |
| Laila & Anton | 25 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Sway"—Rosemary Clooney | Safe |
| Zöe & James | 31 | Rumba | "Out of Reach"—Gabrielle | Safe |
| Jo & Brendan | 18 | Rumba | "Fallen"—Lauren Wood | Safe |
| Richard & Lilia | 19 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "I'm Your Man"—Wham! | Eliminated |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 32 | Rumba | "Stepping Stone"—Duffy | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 26 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Bang Bang"—David Sanborn | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Craig & Flavia
- Dixon: Craig & Flavia
- Tonioli: Craig & Flavia
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Richard & Lilia.
Week 3
- Musical guest: Andy Williams—"Moon River"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ali & Brian | 32 | Quickstep | "I Get a Kick Out of You"—Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Lynda & Darren | 25 | Paso Doble | "Devil Woman"—Cliff Richard | Bottom two |
| Chris & Ola | 23 | Quickstep | "Dancin' Fool"—Barry Manilow | Safe |
| Zöe & James | 31 | Paso Doble | "You've Got the Love"—Florence and the Machine | Safe |
| Rav & Aliona | 20 | Quickstep | "We Go Together"—John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | Eliminated |
| Natalie & Vincent | 28 | Paso Doble | "Malagueña"—Connie Francis | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 21 | Quickstep | "Peroxide Swing"—Michael Bublé | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 35 | Paso Doble | "Spanish Gypsy Dance"—Pascual Marquina Narro | Safe |
| Jade & Ian | 31 | Quickstep | "Fascination"—Alphabeat | Safe |
| Joe & Kristina | 19 | Paso Doble | "Livin' on a Prayer"—Bon Jovi | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 30 | Quickstep | "Strike Up the Band"—Tony Bennett | Safe |
| Jo & Brendan | 20 | Paso Doble | "Because the Night"—Patti Smith | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 24 | Quickstep | "Put on a Happy Face"—Tony Bennett | Safe |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 29 | Paso Doble | "One Vision"—Queen | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Lynda & Darren
- Dixon: Lynda & Darren
- Tonioli: Lynda & Darren
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Lynda & Darren.
Week 4
- Musical guest: Dionne Bromfield—"Mama Said"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Zöe & James | 33 | Foxtrot | "This Will Be "—Natalie Cole | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 25 | Salsa | "Micaela"—King Bongo | Safe |
| Lynda & Darren | 24 | Foxtrot | "Calendar Girl"—Neil Sedaka | Eliminated |
| Ali & Brian | 32 | Salsa | "Quimbara"—Celia Cruz | Safe |
| Jo & Brendan | 20 | Foxtrot | "Crazy"—Patsy Cline | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 29 | Salsa | "You'll Be Mine "—Gloria Estefan | Safe |
| Joe & Kristina | 20 | Foxtrot | "Feeling Good"—Michael Bublé | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 34 | Foxtrot | "Just in Time"—Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 32 | Salsa | "Dancing Machine"—The Jackson Five | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 24 | Foxtrot | "Sometimes When We Touch"—Dan Hill | Bottom two |
| Jade & Ian | 29 | Salsa | "La Isla Bonita"—Anna Book | Safe |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 28 | Foxtrot | "All of Me"—Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 24 | Salsa | "Long Train Runnin'"—Doobie Brothers | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Lynda & Darren
- Dixon: Lynda & Darren
- Tonioli: Craig & Flavia
- Goodman: Craig & Flavia
Week 5
- Musical guest: Spandau Ballet—"Gold"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 25 | Jive | "The Boy from New York City"—The Manhattan Transfer | Safe |
| Jade & Ian | 35 | Viennese Waltz | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"—James Brown | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 29 | Jive | "Tutti Frutti"—Little Richard | Safe |
| Jo & Brendan | 23 | Viennese Waltz | "Trouble"—Ray LaMontagne | Safe |
| Zöe & James | 30 | Jive | "Tainted Love"—Gloria Jones | Bottom two |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 36 | Viennese Waltz | "How Can I Be Sure"—David Cassidy | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 20 | Jive | "It Takes Two"—Marvin Gaye | Safe |
| Joe & Kristina | 21 | Jive | "Rock This Town"—Stray Cats | Eliminated |
| Natalie & Vincent | 27 | Viennese Waltz | "At Last"—Etta James | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 22 | Jive | "Modern Love"—David Bowie | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 27 | Viennese Waltz | "Mad About the Boy"—Dinah Washington | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 22 | Jive | "Roll Over Beethoven"—Chuck Berry | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Zöe & James
- Dixon: Zöe & James
- Tonioli: Zöe & James
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zöe & James.
Week 6
- Musical guest: Harry Connick, Jr.—"The Way You Look Tonight"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Jade & Ian | 32 | Samba | "Independent Women"—Destiny's Child | Bottom two |
| Chris & Ola | 28 | American Smooth | "Jimmy Mack"—Martha Reeves and the Vandellas | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 25 | Samba | "Daddy Cool"—Boney M. | Safe |
| Zöe & James | 33 | American Smooth | "My Girl"—The Temptations | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 18 | Samba | "Give It Up"—KC & The Sunshine Band | Safe |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 29 | American Smooth | "Chim Chim Cher-ee"—Cliff Richard | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 32 | Samba | "Good Lovin'"—The Young Rascals | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 29 | American Smooth | "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone"—Dean Martin | Safe |
| Jo & Brendan | 14 | Samba | "Superstition"—Stevie Wonder | Eliminated |
| Ali & Brian | 37 | American Smooth | "A Foggy Day in London Town"—Michael Bublé | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 28 | Samba | "He's the Greatest Dancer"—Sister Sledge | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Jade & Ian
- Dixon: Jade & Ian
- Tonioli: Jade & Ian
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Jade & Ian.
Week 7
- Musical guest: Bee Gees—"You Should Be Dancing"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Natalie & Vincent | 30 | Jive | "Good Golly Miss Molly"—Little Richard | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 33 | Paso Doble | "El Gato Montes"—Ramon Cortez Pasodoble Orchestra | Bottom two |
| Craig & Flavia | 24 | Waltz | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"—Elton John | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 29 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Shake Your Groove Thing"—Peaches & Herb | Safe |
| Jade & Ian | 35 | Foxtrot | "A Recipe for Making Love"—Harry Connick, Jr. | Safe |
| Zöe & James | 32 | Samba | "Boogie Nights"—Heatwave | Eliminated |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 24 | Rumba | "Licence To Kill"—Gladys Knight | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 33 | Viennese Waltz | "Once Around the Block"—Badly Drawn Boy | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 30 | Tango | "Back to Black"—Amy Winehouse | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 39 | Quickstep | "Down With Love"—Holly Palmer and Michael Bublé | Safe |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Ali & Brian
- Dixon: Zöe & James
- Tonioli: Ali & Brian
- Goodman: Ali & Brian
Week 8: Blackpool">Tower Ballroom, Blackpool">Blackpool Week
- Musical guest: Rod Stewart—"It's the Same Old Song"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 35 | Tango | "You Really Got Me"—The Kinks | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 31 | Quickstep | "Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano"—Fiorello | Safe |
| Jade & Ian | 33 | Jive | "Flip, Flop, Fly"—The Blues Brothers | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 40 | Viennese Waltz | "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"—Etta James | Safe |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 25 | Salsa | "Acuyuye"—D.L.G | Bottom two |
| Laila & Anton | 30 | Paso Doble | "Layla"—Derek and the Dominos | Safe |
| Phil & Katya | 28 | Rumba | "Maybe I'm Amazed"—Paul McCartney | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 34 | Foxtrot | "I Could Have Danced All Night"—Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Craig & Flavia | 17 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Easy Lover"—Phil Collins | Eliminated |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Ricky G. & Erin
- Dixon: Ricky G. & Erin
- Tonioli: Ricky G. & Erin
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky G. & Erin.
Week 9
- Musical guest: Cast of Jersey Boys—"Beggin'"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Phil & Katya | 31 | American Smooth | "Come Fly with Me"—Frank Sinatra | Eliminated |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 35 | Jive | "Rip It Up"—Little Richard | Safe |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 29 | Viennese Waltz | "Nights in White Satin"—The Moody Blues | Bottom two |
| Chris & Ola | 30 | Paso Doble | "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"—The Darkness | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 22 | Rumba | "Rule the World"—Take That | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 34 | Foxtrot | "Magic Moments"—Perry Como | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 35 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "I Gotta Feeling"—The Black Eyed Peas | Safe |
| Jade & Ian | Did not perform | Tango | "A View to a Kill"—Duran Duran | Injured |
- Jade picked up an injury during dress rehearsal and was unable to perform on the live show. However, she performed it in the final when she recovered from injury.
- Laila only performed half of her Rumba due to an injury backstage. The judges scored the dance just on what they saw.
- Bruce Forsyth did not attend the live show due to influenza. Ronnie Corbett stepped in as guest host.
- Revel Horwood: Ricky G. & Erin
- Dixon: Phil & Katya
- Tonioli: Phil & Katya
- Goodman: Ricky G. & Erin
Week 10
;Running order
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ali & Brian | 35 | Foxtrot | "Haven't Met You Yet"—Michael Bublé | Safe |
| Natalie & Vincent | 26 | Samba | "Holiday"—Madonna | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 29 | Viennese Waltz | "A New Day Has Come"—Celine Dion | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 36 | American Smooth | "Over the Rainbow"—Eva Cassidy | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 29 | Waltz | "Fascination"—Nat King Cole | Bottom two |
| Ricky G. & Erin | 22 | Tango | "U Got the Look"—Prince | Eliminated |
| Jade & Ian | Did not perform | Rumba | No song confirmed as not performed | Withdrawn |
- Jade Johnson and her partner Ian Waite had to withdraw from the competition due to a number of weeks not being able to perform due to an ankle injury.
- Revel Horwood: Laila & Anton
- Dixon: Laila & Anton
- Tonioli: Laila & Anton
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Laila & Anton.
Week 11
- Musical guests: James Morrison and Nelly Furtado—"Broken Strings"
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Dixon: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Tonioli: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie.
Week 12: Quarter-final
- Musical guest: Bette Midler—"The Rose"
;Running order
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ali & Brian | 42 | Tango | "Born to Be Wild"—Steppenwolf | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 44 | Samba | "Change"—Daniel Merriweather | Safe |
| Laila & Anton | 33 | American Smooth | "My Kind of Girl"—Matt Monro | Eliminated |
| Laila & Anton | 26 | Salsa | "Cogele el Gusto"—Wayne Gorbea | Eliminated |
| Chris & Ola | 41 | Waltz | "At This Moment"—Billy Vera and the Beaters | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 39 | Samba | "Cuba"—Gibson Brothers | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 48 | Foxtrot | "Too Marvelous for Words"—Frank Sinatra | Bottom two |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 47 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Sunshine of Your Love"—Spanky Wilson | Bottom two |
;Judges' votes to save
- Revel Horwood: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Bussell: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Dixon: Ricky W. & Natalie
- Tonioli: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie.
- Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ricky W. & Natalie.
Week 13: Semi-final
- Musical guest: Lily Allen—"Not Fair"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chris & Ola | 38 | Rumba | "Total Eclipse of the Heart"—Bonnie Tyler | Safe |
| Chris & Ola | 42 | Argentine Tango | "Bust Your Windows"—Jazmine Sullivan | Safe |
| Ali & Brian | 42 | Argentine Tango | "Pa Bailar"—Bajofondo Tango Club | Third place |
| Ali & Brian | 50 | American Smooth | "Come Dance with Me"—Frank Sinatra | Third place |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 47 | Waltz | "Kissing You"—Des'ree | Safe |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 49 | Argentine Tango | "Verano Porteno"—Ástor Piazzolla | Safe |
Week 14: Final
- Musical guests: Alesha Dixon and Bruce Forsyth—"Something's Gotta Give"
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 50 | Quickstep | "Down with Love"—Holly Palmer and Michael Bublé |
| Chris & Ola | 46 | Foxtrot | "I Could Have Danced All Night"—Frank Sinatra |
| Chris & Ola | 44 | Lindy Hop | "Sing, Sing, Sing"—Louis Prima |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 43 | Lindy Hop | "Sing, Sing, Sing"—Louis Prima |
;Running order
| Couple | Score | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chris & Ola | 50 | Charleston | "Fat Sam's Grand Slam"—Bugsy Malone | Winner |
| Chris & Ola | 46 | Showdance | "Do You Love Me"—The Contours | Winner |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 48 | Cha-Cha-Cha | "Sunshine of Your Love"—Spanky Wilson | Runner-up |
| Ricky W. & Natalie | 49 | Showdance | "Last Dance"—Donna Summer | Runner-up |
Dance chart
- Week 1 – Cha-Cha-Cha or Rumba, and Tango or Waltz, Group Merengue
- Week 2 – Cha-Cha-Cha or Rumba, and Tango or Waltz, Group Merengue
- Week 3 – Paso Doble or Quickstep
- Week 4 – Salsa or Foxtrot
- Week 5 – Jive or Viennese Waltz
- Week 6 – Samba or American Smooth
- Weeks 7–10 – One unlearned dance
- Weeks 11 – Charleston or Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Group Viennese Waltz
- Week 12 – Two unlearned dances
- Week 13 – Judge's choice of dance and Argentine Tango
- Week 14 – Highest-scoring ballroom, Group Lindyhop, highest-scoring Latin, Freestyle Showdance
TV ratings
| Week | Show | Rating | Rank for BBC1 | Rank for all UK TV |
| 1 | 18 September | 8.92 | 2 | 6 |
| 1 | 19 September | 8.43 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | 25 September | 8.10 | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | 26 September | 8.68 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 3 October | 9.06 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | 10 October | 8.82 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | 17 October | 8.44 | 4 | 11 |
| 6 | 24 October | 8.88 | 5 | 12 |
| 7 | 31 October | 9.14 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | 7 November | 9.46 | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | 14 November | 10.10 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 21 November | 9.59 | 3 | 11 |
| 11 | 28 November | 9.73 | 1 | 6 |
| 12 | 5 December | 9.43 | 1 | 7 |
| 13 | 12 December Dance Show | 8.94 | 2 | 8 |
| 13 | 12 December Results Show | 8.47 | 4 | 12 |
| 14 | 19 December Dance Show | 10.50 | 2 | 2 |
| 14 | 19 December Results Show | 11.29 | 1 | 1 |
In September 2009 Strictly Come Dancing earned a place in Guinness World Records as "most successful reality television format", with licensing rights sold to broadcasters in 38 countries. Nonetheless, the sixth series' audiences had suffered as a result of direct clashes with ITV rival The X Factor. The BBC's decision in August 2009 to screen the seventh series on Saturday nights only was partly an attempt to reduce conflict with the rival talent show, as ITV had hinted that The X Factor's results show would be broadcast on Sunday evening. Sources at the BBC described the move as "better for the viewers... people at home lose out if things are competing against one another... We wanted to make Strictly Come Dancing an unmissable TV event".
However, the BBC still came under intense criticism when the extended Saturday show, initially running from 7–9pm, clashed almost entirely with The X Factor's main show. ITV sources accused the BBC of "effectively splitting the audience". Writing in The Guardian George Dixon, head of scheduling for BBC One, argued that "the ability of viewers to see programmes again, whether via personal video recorders like Sky+, online catch-up services including iPlayer or on channels such as E4 or ITV2, the notion of 'forcing' viewers to watch... outdated", adding that "There are around seven repeats of The X Factor on ITV1 and ITV2 each week".
The scheduling conflict ended with The X Factor securing a higher audience throughout the series. On 22 October 2009, the BBC rescheduled the Saturday show, now down to eight contestants, so that the overlap between the two programs was only 45 minutes. The BBC denied that the move was in direct response to the success of its ITV rival, saying instead that the move was to accommodate a new series with impressionist Jon Culshaw. Strictly Come Dancing's runtime, previously fixed at two hours, was also expected to decrease as contestants were progressively eliminated, leading to a further reduction in overlap.