Stacey Dooley worthy favourite to lift glitterball trophy

BBC1, 6.30pm Saturday

It's the Strictly Come Dancing final and on Saturday night dancing ability goes out the window. Well, not quite, but the winner of the BBC's flagship entertainment show is crowned solely by public vote, meaning the best dancer does not necessarily win.

That will almost certainly be the case this season – Ashley Roberts is without doubt the most talented, but she should be having danced from a young age. Having performed professionally was always going to count against her with the public, though, and she has faced the dance-off in each of the last three weeks despite getting the highest score from the judges in eight of the 12 weeks. She is 1-2 to be eliminated first of the four finalists.

Fellow popstar Faye Tozer has faced nowhere near the same criticism, but her band Steps was comprised of singers who could dance a bit rather than a group of dancers who turned to singing. She and partner Giovanni Pernice have also wowed throughout the series, not least with their Theatre Jazz routine, part of the new couples' choice dance.

However, for many Strictly is really about the journey travelled by the non-dancers and this year in market leader Stacey Dooley and Joe Sugg the traditionalists have had two newbies to support.

YouTube star Sugg was by far the bigger surprise – the opening show group dance did not suggest big things for him - but our 4-1 tip from October is now the 9-4 second favourite and the only serious danger to the favourite.

But Dooley's sustained popularity and the bookmakers' odds suggest she will be the one to lift the glitterball trophy, having broken strongly from the gates with her popular dance partner Kevin Clifton.

Despite entering the competition as a complete novice, she clearly had an apititude for performance and has improved consistently throughout the show. She looks a worthy favourite.

Already advised
J Sugg to win series
1pt 4-1 (October 5)
F Tozer to win series
1pt 10-1 (November 24)

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