1. Highlight of the series

Strictly always does theme weeks brilliantly (think also Movie Week) and the make-up, costumes, music and mood will undoubtedly be monstered-up to the max. The fact that it’s actually shot live on actual Halloween this year will certainly add to the frisson.

• Read on for who we’re campaigning to save and who we think will be this week’s dark horses

2. Tight competition

One of the best things about this series is that it’s far from obvious who’s going to win. Last week we voted for Jay, Helen and Carol – but Anita, Kellie, Katie, Georgia and Peter could all be in with a shot. Our unforgettable dance of the series above. It’s all about the combination between great dancing and Travolta attitude for us.

3. Save Carol

We LOVE Carol’s weather forecasts on BBC Breakfast and she’s bringing the same can-do attitude and positivity – often in the face of adversity – to Strictly. This week she’s dancing the rumba, which is never a walk in the park, to I Think I Love You by the Partridge Family and we think she might need your votes. The campaign to Save Carol each week starts here.

4. Gleb Savchenko

Is it wrong to vote for your favourite pro dancers on Strictly instead of the celebrities? First it was Artem, then Pasha, then Aljaz and now Gleb is our favourite pro dancer. Anita’s definitely one of our celeb favourites this year and being paired with this Tom Cruise lookalike isn’t harming her chances.

5. Combination of song, costume and dance

There’s always a surprise in each Strictly week. A dark horse you weren’t expecting. We certainly weren’t fans of Jay’s until he pulled out that Pulp Fiction routine. Looking at this week’s song list our hopes are high for Kirsty and Brendan’s take on this Lady Gaga classic.

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• Picture: screen grab from 2012’s Halloween show featuring eventual winner Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace