It was also a great year for the debut pros – who don’t always make a strong impression in their inaugural season. But the homegrown talent Kai Widdrington shot right up the pro rankings through his dynamite partnership with AJ Odudu. Even though the pair sadly couldn’t compete in the final due to Odudu’s ankle injury, they were absolutely worthy finalists, and Widdrington, working with a talented and courageous partner, choreographed some of the strongest numbers of the season.

The pair’s American smooth to The Bodyguard in Movie Week was pure dance drama, as was their deliciously dark Hallowe’en Viennese waltz. Their Charleston was truly astonishing (and it remains a travesty that Craig Revel Horwood withheld his 10 paddle) and their quickstep was old-school bliss. Widdrington is now a fan favourite and will surely be given the chance to challenge for the title again soon.

We also saw a great start from Nikita Kuzmin, who brought the best out of Tilly Ramsay. Many (including me) initially wrote off Ramsay as just “daughter of Gordon”, but she improved remarkably and became a real chameleon of a performer. Kuzmin kept pushing her to – and occasionally beyond – her limits. Rather than resting on “cute”, a trap that Strictly’s younger contestants sometimes fall into, Ramsay visibly matured through the season, and Kuzmin demonstrated some promising creative flair.

Fellow new pro Nancy Xu had a slightly bumpier ride with Rhys Stephenson, perhaps because the pair were actually too similar. The bouncy Stephenson needed someone to calm him down and control his wilder instincts, but Xu is a firecracker of a performer herself and her tendency is to keep going faster. They actually figured out a compromise between them, channelling their energy into later dances that were still exciting but had finesse too, and Xu will surely have a greater understanding of what works on Strictly when she gets her next partner.