Strictly Come Dancing viewers say 'that isn't Nigel Harman' as they make same comparison and spot reason he's 'winner'

Nigel Harman took Strictly Come Dancing viewers completely by surprise when he performed for the first time on Saturday night (September 23) - but some have argued it wasn't actually him.

The former EastEnders actor and Casualty star left jaws on the floor as he closed week one of the BBC One dance contest's 2023 run with his dance partner Katya Jones as they performed a dramatic paso doble.

Dressed as a circus ringmaster, the actor finished his fierce routine to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana by swirling a cape, landing him a score of 32 – which placed him top of the leaderboard.

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Craig Revel Horwood praised it as "the dance of the night", saying: "I tell you what, I wouldn't want to be in the competition with you around, darling. That was the dance of the night," which led to Katya screaming with delight.

Head judge Shirley Ballas said he is "the one to beat" while Anton Du Beke noted how challenging it is to wait until the end of the show to perform, as he said: "To come out and do that with that power and intensity, you stole the night."

And viewers also wasted no time in sharing their thoughts on social media and argued that Nigel wasn't channelling his new alter ego 'Colin' who he mentioned in his ore-dance VT, was was in fact returning to his former role of Dennis Rickman which he played in EastEnders from 2003 to 2005.

@shirleighshirlz said: "That wasn't Nigel Harman. That was Dennis Rickman and he just SLAYED THAT DANCE." @claire_diggs_x replied:" I thought the same. His mean face dropped at the end and he did a cute smile and that’s when I