Description: During Strictly Come Dancing's 17 October 2026 Icons Week, Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal's salsa ended with a rough landing. Here's why Josh Widdicombe intervened and why the couple still scored 30.
Josh Widdicombe shouted “No more lifts!” because Lawrence Robb's ambitious final salsa lift brought Jowita Przystal down with an awkward bump. The presenter was jokingly pleading for a pause in the acrobatics, not announcing a new rule. The twist: after the collective gasp, the pair smiled and collected a respectable 30 out of 40.
Which Strictly episode was this?
BBC One broadcast series 24, week four, on Saturday 17 October 2026, starting at 6.15pm UK summer time. The theme was Icons Week, with celebrity contestants dancing to songs associated with major performers. Robb, an actor familiar to viewers of the soap Emmerdale, and professional partner Przystal performed salsa to Ricky Martin's “La Copa de la Vida”. A salsa can include spectacular partnered lifts; this routine was particularly enthusiastic about them.
What happened at the end?
According to Radio Times' same-evening account, Robb swung Przystal through the air during the finale. The intended smooth return to the floor ended with her landing rather heavily on her backside, prompting an audible reaction in the room. She appeared cheerful afterwards and the couple celebrated. Presenter Widdicombe then called for an end to the lifting and checked whether she was all right; she answered enthusiastically. Judge Anton Du Beke joined the banter, recalling how alarming the final “throw” had looked. The atmosphere moved quickly from concern to laughter.
Why did the judges give 30 points anyway?
Because the mark covered the entire performance. The judges appreciated the couple's energy, showmanship and demanding choreography even while teasing the final landing. Four judges award a combined maximum of 40 points, so 30 signalled a strong routine rather than a perfect one. Contemporary entertainment coverage also reproduced viewer posts admiring Przystal's athleticism and the lifts. Those examples establish that some viewers enjoyed the spectacle, not that everyone agreed about the risk.
Where is the joke?
A dance competition is supposed to end with a triumphant pose and a score. Here, it briefly became a mock safety briefing. Widdicombe's repeated protest, Przystal's upbeat reply and the judges' simultaneous praise turned a slightly untidy ending into an extra comic beat. The landing was described in press reports; no injury diagnosis follows from that description. This account cross-checks the schedule and contemporaneous reporting rather than claiming a direct viewing of the full broadcast.
Bottom line
“No more lifts!” was an on-air reaction to a spectacular but bumpy finale, not an official sanction. The couple frightened the room for a moment, made it laugh, and still left with 30 points. The choreography got its own unplanned encore—in the presenter's commentary.
References (5)
- BBC One programme listing (17 October 2026): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00336h6
- Radio Times, Minnie Wright, 17 October 2026: https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/strictly-come-dancing-lawrence-robb-jowita-lift-throw-newsupdate/
- Entertainment Daily, Robert Emlyn Slater, 17 October 2026: https://www.entertainmentdaily.com/tv/strictly-2026-fans-stunned-lawrence-robb-jowita-przystals-incredible-performance/
- The Guardian, live coverage 17–18 October 2026: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2026/oct/17/strictly-come-dancing-week-four-live
- TV listings (17 October 2026): https://www.televisioncatchup.co.uk/tvguide
