Get Set For Strictly: Perfect Saturday Nights

Now that summer is over and the kids are back to school, it’s time to once again embrace the British tradition that is Saturday night TV. With the evenings getting darker and the weather colder, there’s nothing better than spending a Saturday night in front of the box with your family, watching all your favourites – except perhaps sending the kids to bed early so you can watch without interruptions.

Tomorrow marks the start of Saturday night TV really getting back into the swing of things, as Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens – not to mention the X Factor coming back last weekend. This means you have plenty of very reasonable excuses to cancel weekend plans for the next few months so you can stay at home and Tweet about the latest foxtrot or singing disaster.

Of course, simply having a TV and a remote with fresh batteries isn’t enough to really make the most of Saturday night television, you need to make it more of an event. This doesn’t mean announcing it with fireworks or getting dolled up in all your finery, but there are a few things you can do to make Saturday the best night of the week.

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If you’re in your PJs, no one can expect you to leave the house and miss your favourite show – we’ll just forget about the handy ‘record’ button. This means that new PJs are definitely a must-have for Saturday nights, after all, we want you to be comfortable.

Whether you watch your shows with friends or family, you also definitely need to make sure they are all in proper lounging-around attire so you don’t just look super lazy.

No one wants someone to call just as Simon Cowell is about to deliver his verdict on an X Factor hopeful’s audition, so put your phone on silent and unplug your landline. We’d say turn your phone off but that means you can’t tweet or update your Facebook status throughout the show and we wouldn’t want people missing out on your pearls of wisdom.

You may also want to take the batteries out of your doorbell, although we don’t have tips on avoiding people knocking on your door, apart from closing your curtains and hoping that discourages them.

You could order a takeaway to avoid cooking, but let’s face it, everywhere will be super busy and no one wants to wait over an hour for a greasy pizza. Save yourself the hassle and make your own fakeaway.

Not only will this mean dinner is ready in time for Strictly to start so you can eat in front of the box, it will also be much healthier and probably tastier. From crispy chips in your ActiFry to healthy ‘fried’ chicken, fakeaways are definitely the way forward. Here are some great recipe ideas to get you started.

One of the best things about Saturday night TV is that it’s fun for all the family – until your kids get bored and start interrupting all the best bits that is! If your little ones struggle to stay interested but don’t want to go off and play, why not make a game of the show you’re watching?

You can play X Factor or Strictly bingo, marking off common phrases or things that always seem to happen. Whoever gets a line or crosses off everything first wins a prize. While this might not stop all noise and interruptions completely, it will make the whole thing extra fun.

Of course, you could also set your kids up in another room with a DVD but family time is part of what makes Saturday night telly so good!

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If you can’t make an event of Saturday night by setting it aside to watch all your favourite shows, make sure you record everything and do it on Sunday instead! It may not be exactly the same, but you can still enjoy catching up on what you missed, although you’ll probably want to steer clear of social media to avoid spoilers!