Strictly Come Dancing live: Paul Merson’s Vindaloo nightmare leaves fans divided over week one dance

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Strictly Come Dancing week one. Things are about to get very interesting: the celebrities will be dancing live (!) for the first time, before voting begins next weekend.

If you missed what happened during the launch show, you can catch up below. Expect Craig Revel-Horwood’s beard reveal, Amy Dowden’s emotional return and Jamie Borthwick being the punchline of the weekend.

Read our recap here:

Tomorrow night will see the couples take to the floor one-by-one for the first time – on live TV.

But before, perhaps you need a reminder of who they all are, and whether they have any dancing background.

Find out below:

Chris McCausland has revealed how the BBC production team have been supporting him as the show’s first blind contestant.

Speaking to The Independent and other media ahead of the show’s launch, the comedian admitted that he and his dance partner are “winging it” since McCausland has never seen the show before, and his professional partner has never taught someone who is blind.

“We’re just gonna have to figure it out as we go along,” he said. “The production team are just being really flexible. My dance partner is figuring out how to teach me. And we are winging it. That’s the best way I think.”

Speaking about his rehearsal experience so far, McCausland explained that adapting to wearing new dancing shoes was the first hurdle.

“The part of the problem for me is wearing shoes that I’m not used to walking in,” he said. “I can’t feel the floor through the shoes properly.”

Read more below:

As many of the celebrities competing on Strictly are actors, singers and performers, a large number of them will have trained in dance or theatrical performance.

Those contestants are often subject to backlash from viewers at home who argue that they have an unfair advantage compared to the other contestants.

So, who has come to the show with previous training? Find out below.

Is anyone nervous? Well, comedian Chris McCausland definitely is.

On X/Twitter, he asked toilet paper brand Andrex if they could sponsor him.

“The thought of the first #Strictly live dance on Saturday genuinely terrifies me. If @Andrex_UK Wants to sponsor me, I think I might need a van load,” he wrote.

McCausland is already winning over Strictly fans with his witty one-liners.

During last week’s episode, as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman interviewed this year’s cast, McCausland chimed in and referred to fellow contestant, TV personality Dr Punam Krishan, saying: “Can I just say none of us can believe we managed to get in the same room as a GP!”

At one point, he told the hosts: “I may as well get the jokes out now, I’m only here for three weeks.”

Fans were quick to crown McCausland as the “best part” of this year’s series, with one viewer writing online: “I think we can all agree @chrismccausland is already a highlight of this year’s #Strictly!”

Another added that it was a “stroke of genius” from the BBC to get the comedian to compete on the show.

“Just give the glitterball to Chris McCausland NOW,” said another on X/Twitter. “What a joyous contestant.”

Another added: “Everyone else can step aside Chris McCausland is the hero of this show already. What an absolute treasure and a star!”

Read more below:

Janette Manrara has revealed that she won’t be rooting for her husband Aljaž Škorjanec during his return to Strictly Come Dancing because she can’t pick favourites in her role as It Takes Two presenter.

Speaking to The One Show alongside her co-presenter Fleur East, Manrara was asked by host Roman Kemp: “Janette, I know someone you’ll be cheering on. Aljaž, of course. Is it nice to see him back out there?”

While she said she was enjoying seeing her husband perform on this year’s series, after his departure in 2022, she said she has to remain impartial in her job as the presenter of Strictly’s official companion show.

Read more below:

Strictly Come Dancing’s 2024 launch show was watched by almost a million fewer viewers than last year, figures have indicated.

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Before her time fighting off hopeful Gladiators contestants on our screens, the 38-year-old sprinter represented Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she reached the second round in the women’s 100 metres.

She previously held a British woman’s record for fastest 100m sprint and won a Commonwealth Gold in the 4x100m relay race in 2010.

Get to know the Strictly contestant below:

Before his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, Shayne Ward was famous for winning The X Factor and releasing his catchy Christmas number one, “That’s My Goal”.

Born in Manchester to parents who were Irish travellers, the 39-year-old spent the earlier part of his life in a band called Destiny performing in pubs, clubs, and weddings before his big break on the ITV show in 2005.

Read more about the Strictly contestant below: