Strictly’s first live show of the year and we are back in action baby - technical gremlins and all. The show opened with a rather self-indulgent but still lovely dance through the decades, and then we were introduced to our judges (still insisting on doing the dance and shimmy over to the chairs despite the fact they never manage to get their on time, I’m looking at you Shirley). Our couples took to the floor, with the exception of Dani Dyer who has to sit this year out due to injury and is replaced by last minute super-sub Amber Davies.

The show must go on!

Chris & Nadiya - Samba

Poor Chris, having to open the show and do the first live dance of the series and not only that, have it be a Samba! It wasn’t great, no hips and quite a lot of walking around. But he had more personality than I expected, and he seemed to get all the steps in the right order, so it could be worse!

Alex & Johannes - Viennese Waltz

This pair have developed their own language already, and a new way of warming up! Very dramatic music and of course she does that well, the actor shining through. The dancing was pretty good, rough around the edges, and I wonder if she’s going to be one of those who is better at ballroom than latin. Good start, some very picky comments from Shirley for a first dance.

Harry & Karen - Cha Cha

Obviously, the push ups stole focus but the dance behind it wasn’t too bad. There were some mistakes and the frame could use a lot of work, and there’s always room for more hips. But he has great confidence, as expected, and good rhythm and there’s plenty of potential here, despite the hindrance of massive muscles.

Stefan & Dianne - Foxtrot

When I saw this song choice, I thought it was going to be dire, but Dave Arch and his band did a pretty good job with it. There were a lot of mistakes in the dance, but it was better than I thought it would be - when it was right, it was great! And he did keep managing to pick it back up which is always a plus. Bonus Karl Kennedy in the audience.

Ellie & Vito - Cha Cha

Ellie continues to bring the sass, her enthusiasm, spirit and personality cannot be denied. The dance was a bit stompy but she was totally in it, so much energy and connection with the crowd. Great timing, and the partnership with Vito is adorable.

Lewis & Katya - Jive

You can tell this guy has danced before, no one should be able to pull out these tricks on their first go. But there were too many of them, it was a bit frantic and exhausting to watch. I feel like the energy wobbled a bit, but it’s no wonder given the pace of the thing.

Ross & Jowita - Cha Cha

The start was really weird and I couldn’t figure out why until the judges pointed out he’d come down the slide far too early… not an auspicious beginning. Overall the dance was fun, but it wasn’t a good one, Ross seemed to do plenty of standing while Jowita shimmied around him.

George & Alexis - American Smooth

At some point I’m going to have to admit to having a crush on this cutie, but for now we’ll just say it seemed like an entirely competent dance, there was nothing in there to concern. He seemed nervous, so could have used a bit more confidence and personality, but the steps were there, the lift was seamless, and it’s a great place to start from.

Vicky & Kai - Cha Cha

All the couples are nervous, but the amount of time people spent saying how nervous Vicky was makes me think she maybe almost didn’t make it onto the actual dancefloor! This pair are hilarious in training, and it shone through in the dance - alright, it did seem a bit nervy, but there was the beginnings of sass some great attempts at the straight leg technique too. Plenty to build on here.

Jimmy & Lauren - Quickstep

I really had this down as one of those disappointing footballer dances but it was so much better than expected. The steps were all there, it was all in time, no major mistakes. The confidence was great and personality not something you always get with footballers. It was rough around the edges, but such a pleasant surprise. (The song though, ruined by making it too fast.)

Balvinder & Julian - Samba

Bals and Juls appear to be best friends already. I partly love that she’s unashamedly wanted to do Strictly forever and is making the most of the opportunity. The dance was alright, another samba so tough to open with, and it was a good performance, it just didn’t stand out with so many other good dances today.

La Voix & Aljaž - American Smooth

Despite the technical hitch, I loved this. It was interesting to think about the multiple personalities going on in the training room versus the dance floor, but it was all La Voix on the night. Fun, great dancing, Aljaž really up for it, what a treat. It felt too short which is always a good sign.

Thomas & Amy - Paso Doble

The beginning footwork seemed quite good but then it was another episode of celebrity standing there while the pro dances around them. I was expecting the worst and it wasn’t that bad but it also wasn’t great… although the judges were more positive than I’d imagined they would be. Amy is a legend, of course.

Amber & Nikita - Waltz

Writing everything in a notebook is my kind of person. Considering Nikita made up this routine in super quick time and Amber had one day of training, it’s an exceptional performance. She knows what she’s doing from musical theatre, so musicality is baked right in, but that doesn’t make this easy. Next week will be a proper test.

Karen & Carlos - Jive

I had been fuming they didn’t end the show on La Voix but after seeing this, I get why. I had been concerned about Karen’s posture, that sort of ‘shrinking into yourself, shoulders hunched’ thing. And posture is definitely something to be worked on. But this was GREAT. The energy was off the scale, the vibes coming off it were just pure joy, and a great tune to finish on. Lots to polish but a wonderful start.

No one goes home this week, the scores are rolled over to next week, added to the second week judgements and then we’ll have our first dance off… so it’s the only week I don’t have to make any predictions on the Saturday.

I think the leaderboard accurately reflects the relative performances this week.

An incredible start to the series, as always Strictly provides a joyful outlet on dark winter Saturday nights, and I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds. Bring it on!