Fifteen celebrity contestants and their professional partners took to the ballroom for the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing. After being paired during the launch programme, they spent the previous week rehearsing. Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke judged the performances.
Northern Irish football content creator John Nellis and partner Katya Jones topped the table with 31 points for a foxtrot to Alex Warren’s Ordinary. Judges praised the routine’s elegance; Mabuse called it the best dance of the night.
Australian singer Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington followed with 29 points for a samba to Baiana by Barbatuques. EastEnders actor Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola scored 27 for a cha-cha, while Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu earned 26 for their quickstep.
Dani Dyer-Bowen made her Strictly debut with Nikita Kuzmin after withdrawing from last year’s series because of an injury. Their samba scored 22 points. Her father, actor Danny Dyer, watched from the audience.
Three couples tied for last place on 15 points: Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, and Paralympian Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon. Other scores included 24 for Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, 21 for Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, 20 for Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby, and 16 for Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden.
The show opened with the professional dancers performing to an orchestral version of Raye’s Joy. There was no public vote or elimination. The report said Strictly would return on BBC One the following Saturday for movie week.