Strictly Come Dancing final, as it happened

olivia king Was Jessie J drunk? And is Bruno too? He seems ever so slightly nuts. I do like Chelsee too but she's a bit of a disaster when she speaks...

22.15 And a nice summation from Rosie in the comments box...

rosie Jessie J's pelvic thrust was obscene, I thought that too. No need in a family programme. God old Harry. And I just love camp old Bruno, he gives a 10 with a wonderful flourish

22.13 Everyone seems happy for Harry. Good result. Shame Chelsee didn't get an exit interview, though - presumably they ran out of time.

spliffles I wonder what the difference is in the "And the winner is..." timelag between Strictly and X Factor?

Well Spliffles, I think The X Factor's was 40-odd seconds last week. Strictly's about half that tonight, at a guess.

22.06 So Aliona did go one better than last year. The audience clapping along now as all the celebrities and judges arrive on the floor for a last dance. Group hugs all round.There was a moment there when Brucey got all spluttery and Tess looked anxiously off camera, as if seeking a medic. OH GOOD, IT'S THAT BEEB CHRISTMAS AD YET AGAIN. That's just the three times tonight. Quick comment round-up coming up...

22.03 Pleased for Harry but sad for Chelsee. Still, it's the right result - he's been marginally ahead all series and was again tonight. A charming victory speech from Harry there. What a nice young man, say the nation's mums. He might be two years older than Chelsee but he's still the youngest ever winner. Sparkly steamers fly into the air as he hoists the trophy - that looked a bit cheap, like some roadies were pulling party poppers just out of shot.

22.01 ... Harry and Aliona! McFly storm the stage, the attention-seekers. Must have a new single out soon. And Harry's dad! Get off, you lot. This isn't ITV, you know.

22.00 The final two are flanking the glitterball trophy now. It's the moment of truth. The winner is... dramatic pause...

21.58 Well that was fun, in a camper-than-a-gay-Glastonbury way. More interviews with the final two now. Journeys, grateful, humble, learnt so much, fallen in love with dancing, partner's amazing... you know the drill.

21.57 And of course, Nancy Dell'Olio's coffin. Good visual gag with Russell Grant being carried like a lady. He should always travel like that, it should be in the constitution.

21.56 It's a greatest hits from the series. Robbie Savage's kneeslide! Dan Lobb's backflip! The buttons on Rory Bremner's satin shirt straining slightly!

21.55 Phone lines are now closed. Time for the 11 couples to do their group dance. Finger crossed someone falls over.

21.54 A good montage now, recapping the series with vox pops from the great British Public and the odd celebrity. And Chris Evans. A Tweet now from an esteemed Telegraph TV Desk colleague...

@neilmidgley Just atched Chelsee's last dance in 3-D. Really quite spectacular. Tweeting in these glasses is a sod, mind you

21.45 A booed nine from Craig and three tens for 39. All down to the voting public now. Harry still in the driving seat, with a total of 156 to Chelsee's 153. He also has the McFly fanbase hammering the phones, so must be hot favourite.

21.44 "First class, darling" from Craig immediately. Judges slightly rushing their comments due to timing issues, but they're overwhelmingly positive. Another perfect 40 is taxi-ing on the runway...

21.42 Chelsee and Pacha now, performing their airline-themed Quickstep. It's as fun and bouncy as ever, with a lovely retro atmosphere. Expect comments about flying high, first class, "chicken or beef?"... OK maybe not the last one.

21.41 Yes, it's a full set of maximums. Meanwhile, people on Twitter are saying that Jessie J's pelvic thrust was obscene in 3-D.

21.39 "Like the nation, I have fallen in love with you too," coos Craig Revel Horwood, in a slightly sinister manner. All the judges love it. Tens all round?

21.37 Harry and Aliona's last dance now, a fiery Argentine Tango. As smoothly impressive as ever, wearing matching veleveteen outfits and showing some passion and intent. Clearly a last dance and they had a touching moment at the end there. Superb.

21.35 Apparently Hilary Devey is there in the audience! She must be very proud. Twitter says she's also wearing the same dress she was at the Comedy Awards last night. Thrifty.

21.33 Nice gag from Rory Bremner about dancing in 3-D. "Nancy lives in 4-D," he says. Her partner Anton Du Beke's toes could be in for another pounding. Jessie J performing Price Tag now - her biggest and best song, but she's doing a slightly creaky, shouty version of it. Still, she is looking like Hilary Devey's daughter again and seems to have borrowed Alesha Dixon's shoulders.

21.30 Another chance to see that knee-slide from Robbie Savage, when he collided with the camera lens and broke his nose. Take That soundtracking the montage, that should cheer up Gazza Barlow.

21.28 Montage of all the eliminations. The eerily youthful Lulu gets to do her "weeeeeeeeeellllllllll" for approximately the billionth time of her career.

21.27 Another sweet interview from Chelsee, who just seems grateful to be in the competition, let alone be a potential winner. A score of 39 for her, same as Harry. Blimey, this could be close. And next? The group dance from the eliminated contestants. This should be good. OK, not good - entertaining, then.

21.24 Phew, I was thinking of the wrong Because Of You. According to Telegraph fashion doyenne Hilary Alexander, Tess Daly is wearing shorts. Weird. Meanwhile, Chelsee's rumba is dramatic, emotional, fluid and nicely choreographed with some lovely drags, lifts and solo sections but not quite as slick as Harry's dance. A stumble or two. But the judges seem to love it. Tens?

21.21 Yes indeed - Harry gets a nine and three tens for 39. Chelsee Healey next with a Rumba to Because Of You. If I'm thinking of the correct song, it used to be the theme tune to Karl Howman's cheeky-painter-and-decorator sitcom Brush Strokes. Classy choice.

21.18 Shots of Harry's bandmates from McFly cheering him on. Bassist Dougie won I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here a fortnight ago - could they have another reality champion in their ranks in an hour's time? The judges love it although Craig points out "There's a plethora of things I could say aobut your hands, darling." Tens and a nine from him?

21.17 Floaty and romantic. Classy, crowd-pleasing stuff with some lovely spins. Aliona finished runner-up last year with partner Matt Baker and will want to go one better this time. I have a feeling she just might.

21.15 Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani will dance first: an American Smooth to Can't Help Falling In Love.

21.13 Big ovation for Jason as he leaves. Well deserved, he has worked incredibly hard to get this far. And then there were two. Chelsee seems to be the favourite there in the Tower Ballroom, judging by the cheers. In other news, Tess has changed into a second tasteful frock, which features a laced black bodice.

21.11 So Jason comes third, leaving the youngsters to slug it out. He danced well tonight but on the evidence of the whole series, that's about right. He started the series well but flagged towards the end, wasn't quite as versatile as the others - and also seemed something of a teacher's pet, getting over-marked by the judges and too often getting the coveted slot dancing last. He's being typically sincere in his exit interview, his voice cracking with emotion. Nice chap but just not as likeable as Chelsee or as consistently good a dancer.

21.08 Jason Donovan! Poor Gaz Barlow will be gutted.

21.07 News off Twitter: Tony Parsons is backing Chelsee, Gary Barlow is rooting for Jason. Right, time for the first knockout. Leaving right now is...

21.05 There will also be a performance by Jessie J, aka Hilary Devey from Dragon's Den's lookalike grand-daughter. Time for a stirring recap montage, set to Coldplay of course. It was bound to be them, Snow Patrol or Adele.

21.03 And we're back. Tess is talking about the glitterball trophy like it's the Holy Grail again, and not a tacky piece of tut from Elizabeth Duke at Argos. So who's out first? Jason please.

21.02 It's that Beeb Christmas ad again. I notice something new and annoying every time I see it. This time, it was the fact that the Cyberman looks like he's doing something unprintable to poor Matt Smith.

20.59 Here's the form for the second half of tonight's twinkle-toed proceedings: the third-placed contestant will be eliminated straight away. The remaining two will then dance twice more: a brand new routine and their own favourite from the series. There will also be a group dance from the returning contestants from earlier in the series. I'm looking forward to seeing The Grant and Nancy Of The Oil again. The tabloids also reported this week that Nancy and Holly Valance refused to join the rest on a coach up to Blackpool, so flew up by private jet. Which led to a headline about them being "planely rich". I know. Leveson should launch an inquiry into that poor pun.

