Strictly Come Dancing 2013, Blackpool Tower Ballroom, review Newsreader Susanna Reid brought the Tower Ballroom to its feet with her traditional paso doble, full of passion, attack and senorita smoulder. Reid was shocked at her score of 39 points but this was later matched by pace-setter Natalie Gumede, returning after last week's fainting scare. Her Charleston was imaginatively not sharp enough for a near-perfect score. It was an all-female top trio and Abbey Clancy can count herself unlucky to finish in third place after her dazzling, content-packed quickstep scored three maximums. The two best males continued to jostle for supremacy and ended up tied: Ashley Taylor-Dawson's cowboy-themed paso doble was whip-crackingly entertaining, while Patrick Robinson's samba got sympathy marks after partner Anya Garnis got her shoe tangled up in her skirt. Down the bottom, the bookies" predictions came true. Mark Benton and Fiona Fullerton were tied for last position, after his fun but flat-footed jive and her American Smooth littered with shaky lifts. These two are both popular performers, though, so if viewer votes lift them clear of tomorrow's dreaded dance-off, it could be Ben Cohen or Sophie Ellis-Bextor in danger. Cohen's American Smooth lacked fluidity but Ellis-Bextor was robbed. Her quickstep was skilful with great storytelling but the judges getting increasingly paddle-happy meant she finished in the bottom half of the field. Co-host Sir Bruce Forsyth was back after a week off but the rest didn't seem to improve the old stager's mood. He was tetchy, shouty and at several points, downright rude. The cavernous Tower Ballroom might have looked splendid but the sound was echoey. Too many couples tried to fill the space by roping additional dances into their routines, which detracted and distracted from the main event. The production's pace also went awry, with the judges forced to gallop through their comments towards the end and the show's conclusion rather rushed. We do like to be beside the seaside - but it did seem to have a few unfortunate side effects.