Strictly Come Dancing live: Paul Merson’s Vindaloo nightmare leaves fans divided over week one dance
The pressure is on as celebrity contestants perform live for the first time this season
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Strictly Come Dancing has returned to our screens for the first live show of the series.
The new season kicked off last week with a dazzling pre-recorded show to mark the beginning of its 20th anniversary series after months of scandal surrounding the programme’s professional dancers.
However, the pressure will rise this week as the 15 celebrity contestants perform live for the first time before the voting – and first elimination of the series – happens next weekend.
This week’s routines include three cha chas, two foxtrots, two tangos, two sambas and a Viennese waltz.
Comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell perform a cha cha to “Twist and Shout”’ by The Beatles, with TV doctor Punam Krishnan and Gorka Márquez performing the same style to Kylie Minogue’s “Love at First Sight”.
Former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec danced a cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s summer anthem, “Espresso”.
As announced last week, former Arsenal/England player Paul Merson paid homage to his sport by performing the intriguing combination of an American Smooth to the popular football chant song “Vindaloo” by Fat Les.
Gladiators star Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe foxtrotted to “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” by Dinah Washington, while Olympic Hockey player Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin also performed a foxtrot to The Supremes’ hit “Where Did Our Love Go”.
Tango-ing this week Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova danced to Harry Styles’s “Golden”, while Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones performed to Madonna’s “Ray of Light”.
In the samba corner were Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu, dancing to Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do”, and Wynne Evans and Katya Jones performing Tom Jones’s “Help Yourself”.
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TOWIE’s Pete Wicks and his partner Jowita Przystał performed a paso doble to “Breathe” by The Prodigy.
EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas danced a Viennese Waltz to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and JLS’s JB Gill and Amy Dowden performed a classic waltz to “When I Need You” by Leo Sayer.
Dr Punam Krishan: The TV medic hoping to prescribe some entertainment this autumn
Strictly fans will most likely know Krishan from appearing as the resident GP on BBC Morning Live as well as BBC Radio Scotland, not to mention numerous other broadcasting appearances. She has also written her own children’s book.
Read more about the celebrity contestant below:
The Strictly star swapping the surgery for the dancefloor
TV medic said her inclusion on the BBC series ‘still doesn’t feel real’
Paul Merson, the former footballer looking for success on Strictly after rollercoaster career
Merson, a 56-year-old father of eight, will follow in the footsteps of fellow footballers John Barnes, Robbie Savage, Alex Scott and his ex-Arsenal teammate Tony Adams when he puts on his dancing shoes for the 22nd season of the long-running BBC show.
Read more about the former footballer below:
Paul Merson, the ex-footballer competing on Strictly after rollercoaster career
The ex-footballer enjoyed a successful career on the field and then as a pundit, while also battling numerous personal demons
Jamie Borthwick, the EastEnders star whose casting might irk purists
Actor Jamie Borthwick is known for his long-term role in the BBC soap EastEnders, having starred as Jay Brown/Mitchell since 2006. He is now one of the longest-serving actors on the show.
His inclusion on Strictly might frustrate purist fans who believe contestants should not have prior dancing experience; The 30-year-old soap star won the Strictly Christmas special alongside Nancy Xu in December 2023.
Read more about the actor below:
The EastEnders star whose Strictly casting might irk purists
Soap star finds himself in a somewhat advantageous position over his fellow contestants
Tom Dean’s journey from gold medals to glitterballs
Tom Dean will follow in the footsteps of many sportsmen before him as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The swimmer is a three-time Olympic champion and made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the first British man to win a gold medal for the men’s 200m swim freestyle in over 100 years. At the Paris Olympic Games this year, Dean brought home his third gold medal for Team GB in the team 4 x 200m freestyle relay.
Read more about the Olympian here:
Tom Dean’s journey from Olympic gold medals to Strictly Come Dancing
The swimmer won gold in the men’s freestyle relay at this year’s Paris Games
Meet Sarah Hadland, the comedian and Miranda star taking to the dance floor
Actor Sarah Hadland is best known for her role as Stevie in the BBC comedy Miranda, which she starred in alongside the show’s creator Miranda Hart.
She is also one of the original cast members of the children’s series Horrible Histories and has appeared in numerous films, including the Bond epic Quantum of Solace.
Read more about the comedy actor here:
Meet Sarah Hadland, the comedian and Miranda star taking to the Strictly dance floor
The actor is best known for her role as Stevie in the BBC sitcom ‘Miranda’
Tasha Ghouri, Love Island’s first ever deaf contestant taking to the Strictly stage
Love Island contestant and model Tasha Ghouri appeared on the ITV reality show in 2022, becoming its first deaf contestant. She trained as a dancer at Creative Academy and has since competed at major dance events and performed in music videos.
Ghouri also hosts the podcast Superpowers with Tasha and released the book Hits Different in June, about a girl who is an aspiring dancer and goes on tour with a global superstar.
Read more about the reality star below:
Tasha Ghouri, from being Love Island’s first deaf contestant to Strictly
Ghouri fell in love with dance when she felt the ‘bass and vibrations’ through the huge speakers in her home
Pete Wicks, the presenter who rose to fame on 'The Only Way Is Essex’
Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks rose to fame on the Brentford-based reality show in 2015, with storylines revolving around his relationships with Megan McKenna and Chloe Sims.
He has since appeared on shows including Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, The Real Full Monty and Celebs Go Dating, and co-hosts the Staying Relevant podcast with his best friend and Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson.
Read more about the presenter below:
Pete Wicks: The Strictly 2024 contestant who rose to fame on Towie
Star is known for his love for dogs and his friendship with ‘Made in Chelsea’ star Sam Thompson
Wynne Evans, the Welsh singer hoping to get his opera talents into Strictly dance routines
Tenor Wynne Evans, who is widely known for featuring in the theatrical Go Compare adverts as an opera singer, has had two number one classical albums and has given more than 200 performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
He also hosts a regular show on BBC Radio Wales and is filming a series with Gavin and Stacey’s Joanna Page about the Welsh coastline.
Read more about the musician below:
Wynne Evans, the singer hoping to get opera into his Strictly dance routines
From GoCompare to Cha-cha-cha...
Toyah Willcox says Strictly made her feel ‘premenopausal’
Singer and actor Toyah Willcox has 13 top 40 singles including “It’s a Mystery”, “Thunder in the Mountains” and “I Want to Be Free”. She fronted the eponymous band Toyah from 1977 before becoming a solo artist in 1983.
The singer has also featured in films including The Corn is Green and Derek Jarman’s 1979 adaptation of The Tempest.
In a new interview ahead of the show, Willcox said Strictly had made her feel premenopausal. “There’s just this most extraordinary feeling you get having someone you trust hold you close and dancing,” she said.
Read more about the punk-rock singer here:
Everything you need to know about Toyah Willcox as she enters Strictly Come Dancing
‘I Want to Be Free’ singer will be putting her experience from years of touring and West End performing to the test
Strictly’s first blind contestant Chris McCausland says he and pro partner are ‘winging it’
Chris McCausland has revealed how the BBC production team have been supporting him as the show’s first blind contestant.
Speaking to The Independent and other media ahead of the show’s launch, the comedian admitted that he and his dance partner are “winging it” since McCausland has never seen the show before, and his professional partner has never taught someone who is blind.
“We’re just gonna have to figure it out as we go along,” he said. “The production team are just being really flexible. My dance partner is figuring out how to teach me. And we are winging it. That’s the best way I think.”
Speaking about his rehearsal experience so far, McCausland explained that adapting to wearing new dancing shoes was the first hurdle.
“The part of the problem for me is wearing shoes that I’m not used to walking in,” he said. “I can’t feel the floor through the shoes properly.”
Read more below:
Strictly’s first blind star Chris McCausland says he and pro partner are ‘winging it’
Comedian, who lost his sight aged 22, said he is ‘figuring it out’ as he goes along
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