20.55 Consensus down below in the comment box and on Twitter seems to be that Jason has danced the best tonight, but will still finish third. Hmm. We'll see in a little over five minutes. Tense.

20.52 They're back in ten minutes. In the meantime, a man who looks like Vernon Kay in the back of a spoon is presenting the Lotto draw. Alan Dedicoat, the voice of the balls and Strictly announcer, is putting in a double shift tonight.

20.50 Another sage comment from you nice people. I concur, Lindisfarne...

lindisfarne I think Chelsee and Pasha have blown it with two fast jive dances. Why didn't they do one from their ballroom repertoire to show Chelsee's elegnce?

20.46 So what do we predict? I was quietly confident that Jason Donovan would finish third and be the first to leave but I fear his better performances - and copious mentions of his kids for cute factor - might just endanger Chelsee Healey. Email just in...

olivia king Strictly doesn't push the phone numbers in the way The X Factor does, so I've been busy Googling to get those "all important phone numbers. Gah!

20.40 Merlin's an odd show. I keep expecting Richard Wilson to hear the phone ringing and mistakenly pick up a puppy. Him as this wise old magical character? I don't believe it.

20.21 This sage comment was from earlier in the show - has that something extraordinary now happened? I fear for Chelsee when we return...

streetlegal Well, unless something extraordinary happens, it's between Harry and Chelsee. Donovan's threat to release a "bg band crooner"-type record next year is a truly horrifc thought

20.13 OK, let's ignore the elfin shenanigans on telly while I report a few Tweets and comments from you lovely lot...

@whallbags Jason won that strip dancing contest - he only lost one article of clothing

@sirjoshuatothee Misplac'd waitress Ms Tess DALY does urge one Final Indulgence of AGED Omnibus Conductor Sir Bruce FORSOOTH, who shall JIG for COINS

20.04 Nines all round for pocket rocket Chelsee. Jason and Kristina top of the scoreboard at this stage, followed by Harry, with Chelsee in third. The show breaks for an hour now to milk the phone voting. Oops, I mean, give the dancers time to get their breath back. It's back at 9pm for another hour and we get the mediocre magical drama Merlin in the meantime. But don't go away - stay right here, I'll be updating this blog with more observations, mild sarcasm and your comments in the interim.

20.00 Nice comments, fankoos from Chelsee. But did the "baby Beyonce" slightly blow it there? Meanwhile, Jason could be a contender again. That first elimination is getting tough to call.

19.58 She's in huge hair and a gold tasselly dress, he's in a white Saturday Night Fever suit. It's very disco and lively but some dodgy transitions confused segments and an ugly bit of pelvic thrusting at the start. I was hoping for better but the audience love it. Bruno's doing his rising out of his chair thing. Nines, I predict.

19.55 Showdance from Chelsee Healey and Pasha now. Chelsee shown in training wearing a tracksuit and talking into her mobile phone, Kids today, eh? Typical.

19.54 Jason finally let go and had fun there, which is good to see. Too little too late? It's four tens for a perfect 40, edging him ahead of Harry on points.

19.51 Jason's so exhausted, he crawled across the floor to the judge's table. Looking every one of his 43 years, bless him. Unlike his old flame Kylie. Ahem. Judges love it, tens en route I think. A-may-zing says Craig, his first three syllabler of the night.

19.49 Jason Donovan's showdance now. Prefaced by one of those unfunny skit VTs, which I'd like to see quietly retired for next series. They've gone showbizzy and Fred'n'Ginger style with pinstripes and canes. This is cleverly choreographed, with Kristina stripping Bucks Fizz-style as it switches between styles. Excellent.

19.47 Scores are in. A ten from Alesha, who fancies Harry, nines from the rest. Harry thanks Aliona. He's a nice chap. The voting public love a nice chap. See Chris Hollins and Tom Chambers.

19.46 Len agrees about the "sticky lift", as does Craig. Harry's taking the comments with a red lipstick kiss on his cheek. Nines, I reckon.

19.44 Harry and Aliona up first and they're promisng "crazy lifts". Wonder if he'll go shirtless for full lady-pleasing effect? Amusing clip of her clocking him in the face with her thigh during the training VT. Aha - not shirtless but his pecs are out in a slashed scarlet shirt. There's a saucy rock theme and it's set to Great Balls Of Fire. Goodness and, if you will, gracious. Awkward transitions, though. And some drumming to finish. That was one bit of messing abaht too far for me.

19.39 Apparently Chelsee cried backstage when they showed the video about her parents.

19.37 Time for the showdances next - no holds barred, freestyle, spectacular, lots of props aka "messing abaht". Lets hope no-one does something truly insane like Colin Jackson with the mannequins, which pretty much lost him the final a few years ago. Rejoice - Russell Grant is back! They've also stood Audley Harrison next to Lulu for maximum height differential comedy value.

19.36 Great comments from the judges, Len seeming genuinely proud of her. Sweet. She is great - just 23, never danced before, but surprisingly poised and entertaining. She gives one of her "fankoos". Three tens and a booed nine, from Craig of course, for a score of 39.

19.34 Emotional bit in the VT about Chelsee's dad dying when she was five. Sad. They're doing their Shrek jive from Movie Week and Pasha's back in those awful orge ears. Not full green facepaint this time, fortunately - presumably it takes too long to remove for the other dances. Good solo section from Chelsee and as energetic as ever. Some wag on Twitter just observed that Brucey's jokes are just as bad in 3D.

19.30 Time for Chelsee Healey and Pasha Kovalev, my favourites. She started the contest ninth favourite, a 22-1 shot, but is now Harry Judd's main threat. Look out for her in the VT and training clips wearing wellies - that's all she ever seems to wear off-duty. Gucci ones, mind you. She should get a good reception as she's the closest the final has to a local lass, coming from down the road in Eccles.

19.28 Two tens and two nines for a score of 38. The nines get booed. That could get tiresome over a dozen dances. It looks a bit hot in Blackpool, the competitors are sweating more than usual. Someone turn the thermostat down.

19.25 Bit skippy, says Craig. Like the bush kangaroo? Len points out that Jason, who looks a bit exhausted after that, is 20 years older than the other two. Fair point. Tweet on Harry from a pro dancer...

camilladallerup That was a quickstep worthy of a trophy. Absolutely awesome

19.24 Some "messing abaht" with pink feathers at the start. Some slightly poor posture there from Jason and his usual over-acted face-pulling.

19.20 It's the outsiders Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff next. He's starting with his Tango to I Will Survive, one of the standout dances of the series. He still seems rather earnest in his introductory video and can be creaky when out of his ballroom comfort zone, but should do well with his opener. Kristina does a little cry in the VT too.

19.18 Yes, a perfect 40 points for Harry. His first. He's cured his lazy left foot. He also seems more animated than usual in his post-dance interview. Wonder if someone's had a word? "Be less like a drummer" or something.

19.16 Glowing praise from the judges, even "the bitter lemon" on the end. Tens coming up, I think.

19.14 Telegraph's own fashion doyenne with more frock news...

hilaryalexander Alesha doing the "hard shoulder" on Strictly

19.12 Harry and Alona are dancing a quickstep to Don't Get Me Wrong by The Pretenders. He's very good, I must admit. Looks like a professional at times. They're taking full advantage of Blackpool's bigger dancefloor, which is three times the size of Television Centre's. Huge ovation for Harry.

19.10 Nice dress from Tess, bit of festive sparkle to the corset-style top. It's by Suzanne Neville, apparently. No relation to Phil, Gary or Neville Neville. Time for the first dance from Harry Judd, who's hot favourite but a little lacking in charisma and passion for my liking. Needs to bring more emotion and storytelling to his dancing. He's yet to get a maximum 40 score. Can he get his first 10 from Craig Revel Horwood?

19.07 First plugs for the final being in Blackpool and 3D. I fear there'll be a lot of that tonight. The Tower Ballroom looks magnificent as ever, but sounds a little echoey. So there's four dances tonight and it's all down to viewer votes. The judges' verdicts and scores are just a guide.

19.06 The three finalists arrive on chariots. And I thought the Beeb ad was "a bit Sky1".

19.05 Homoerotic group dance from the professionals anyone? To a ropy cover version of Bon Jovi? Rather random. Will seque into a Bruce/Tess line about "waging gladiatorial combat on the dancefloor" I'll wager.

