Strictly Come Dancing burst back onto our screens not once but twice over the weekend with the launch show swiftly followed by the first official week of the all-sparkling dance competition.
The hit BBC One show was originally due to air on Saturday, September 17 but was postponed due to schedule changes ahead of the Queen's funeral. Instead, the BBC showed the launch just a day before the first live show in which viewers discovered which celebrity had been paired with which professional dancer for the first time.
Meanwhile, Saturday's show saw actor Will Mellor and wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin place joint top of the leaderboard, both achieving an impressive score of 34 in week one. Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps star Will performed an electric jive to Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin with his partner Nancy Xu.
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Judges Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas were so stunned by Will's hip-swirling performance that they gave him a standing ovation. In contrast, Hamza and pro partner Jowita Przystal dazzled with their beautifully joyful foxtrot to Islands In The Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers to secure their top mark.
The 20th series also features two same-sex pairings, among them reigning champion Giovanni Pernice and BBC Radio 2’s Richie Anderson who delivered an energetic cha cha cha to I’m Your Man by Wham! for their first routine.
Comedian and actor Jayde Adams and professional Karen Hauer are the show’s second female same-sex couple, following in the footsteps of Katya Jones and Olympic gold medallist boxer Nicola Adams who were paired up in 2020.
But Strictly's big return has
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