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.
Meet JB Gill, the JLS star taking to the floor
Singer JB Gill shot to fame in the X-Factor-founded band JLS alongside Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Ortise Williams, who are known for their hits “Everybody in Love”, “She Makes Me Wanna” and “One Shot”.
The pop group released four albums before splitting in 2012. They performed a farewell tour in addition to releasing a greatest hits album in 2013.
Read more about the singer below:
Meet the JLS boyband member JB Gill taking on Strictly Come Dancing
‘One Shot’ singer will be swapping his microphone for ballroom shoes
Sam Quek, the Olympic hockey player turned ‘Question of Sport' star taking on Strictly
Former England and Team GB hockey player Sam Quek has won 125 international caps for the England and Great Britain women’s hockey teams, including a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The sports star appeared on the 16th series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! and subsequently appeared on the ITV sports panel game show Play to the Whistle, the celebrity edition of The Chase and Pointless Celebrities before being announced as a team captain on Question of Sport in 2021.
Read more about the athlete turned broadcaster below:
Sam Quek: The Olympic hockey player turned Question of Sport star taking on Strictly
The athlete won a gold medal with team Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics
DIY SOS’s Nick Knowles discusses Strictly’s new welfare measures
TV presenter Nick Knowles, best known for fronting BBC’s emotional building show DIY SOS, will be swapping his overalls for sparkly jackets on Strictly.
Discussing the show’s new welfare measures with The Independent ahead of the first live show, the presenter said: “Everything’s in place both mentally and physically to look after you. We’ve got physios to make sure we’re physically OK. We’ve got people to talk to if you feel bad. People are being listened to.”
Read more below:
The stars of this year’s Strictly discuss the shows post-scandal era
The BBC’s beloved dancing show is getting a shiny new rebrand as it recovers from a set of damning allegations. But what will a new ‘Strictly’, at 20 years old, look like? Ellie Muir speaks to this year’s cast, from Nick Knowles to Sarah Hadland, to find out
Sarah Hadland details how new chaperone measures have changed Strictly rehearsals
In response to the scandals surrounding Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima, the BBC has introduced a set of duty-of-care measures for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, including chaperones being present in rehearsal rooms.
Speaking to The Independent ahead of the new series, Sarah Hadland offered an insight into the new protocol, saying: “There’s always somebody in the rehearsal room with us... Lots of people constantly reaching out to make sure you’re OK with everything, you’re happy with everything, you’re sleeping enough, you’re getting enough food breaks.”
Read more below:
Sarah Hadland on Strictly: ‘It was made clear that our welfare would be top priority’
The comedy star tells Katie Rosseinsky why she finally signed up for the dance show, how she kept it from friends, including Miranda Hart, and why every contestant now has a chaperone
The countdown is on
It’s very nearly time for us to return to the Strictly ballroom for the very first live show of the year. The contestants have been perfecting their debut routines (and inevitably indulging in some serious spray tanning) and I for one can’t wait to see what they’ve been working on...
A quick recap
In case you’ve somehow forgotten how things will play out this evening, here’s your reminder. Each of the 15 couples will take to the dance floor to perform their first routine, and the judges will dish out their scores (be nice please, Craig). This week, there will be no public vote, because all of the contestants will be performing again next Saturday. The judges’ scores will be carried over until then.
And we’re off!
Time for the obligatory montage showing our new crowd of celebs making their way to to Elstree studios...
Let’s face it, one of the best bits about Strictly is seeing what Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are wearing every week, and tonight’s no exception. Claudia has posted a little sneak preview on her Instagram account...
The judges take to the floor
It still feels weird seeing Craig Revel Horwood with a beard, right?
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