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I'm hoping for a Carol v Kirsty dance off and Carol going.

This week's dances and songs: Anita & Gleb - Waltz to "Once Upon a Dream" by Lana Del Rey Carol & Pasha - Rumba to "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family Georgia & Giovanni - Tango to "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. Jamelia & Tristan - Jive to "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show Jay & Aliona - American Smooth to "Lil Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs Jeremy & Karen - Salsa to "Thriller" by Michael Jackson Helen & Aljaz - Samba to "Take Your Mama" by Scissor Sisters Katie & Anton - Paso Doble to "The Phantom of the Opera" by Steve Harley and Sarah Brightman Kellie & Kevin - Paso Doble to "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and the Glee version of "School's Out" Kirsty & Brendan - Charleston to "Bad Romance" by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox Peter & Janette - Foxtrot to "Ghost" by Ella Henderson http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlycomedancing/entries/15b788cc-78f7-434d-a7e5-1152c551dcc8 And the playlist for all the songs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/playlists/zzzzhg This week in training http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlycomedancing/entries/9cf793d5-910e-47a4-9d38-fe6bb7972dfe

Yes, you would see those on most "Full English Breakfast" menus. (Or Scottish or Irish..). Black pudding is also fairly common. Fill your arteries with this... http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01674/SNF16BREK---620_1674278a.jpg (No potatoes - sacrilege!)

Can you buy brown sauce in the US, DHDancer? (Has to be HP, of course..). If I eat cooked breakfast, then it has to be savory. Veggie's version would be fried eggs (runny yolks), beans, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and a potato element (chips, sautéed, hash browns or bubble and squeak). I agree about the deliciousness of good fried bread, but don't eat it these days, even though bacon fat still smells as yummy as when I gave all that stuff up 30 years ago. It's always bacon that gets us veggies! Is French Toast sweet then? Like pain perdu, perhaps? I think of that as dessert. I eat 'eggy bread' as a snack when there's nothing in the house or I don't want to cook, but it's just bread soaked in eggs and fried in butter with some salt and pepper. Lots of friends give it to their little ones, too, but not necessarily as breakfast food.

Naughty Bruno!Georgia's disco-salsa was enjoyable, and she can certainly move her body, but getting into and out of the lifts broke the flow. Objectively I think she may be the most rounded of the women - good at both Latin and ballroom - but something falls short that I can't put my finger on. Not a Peter fan at all, but think he did okay with rumba. I got what the judges were saying about the dynamics being off and falling back on 'pop' dancing habits. Overall I find his dancing too aggressive, so softening for the rumba was a challenge he (mostly) met. Jeremy, I love you. Please stay long enough to have one glorious dance. Just the one would be super! Jamelia's foxtrot was all kinds of frustrating. Started so well and fell apart. What's happening in her head is hobbling her and she doesn't have Carol's popularity to carry her through. I'm starting to lose the faith, although she had my online votes last night. Anita is my favorite of the women. Love her and love Gleb. The tango was cool, sharp, synchronised and under marked. I can see Kellie is a good dancer but the partnership is off-putting. They're both a bit over the top and too 'theater' for me. I thought Kellie's rehearsal footage looked fantastic, but something got lost in translation, or she was exhausted, or something, but it felt labored. Kevin loves to tell a story, but it got in the way and they should have just danced a jive. That bloody suitcase! And what happened to Kellie when she ran off down the end and the camera stayed on Kevin?? Curious. Carol looked the best she has since week one. Wardrobe have mostly been 'unhelpful' so far, but she looked lovely last night. I've got nothing on the dancing, though - she bores me to tears. Think it was better?? Bruno was unnecessarily mean. Thought she might cry :-( Ainsley did his Ainsley-thing. He's fun, and I adore Natalie, but I'm finding it frustrating and a little repetitive. I can't give an unbiased opinion on Jay, because I'm all aboard the Jaliona love train, but thought the paso was great. He needed better shaping in his back/hips, but his arms were lovely, and I liked his intensity. He still needs to work on his expression, but I'm not keen on overdoing the faces, so it mostly works for me. Lots of content to show off her celebrity rather than herself, which is a habit some of the other women are prone to. Thank you, Aliona. Katie and Anton were a mess. Love Katie and so, so want her to be good at this, but Anton needs to bring in some help if he isn't up to snuff on the Latin. Gah! Helen is gorgeous. Aljaž is gorgeous. Thought the QS was a bit sloppy, but the judges saw different. Top half of her dress was distracting and her boobs just kept looming out at me! Kirsty, bless her, does not have dancing in her veins, but she is making improvement. She seems to approach it like an athlete might - fix the arms, work on the posture,remember the steps, repeat, repeat, repeat - but she misses on lyricism. She looked lovely and I warmed to her seeing her close to tears after getting good comments. I feel Brendan is somewhat detached and not quite giving her the right support, which is a shame.

