'The people of Blackpool have been beautiful': Strictly's Balvinder Sopal & Julian Caillon talk Blackpool Week

Tonight, BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, which is usually filmed at Elstree Studios in London, will instead be broadcasting from the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

One of the couple’s preparing to enterain the Blackpool crowd will be Eastender’s star Balvinder Sopal and her professional partner Julian Caillon, who is a new to the show just this year.

Before the big day, Bal and Julian sat down for a chat with us yesterday to talk us through why they are so pleased to be in Blackpool, read that full chat below...

You can also read the interview with George Clarke and Alexis Warr here, Lewis Cope and Katya Jones here, and Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin here.

How are you feeling about making it to Blackpool?

Julian: “Super, super excited. We've been here since Tuesday, and gradually, the buzz and the excitement has been building. It's gonna be my first time in the Blackpool Tower and then obviously, we get to do it together, we get to experience the whole thing. We're loving our dance this week. I think everything's just kind of aligning for it to be an absolute cracker show.

Bal: “I agree with that!”

Well, Julian, you said it was your first time at Blackpool Tower but I was going to ask have either of you been to Blackpool before?

Julian: “I've been here twice before, actually, because I used to compete at the Winter Gardens. I used to do the Blackpool dance competition there when I was still competing but I haven't been here for 10 years. There's still a lot that's the same but there's a lot that feels like it's been kind of vamped up as well. So I don't know, but Blackpool’s got a really nice feel to it, maybe because it's a bit more Christmassy. It's got a really nice feel to it. I went to Coral Island yesterday, that was really fun.”

Bal: “Oh, wow. Nice. Did you spend all your money?”

Julian: “I did but I got a fluffy toy out of it!”

Bal: “No way, I'm gonna do that as well. I'm gonna sink the 10p and 2p machines. But I came here back in 2017, we performed Running Wild at the Grand and it was brilliant. But I think it's different coming back this time around. I think you're right Jules about the whole Christmassy effect. But also, because we are here with Strictly, there's a real magic in the air about it. So we're just lapping all of that magical energy that is just making this whole experience just a little bit more special.”

Besides Coral Island there, what else have you been up to since both being in Blackpool?

Julian: “Honestly, just rehearsing.”

Bal: “Yeah but we went on that sky flyer!”

Julian: “Yeah, we did the sky flyer. Otherwise, we've just been so busy with rehearsals and then by the time we finish at night, it's usually a bit later as well with all the filming, we end up just kind of passing out. We walked along the beach, which was really nice, especially for me, you know, as an Aussie missing back home, missing the beach. It was nice to see the water again.

Bal: “We've also been blessed with some really gorgeous weather, like clear blue skies, and the water's been beautiful to look at. There's been a real pleasant sort of feeling about walking around, even though we are still working so that's been quite nice.”

Did I see on Instagram that some fish and chips were tried as well?

Julian: “Yeah, we went for lunch and we had some fish and chips at the Beach House-”

Bak: “Which is a lovely spot because you can see the sea.”

Julian: “It was stunning. I mean, it was actually my first British fish and chips. Look, I don't know if it's quite on par with the Aussie one, but it was pretty close.”

I have to ask, what's the difference?

Julian: “Do you know what? I actually think it's just the size. It's massive over here, the

fish came out, and I'm like, that looks like a shark. That's enormous. But it was really, really tasty.”

You also took a picture outside the Tower Ballroom, what was your first impressions of the building?

Bal: “It's gorgeous. It looks a little bit like Moulin Rouge, doesn’t it? It's a real spectacle and of course, when it's all lit up and stuff, it looks quite incredible.”

Julian: “Yeah it's really cool at night when it's all lit up and everything.”

What difference do you think that different studio will make to your performance?

