Let the dance-off begin

It"s the grand final, and the end of the most dramatic series in the show"s history. Firstly, John Sergeant created a media frenzy when he decided to stand down from the competition amid fears he was proving so popular with the viewers, he might beat a more conventionally talented dancer to the trophy. There was further controversy in last weekend"s semi-final when Rachel Stevens and Lisa Snowdon were tied at the top of the judges" leader board, meaning third placed Tom Chambers couldn"t have avoided the dance-off regardless of the viewers" vote. The BBC decided to solve the problem by letting all three qualify for the final. They decided that the fairest option was to allow the combined scores of the judges and the audience to carry over to the first show of next week"s two show final. This was confirmed by an independent adjudicator as the fairest option. In the interests of complete transparency we are taking the unprecedented step of revealing the marks allocated as a result of the audience vote from Saturday"s show during the first of the two final shows (6.40pm). These scores will be added to those from the judges from last week. This combined score will be announced on the leader board at the top of the first show. Our three couples will then dance and the judges will score them. The audience will vote on those performances in the usual manner. These results will be added to the leader board and the couple with the lowest overall score will leave the competition. In the second show the remaining two couples will start from scratch and go head to head with a public vote to decide who will be crowned Strictly Come Dancing Champion 2008. Only the viewing public will determine the winner. So, prepare for a slight sense of déjà vu as they take to the dance floor once again - only this time, there can only be one winner. Strictly Come Dancing will be broadcast on Saturday on BBC One at 6.40pm.