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Slip-up was followed by a long pause thought to be caused by a teleprompter problem
Annabel NugentSunday 23 November 2025 09:12 GMTComments
CloseClaudia Winkleman and Tess Daly apologise for routine slip on Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool special
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Tess Daly was left awkwardly lost for words after she let something slip during Strictly Come Dancing.
The on-air mishap occurred during week nine of the BBC flagship show, which was broadcast live from the prestigious Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.
Daly was speaking to former finalists Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts and Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac in the crowd – both of whom will be performing in Sunday night’s results show (23 November) – when she slipped up and said: “We can’t wait to see you perform later on. Thank you so much for coming. Up next…”
While it is common knowledge that the Strictly results show is pre-recorded immediately after Saturday’s live show, the hosts keep up the pretence.
After her mistake, Daly stayed silent for several seconds suggesting that her teleprompter had malfunctioned. “Up next…” she said before taking a lengthy pause.
The presenter eventually forged on and continued: “We’ve had 10s from Motsi [Mabuse] and Anton [Du Beke] for the last two weeks, but can they convince Craig [Revel Horwood] and Shirley [Ballas]?”
The moment did not go unnoticed by viewers at home who quickly shared their thoughts on social media.
“Did Tess’s batteries run out or something?” one person asked, with another joking: “First human buffering I have ever seen.”
(BBC)“You can pinpoint the exact moment Tess realises she’s [messed] up by officially revealing the Sunday show isn’t live,” wrote a third person. Someone else joked: “Did Tess just fully glitch?”
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It was an action-packed episode with only six couples taking part after Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix was forced to drop out of the competition entirely because of an injury.
Lewis Cope and professional partner landed a perfect score with their Charleston to “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” by the Arctic Monkeys.
Many fans, however, thought that Karen Carney also deserved a 40 for her Paso Doble with Carlos Gu. The duo received a total score of 38.
Elsewhere, the show was rocked by a further scandal this week, when a star linked to the show was reportedly arrested on suspicion of rape. It is understood that the incident is not related to the current series
A man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken into custody over an alleged incident said to have occurred after a BBC event in 2024. The alleged victim was not a contestant or professional dancer, The Sun reported.
A BBC spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.”
You can find the updated leaderboard after Blackpool here. There will be no dance-off on Sunday (23 November) with everyone going through to the next round due to La Voix’s exit.
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