Strictly Come Dancing 2016: long jumper Greg Rutherford jointly tops standings after fabulous first Friday.  

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Greg Rutherford and Natalie Lowe during the live show of Strictly Come Dancing.  

You know that autumn is well and truly here when Strictly Come Dancing kicks off, ready to take
 us into Christmas. The first episode of the competition proper was a resounding success, with as
much fake tan, glitter and wry jokes as a Strictly fan could ever want. Here's what happened
on the night.

The Strictly class of 2016

Series opener aired too late in the evening.

Strictly's opening double bill is an anomaly – it won't normally be in this slot – but the BBC
 still got the scheduling wrong. Tomorrow night's show airs at 6.30pm, perfect for family viewing
 and to get three generations glued to this year's contest. However, with tonight's show not finishing
until 10pm, a million or two disappointed fans would have been ushered up to bed before the credits
rolled. It should have been scheduled after The One Show. EastEnders could have missed a night
or been bumped later.

Naga and Pasha Credit: BBC

The big names were saved for Saturday

Talking point contestant Ed Balls, hot favourites Will Young, Louise Redknapp and Claudia Fragapane, potential comedy turns Anastacia and Tameka Empson: Strictly producers were
canny in keeping all of them back for the second instalment tomorrow night. There was, however,
 certainly enough dancing talent on display to keep fans happy.

Bake Off comparisons couldn't be helped

In another tumultuous week for fellow BBC flagship contest, The Great British Bake Off, it was
reassuring to bask in the relative stability of Strictly. Tess Daly made a cheeky reference to their
stablemate by describing Greg Rutherford's jive as a "showstopper". Good bake. Just hope Greg
didn't have a soggy bottom.

Judge Rinder is not just a joke

Judge Rinder and Oksana Platero Credit: BBC

Many assumed that reality TV gavel-basher Robert "Judge" Rinder was a joke contestant and, with
 his ready wit and waspish quips, he certainly fulfils that brief. But his cheeky, fast and furious showed
that he was no mug on the dance floor either. His feud with panto villain judge Craig Revel Horwood
 could also run and run, for the first half of the series at least.

Anton du Beke's got another battle on his hands

The long-suffering Strictly pro had a golden year in 2015, partnered with Katie Derham and
reaching the final for the first time. This year, though, it it's back to the glittery grindstone for the king
 of ballroom. Actress Lesley Joseph is funny, fit and frisky for 70 but her posture was terrible. Poor
 old Anton. Could this be his final bit of community service before getting Len's seat on the judging
 panel as a golden handshake?

From longjumper to jive bunny

Olympic sandpit-botherer Greg Rutherford has been as nervous as any contestant about his first
foray onto the dance floor but he need not have worried. Pro partner Natalie Lowe, always a great
 teacher, chose their routine cleverly: a high-energy jive to play to Greg's speed, power and jumpiness.
He pulled it off superbly and jointly topped the leaderboard, which will settle his nerves and could propel
 him far into the contest.

Ore Oduba was a surprise package

The BBC Sports presenter is hardly the biggest household name amid this year's field – one wonders
 if he was loitering in BBC reception when someone famous dropped out – but boy, did he make a powerful first impression on the dance floor. He's sporty, taking training very seriously and turned in a
 very respectable tango, even if the routine's gimmicky theme annoyed the more traditional judges. Ore's odds for the glitterball trophy have duly plummeted with bookies.

11:30 pm Friday night as it happened

Your recap of the dance routines, scores , judges' comments and more...

10:06PM

First leaderboard of the series

Friday night leaderboard Credit: BBC

Here it is. Welcome back, you glowing brown beauty.

9:57PM

All about the boys

So there we have it. The male celebs steal the opening show, with Greg Rutherford and  
Ore Oduba
joint top of the scoreboard, followed by Judge Rinder. High standard overall.