The training footage we've seen suggests we are to be treated to some good dancing this evening. Jay's paso looks promising, Kellie's jive looking super sharp. Helen's quickstep and Peter's rumba also looking good. Hope Anita can deliver on her tango. Georgia looked a little shaky in her salsa. Jamelia is back doing ballroom for the first time since her not great week one waltz. Ainsley's jive will be fun, but I suspect not demonstrate a great deal of technique. Jeremy is back in hold - anything could happen, and Carol has ballroom again. She's improving little, by very little. Kirsty will be pivoting her way around a Viennese waltz and Katie has salsa. With Anton. 'Nuff said. Some fun behind the scenes on Friday: https://amp.twimg.com/v/b07d0935-9afe-444d-adb6-968439112d2a

Thank you for posting that. A lovely blast from the past and one of my favorite series of Strictly. Some fab partnerships.This is Flavia and Louis revisiting that tribute (and lift) in the 2012 final (which they won). http://youtu.be/znOnG5UIX8o

Hmmm. Not sure I buy that from James. When the boot was on the other foot and he had ringers or talented dancers he would get very indignant at the 'cult of the duffer'. He was adamant when dancing with Cherie Lunghi (elegant, older lady with ballet background) - against the juggernaut that was John Sargent - that people should vote for the best dancer not the comedy duffer. He whined that people were being unfair to Denise Van Outen, that she wasn't 'all that experienced' (*cough*), and deserved just as much credit for working hard, as did the non-dancers. He was furious when Gabby Logan (über competitive, former gymnast) was a shock boot in an unfortunate dance off, because it should 'be about the dancing'. It is great to watch people grow (and I love Jeremy), but is he really 'what the show is all about'? For me it's about a lot of things, one of them being great dancing. Another 'the enthusiastic tryer'. Occasionally it's the utterly hopeless but totally loveable (Judy, I miss you!). Or teamwork and great partnerships. I don't want to see 15 Jeremies .....or 15 Jays. They each have their role to play and one wouldn't be so satisfying without the other. Ola had a dud this year and I think James just wants to have his cake and eat it ;-)

Perhaps there's much more Indian influence in British food (than in the US)?. I use cardamon often (but always in Indian or British-Indian food). It became quite trendy a while back to use it in desserts. Cardamon-coffee ice cream is yummy!Cardamon - cardamom ?

I really enjoyed the show. Loved Jay's jive. Cool and full of content, really well executed. Anita's first ballroom dance wasn't perfect, but she really got into the character. Didn't like the crab move, but did appreciate the lift out of it. Helen finally connected with me a little. It's a partnership I want to like, but it hasn't taken off completely. Peter's paso was awful. Stompy. Costuming dire. Janette danced up a storm for herself, but he was left looking silly. Jeremy is fun. A bit generously scored, but, of the duds, he's my favorite. Jamelia was okay at the beginning, but it deteriorated. The choreo wasn't that inspired and she doesn't seem to be getting the technique. Katie seriously let down this week. Anton, pull your socks up! Kellie was very good, but costuming awful and the routine was repetitive. Kirsty improved a bit, but the theme got in the way. I mostly just saw a brown boa. Carol. Nice woman, but I'm beyond bored. Unfortunately she's popular... Likewise Daniel. Georgia looked stunning, and I enjoyed the rumba, but Len was probably right about lack of content. So rude to poor Gio tho'. Ainsley messed up, but still fun. Anthony was unlucky to get the boot. The judges cut all sorts of people slack (for being older, overweight, too tall, charming etc), but they barely acknowledged he was injured. Like this couple and will especially miss Oti. She's a great addition.

It is just possible that there were additional copyright issues with the Movie theme, I suppose... (Clutching at straws, perhaps...)Edit: Try this: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUopSV1Z7yUg2PCSVdt3VkQ

Now that's annoying. Have you tried again? I've read some people couldn't access the videos ...and then they could. Are the ones on the Facebook page the same?