19.00 We're underway with a series recap. I hope our hoofing celebrity blog-followers have logged in. Hello, Dan Lobb and Russell Grant! Tess's voicover reminds us that the contestants have been dancing for 99 days and nights. I don't know if that's, ahem, Strictly accurate but it sounds impressive. Ooh, there's a new Final bit at the end of the credits. The crowd seem very excitable too.

18.59 Well-placed Beeb Christmas ad. I don't like this one. It's a bit "Sky1" I think. And the faces I don't recognise make me worry I don't watch enough television.

18.57 Aha, Wipeout woman is called Amanda. Thanks for that reminder, The Hamster. Nearly there. Squeal!

18.55 The five minute bell goes backstage at Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Thanks for your kind welcomes down in the comment, Spliffles and Keziah. Welcome to you too. Let me know who you're backing. Unless it's Harry or Jason. Just kidding.

@outloudandproud I wonder who will be the first to say those immortal words: "I can't believe this could be our last dance"?

My money's on Jason, OLP, while pulling his best sincere face. The one he used to do as Scott Robinson on Neighbours when Kylie asked him a challenging question about what he wanted to drink down Lassiter's.

18.50 Are you enjoying Winter Wipeout with TV's top hamster Richard Hammond and that other lady? Me neither. Time for a first and slightly self-indulgent Tweet of the evening...

@LizJarvisUK I think you should be in sequins, Michael, given it's such a special occasion

Well, Liz, I can exclusively reveal that my outfit for the evening includes a besequinned blazer that I like to call "Mister Sparkles" and a pair of gold lame tap shoes. Soooo this season.

18.45 Fifteen nervous minutes to curtain up in Blackpool. Time for a quick recap of last weekend's semi-finals? It'd be preposterous not to. Well, the remaining quintet performed two different routines. Harry Judd and Chelsee Healey breezed through to the final, and then Jason Donovan clinched the third spot with a climactic Argentine tango that scored a perfect 40. Holly Valance and a tearful Alex Jones were eliminated. Gareth Malone also conducted his Military Wives' Choir performing their Christmas single, Wherever You Are. Not a dry eye in the house. Love Gareth Malone. He's the David Tennant of madrigals. The Robert Peston it's OK to like.

18.30 Half an hour to go. Time for some last minute fake tan touch-ups. Chelsee Healey will be double-checking her frocks for possible wardrobe malfunctions. Jason Donovan will be practising his gurny facial expressions in the mirror. Harry Judd will be shading in his six-pack with eyebrow pencil for extra "definition". Form a queue, ladies.

18.20 Let's pray for a let-up in the storms that have been battering Blackpool this week. There are fears they could effect the signal from the ballroom and the final could go off air. I know! Calamity. It could also blow Brucey's wig off, more to the point. I advise extra toupee tape tonight, Sir Chinny. Better safe than bald and sorry.

18.05 To help get you in the mood for dancing (copyright The Nolans), here's some of our other besequinned Strictly articles. I've penned a piece about dear old Blackpool here, and also looked back at my 10 favourite moments from the series (warning: contains camp astrologer). You can also play along with our Strictly bingo game, spotting the inevitable happenings on screen and ticking them off as you go. Finally, here's my thoughts on who should win - and who will win. In short, Harry Judd's the hot favourite but I'll be rooting for Chelsee Healey. Which ballroom horse will you be backing? Actually, that should probably be donkey as we're in Blackpool. A donkey with its snout in a bag of chips.

18.00 Hello! I'm Michael, your Strictly live blogger this evening. If you're reading this, thank you for joining in our little live ballroom-related online debate. It's the grand final of this year's hoofing contest, live from Blackpool's maginificent Tower Ballroom, with Harry Judd, Chelsee Healey and Jason Donovan doing sequin-clad combat for the glitterball trophy and the title of Strictly Come Dancing 2011 champion. It's showtime at 7pm and then, after a break for some magical claptrap from Merlin, again at 9pm. But I'll start building up from round about now, so please join me. And join in too - you can email me on michael.hogan@telegraph.co.uk, tweet me @michaelhogan or leave comments at the bottom of this blog. I'll do my best to keep an eye on them and report the highlights. Until then, you know the drill: keeeeeeeeep dancing. *scrabbles for scoring paddle, eventually holds up a nine, gets roundly booed like Craig*