 9:48PM Greg and Natalie's jive

Our Olympic long jumper and the popular Aussie pro have a lot of viewers rooting for them,
o fingers crossed. They're off like the clappers and this is fast, furious and fun. Lots of jumping, legs high-energy, the arms need work but bags of energy and cheekiness.
Music: Get Ready by The Temptations
Judges' verdict: Tess loved his "sexy jive face, just sayin'". Bruno says "you could go all the way,
not a paragon of precision but you have talent and presence". Craig less keen: "flat-footed, stompy, pigeon-toed but I enjoyed it enormously". Darcey says Greg was "built to jive, like a blue frog, great
 rhythm and energy, you're gonna go far". Len says, "As good as we've seen tonight, dynamic duo,
flicks and kicks were fabulous but faded as it went on." Tess even crowbars in a "showstopper"
mention in tribute to BBC One stablemate, the Great British Bake Off.

Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27 points, joint top with Ore

9:42PM

Ore and Joanne's tango

First tango of the series from the hotly tipped BBC Sport presenter. Some "messin' abaht" with a
bicycle and a park bench to start. Once they start dancing, though, it's really rather good. Confident,
Ore's leading, lots of snap and staccato. Best routine yet, I'd say.
Music: Geronimo by Sheppard
Judges' verdicts: Len didn't like the larkin' abaht or the styling, you're a good dancer, I wanted to see
  full routine". Bruno says "fresh, exciting, original". Craig loved the storytelling, "strong, dramatic
 well done". Darcey concludes "there was ease, attack, strength and focus, you have so much potential,
 I can't wait to see more".
Judges' scores: 7, 7, 6, 7 for a total of 27 points, best so far.

9:35PM

Lesley and Anton's waltz

To a familiar tune, there's a black and white opening that apes the Birds Of A Feather credits, then
 into a slow and stately waltz. Lesley's in shocking pink, Anton in tails, manoeuvering her round the
 floor like one of his grandmother's prize antiques. Sweet ending, though.
Music: What'll I Do by Alison Krauss, aka the Birds of a Feather theme tune.
Judges' verdicts: Darcey says, "Elegant, shoulders high but don't worry". Len liked the trad
costumes, "posture high but you're a lovely lady and danced it beautifully". Bruno says "shoulder
and neckline wrong, lean back and don't get stuck in the rug but it was lovely". Craig says "posture
let you down and lost your footing towards the end but you danced it with ease".
Judges' scores: 5, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 23 points, the same as Naga Munchetty, which seems a bit
harsh on her.

Who are the new professional dancers?

L-R: Oksana Platero, AJ Pritchard, Katya Jones Credit: BBC

This series sees the arrival of six new professionals: two dancing duos (Neil & Katya Jones, and AJ Pritchard and his partner Chloe Hewitt), as well as Ukrainian dancer Oksana Platero and Spanish choreographer Gorka Márquez.

Who will be hosting?

Familiar favourites Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are hosting the series as usual, while Zoe Ball will present It Takes Two, the Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show, from Monday at 6.30pm on BBC Two.

What about the judges?

Len Goodman will step down at the end of this series Credit:  Ian West

This year offers your last opportunity to witness Len Goodman deliver his delightful and damning verdicts to the contestants before he steps down from Strictly. He'll still be the lead judge until his swansong and is joined this year by the usual team of Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell, all of whom are staying put.

What's happened so far?

Ed Balls with his dancing partner, Katya Jones.

The first half dozen dancers took to the floor last night. For the others, we got a hint of the contestants' dancing prowess at the launch show in August. According to resident Strictly blogger Michael Hogan, Claudia Fragapane, Will Young, Louise Redknapp, Greg Rutherford, Daisy Lowe and Laura Whitmore are the ones who are within a chance of doing well.
Off stage, everybody's sharing their views on this year's most intriguing contestant, Ed Balls. Tonioli delivered the damning statement that Balls was "going to be the next Ann Widdecombe".
"I don't think the nation is ready for another one," he added. "I still haven't recovered from the first one. I think I called her the Dalek in drag. He has to top that. Ed – you have to top the Dalek in drag. I want you to be like a hippopotamus in Fantasia."
While Tonioli ruled out Balls's chance of winning ("As much as being elected prime minister"), the former MP wrote a response in The Telegraph: "Now the hippos in Fantasia are actually quite good, so if Katya can do for me what Disney did for them, our dance will be a triumph."
Balls will be dancing the waltz for his Strictly debut.

we will continue later..

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