I believe it's similar to a Graham cracker (but I've never had one of those, so not sure how similar!). Pic: http://nadiashealthykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/27715_mcvities-biscuit.gif.jpg No idea where it got the off-putting name, but it is a wholewheat, slightly sweet biscuit, with a nutty flavour (can be covered in chocolate). Good for dunking in tea, used as the crumbs in a biscuit base for cheesecake or even eaten with strong cheese like Stilton. 99.9% of people will not have made their own version but they're easy to make and are much lighter and crumblier than the bought version: This recipe works (and tastes even better if made with wholemeal spelt flour in place of the wheat flour). You need a light touch or they will be hard rather than buttery and light: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/involved/fundraise-events/teabreak/celebs/recipes/gary-rhodes/digestive-biscuits

Aww. I like Sue (and Mel, though a little less, for some reason). Sue fronted a fabulous series about the Mekong River and its people and she managed to find a perfect pitch. Serious when needed but funny, too. (Not that that's relevant here, but it showed a versatility and intellect that we don't get to see on GBBO).I love that Bake Off is appreciated beyond these (UK) shores, but I guess it's inevitable that not every single ingredient will translate. I think they're perfect for the show and the funny (for me) comes from their silliness and sense of the ridiculous - poking a bit of gentle fun to cut through the tension and keep things in perspective. It is, after all, only cakes! I like them because they do it all with genuine warmth and affection, and I like them partly because they're not the typical 'beautiful people' we see on TV. Agree about the BAAAAKE! thing being annoying, though ;-).

Disappointed to hear they buried the story inside. I never see the paper version as I wouldn't give them my money (and would be mortified if anyone spotted me leafing through the DM at the supermarket). I purposely went looking for their coverage online to see how they would follow the disgrace that was Amanda Platell's 'piece' last week and was pleasantly surprised at the positivity. (Unsurprised at what you say about the comments though. I'll not bother to look - I want to stay in my Bake Off happy place).

Yes, I find myself missing the bakers afterwards and wanting more. (I could see Nadiya being invited to do some TV work).Looking at tweets about the final, it seemed half the nation was in tears. Hee! The GBBO Twitter account has some great pics and quotes on it. It's been lovely to see how enthusiastically Nadiya's win has been received. Even the grottier end of the British press seems to be feeling the love.

I cried! Nadiya cried! Ian cried! Tamal cried! Heavens to Murgatroyd - even Mary cried!! A couple of laugh out loud moments in there too (...Are YOU happy, Paul??!) All round fabulousness.

Iced buns?! Doesn't sound very exciting! I like the idea of them revisiting something they struggled with and a classic cake appeals to me too. (Sometimes the showstoppers stray into architecture and away from baking, I feel). Go Nadiya! Or Tamal! ;-) And I won't even hate it (so-long-as-he's-brilliant) if it's Ian!

Ha, ha! That about sums it up. I posted about this in the Baking on Both Sides of the Atlantic thread, but just to recap, biscuit is an umbrella term for cookies through to crackers (just like 'cake' covers lots of different things!) Cookie is as described by Rinaldo Cracker is usually unsweetened. Often sold as 'biscuits for cheese'. Crispbreads are a sub-section of crackers. Everything else is probably thinner and snappier than a cookie and just called a biscuit (or a Hob Nob, ginger nut, Garibaldi, digestive, shortbread, oatcake or whatever type it is).

Ha! Yes - made me snigger!

Some of you might enjoy this blog/episode summary. If nothing else, there are some great screen caps! https://monkseal.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/great-british-bake-off-6-chocolate/

Those sound right (but I don't know what baking spread is). Bicarb is short for bicarbonate of soda.Edit: I looked it up and it's a version of margarine, (though I'm not sure what makes it 'baking' spread) - is that shortening?

Snippets of training for Week 2 https://amp.twimg.com/v/cbd15b95-a7ec-4237-acf1-ff0a34acff2f

I'm okay with Nadiya getting star baker though it was somewhat by default. Although Tamal did better than Nadiya in the technical he didn't come first either. He had a steady week but didn't stand out whilst Nadiya excelled in two out of three. That said, I was surprised she won the show-stopper for the reasons other posters have mentioned. Her peacock was very creative, but did it show chocolate skills? They loved the biscuits and the nest though... All the show-stoppers were flawed, so again, perhaps it was a little bit by default. I would have liked Flora to make it through but she was on borrowed time with her attention to the wrong things. I'll miss her, but doubt it's the last we'll see of her - she's very telegenic. Happy to see my Tamal and Nadiya in the final and I was touched by Ian's fallibility (and flappability!) this week, so I can't begrudge him his place. On a side note, I was surprised they were all quite so thrown by the soufflé challenge. Had they really never made any kind of soufflé before (..or did they just mean chocolate soufflé??). Soufflé stress: https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCFood/status/649306235012050944 Interview with Flora prior to the semi-final: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-09-30/bake-offs-flora-on-being-seen-as-posh-coping-with-fame-and-receiving-marriage-proposals

Article from about a week ago on the phenomenal success of GBBO. Contains spoilers for the winner of Series 5 and semi-finalists for series 6. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/28/great-british-bake-off-12-million-viewers-still-rising-us?CMP=share_btn_tw&CMP=twt_gu