Julian: “I think it will just give you a lot of free energy, and obviously being Blackpool, being the bigger floor, having the extra dancers, Val kind of said it before, I feel that you're putting on like a proper show. I mean, it always feels like a show, you're always putting on a performance, but this feels almost like a theatre show. It has that production feel to it and all it does is kind of, it enhances everything and you feel like your energy just lifts. I used to say when I competed at the Winter Gardens that it was the best I would ever dance, because you would just get into the room and something would just feel electric, just the knowledge that some of the greats thave danced there before, the history in the room, and just the buzz that everyone is feeding off each other, you know, all the other celebs, all the other dancers, we're all so excited to perform there that we just feed off each other's energy as well.”

And what about the audience as well, will the different audience have an impact?

Bal: “Yes, it’s bigger audience. I think it's s 600 seater, so we've got a lot more people in and of course the people of Blackpool love this time of year so they're really excited for the show, and we're excited to give them a good show. I think there's a real synergy between the pros and the celebrities and the audience so there'll be a real lovely dialogue, I think, that we're all looking to have a part to play in. This is what the people of Blackpool live for, right?”

Could you tell me a little bit about what we can expect from your performance?

Julian: “What can you expect in our Argentine Tango? Well, you can expect passion. You can expect to see a totally new side to Bal in her Strictly journey, which we have not yet seen. You can expect to see some daring acts of courage, some high flying entertainment, and as always with us, an incredible narrative.”

Bal: “I love that Jules. You really sold that, I want to watch it!”

Bal, how are you finding this dance?

Bal: “Well, it's been my favorite dance that I've wanted to do. It’s the only one I wanted to do when I joined Strictly and I'm really fortunate and really lucky that it's happened on Blackpool week, or that I stayed long enough to do it at Blackpool, which makes it even more special. It's different, like Jules said, you know, you see a different side to me. All the dances are challenging but because I've wanted to do this, I've really enjoyed the challenge a lot more than, let's say, I have done for some of the other ones, but I'm really excited to perform it. I was doing the steps in my head last night. I couldn't actually switch off. I was up at one o'clock in the room just doing loads of steps. The music is really powerful and great too and like Jules says, we've got a wicked narrative. I'm just really excited and buzzing for it. Like all my cells are fizzing away. I just can't wait to get started.”

Why was this the dance you've wanted to do since the beginning?

Bal: "I just think it's much more free flowing than the actual tango so it's an improvised dance, and you really have to listen to your partner. I've struggled with that the whole season, I'm always a step or two ahead of Jules, but I just love the way it looks. I love the kind of communication, the connection between the couple. It's quite passionate, it's softer at times and I just love the feel and shape of it. It's beautiful to look at and I just wanted to give it a go.”

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What would it mean for the two of you to get through, past Blackpool week?

Bal: “Every week, I feel like it's a bonus. I didn't expect that we’d get to Blackpool. It was only something that came to me later on in the competition when another journalist had asked us, you know ‘icons week, did we have a goal in mind?’ I haven't had a goal in mind, but I just flippantly said ‘yeah, let's get to Blackpool Jules, should we do that?’ And Jules was like, ‘Yeah, cool. Let's do that.’ So we're very lucky that we have made it to Blackpool. But you know, every week in the competition is just us being lucky. So, you know, we'll go as far as we go, whatever cards we've been dealt with, we'll play the game, and I think we'll enjoy it whilst we go along.”

Final question, then, do you have a message for the people of Blackpool before you take to their iconic floor?

Julian: “Just thank you so much for inviting us in and welcoming us, and we hope to put on an absolutely amazing show. And I think it's going to be just that, everyone this year is so excited, the standard of dancing from all the celebs is incredible. So, yeah, we’re so grateful to be here and then guys just be prepared to be entertained because it's going to be an incredible evening.

Bal: “I just want to say that the people of Blackpool have been really beautiful and wonderful, like, as we're walking along, people are just like ‘Oh, hi. We're really rooting for you’, ‘good luck’ and ‘have a lovely time’. Really, really welcoming. It's very nice to feel the love so absolutely thank you.”