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 PashaCredit:
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 PlateroCredit:
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...
First leaderboard of the series
Friday night leaderboardCredit:
BBC
Here it is. Welcome back, you glowing brown beauty.
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.
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
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.
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 JonesCredit:
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 seriesCredit:
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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