Strictly Come Dancing - the first live show and the boys are in action

Strictly Come Dancing kicked off in style tonight as the new male celebrities took to the floor for the first time. There were nerves aplenty and a few surprises – a couple of the boys were far better than I expected them to be – and one or two were a bit disappointing.

Holby City’s Mark Chambers opened the show dancing a cha-cha-cha with Camilla Dallerup. He was obviously nervous but hid it well, Bruno telling him he had the confidence of a tom-cat. Len thought Marks’ hip action was great and Arlene agreed but felt he needed to work on his arms and upper body. Encouraging as ever (!) Craig declared it was a flat, shapeless and smug performance with mincy movements. Well, Craig would know! Score 28

Ex-Eastender and Quadrophenia star Phil Daniels is dancing with Flavia Cacace who got to the final with Matt Di Angelo last year. Phil’s waltz lacked some grace although Len praised him for his movement generally and Bruno told him he needed to relax. Craig was on the attack again saying it was a bit common, flat-footed and that Phil did not engage with the dance at all. Score 20

Don Warrington and Lilia Kopylova danced a cha-cha-cha which suffered from a few timing issues. Arlene made a very bad pun saying the dance was like Rising Damp, it started to rise but then became quickly damp (??) Craig however recognised that Don does have some natural rhythm but that his brain and body appeared to be disconnected. Score 19

Star of the evening was undoubtedly rugby star Austin Healey dancing with Erin Boag. Their waltz was praised almost unreservedly by Craig, amazingly, who said it was graceful, elegant and really quite shocking. Arlene queried whether Austin had been to a ‘posh private school where they teach little boys how to ballroom dance’ – Austin’s answer was an emphatic no. Len went so far as to say it was the best first dance by a male contestant he had ever seen – praise indeed. A fabulous performance and definitely one couple to watch. Score 32

Disappointment of the evening (for me at least) was hunky swimmer Mark Foster. Partnered by new professional Hayley Holt, Mark seemed as though he couldn't wait for the dance to be over. The judges were critical of his attitude, telling him he needed to embrace the public and put on a show. True to form, Craig said it was dull and boring (it was actually)
Score 22

Award for the maddest, weirdest dance of the night had to go to Gary Rhodes and Karen Hardy who performed a most peculiar cha-cha-cha with Gary appearing to be making pasta on Karen’s back at one stage prompting Bruno to compare him to the mad chef from The Muppets! The judges applauded Gary for going for it and showing that he’d come to the show to have a good time, but they hadn’t overlooked his lack of control and hip action. Score 17

John Sergeant and the second new professional Kristina Rihanoff danced a waltz and it was quite surprisingly good – even Craig thought it was a warm and honest performance. Bruno said it was like watching Winnie the Pooh and Len called it understated, quiet and charming. Arlene however wished John would share his great brain with his feet but commented that he looks as though he loves to dance. Score 22

Finally Andrew Castle and Ola Jordan danced a cha-cha-cha, Ola in possibly the closest-fitting catsuit ever seen on Strictly Come Dancing. Arlene declared that at last they had found a GMTV presenter with rhythm, Craig thought it was a bit stiff and cautious but had potential and Bruno said that compared to his colleagues Fiona Phillips and Kate Garraway, Andrew was Fred Astaire! Score 22

The girls and their professional partners then put on a group number giving us a flavour of what to expect next week. From a very quick glance at this, I would say Rachel Stevens, Christine Bleakley and Lisa Snowden are looking good, whilst Jodie Kidd looked nervous and awkward as did Jessie Wallace. But that may all change by next Saturday.

In the meantime you can discuss the show in our Strictly Come Dancing forum