Strictly Come Dancing 2021, week 1 review: no eliminations but lots of high drama

Twirls, tears and tension combined to knockout effect as Strictly Come Dancing 2021 (BBC One) kicked-off in earnest with the first live episode of the latest series. After the razzmatazz of launch night the previous week, there was that unmistakable sense that the stakes had been raised for the 15 contestants who, all of a sudden, had to let their feet do the talking.

There were no eliminations but the verdict of the judges will carry over to seven days hence. And so anyone making a ha-ha-hash of their cha-cha-cha could soon be watching at home along with there audience. That whiff of jeopardy was the vital secret ingredient as the celebrity hoofers vied to create a splash.

There was lots of high drama in a thoroughly solid instalment. Strictly’s first all-male dance couple of John Whaite and Johannes Radebe blitzed their way through a tango to Blue Monday by New Order – and amid the applause, pro dancer Radebe was visibly overwhelmed by sheer emotion.

“Overwhelming” was also a good way of describing the dad dancing extravaganza served up by comedian Robert Webb, as he and flame-haired pro partner Diane Buswell performed a cha-cha-cha to Boney M’s Rasputin.

Webb created a splash without at any moment threatening to excel as a dancer. Yet while sheer eagerness is often enough to impress the judges early on in Strictly, that proved not to be the case this year. The gurning Webb was thoroughly eclipsed by a number of contestants who set the floor ablaze with accomplished numbers.

Top of the leaderboard was TV presenter AJ Odudu, who danced a jive with pro Kai Widdrington to Gold Dust By JF Fresh and scored a knock-out 34. So polished was her routine that she convinced judge Shirley Ballas to award her first ever week one score of nine out of ten.

In joint second place were Whaite and Radebe and Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty and dancer Katya Jones, each on 30. However, last year’s winning professional Oti Mabuse may have her work cut out in 2021.

She closed the episode languishing second bottom with former England rugby international Ugo Monye. Their 18 put them just one point ahead of Dragon’s Den investor Sara Davies, dancing with Aljaz Skorjanec.

Of course scores only count for so much this early in the competition. It’s all about getting a sense of the personalities of the contestants and seeing how they gel with the judges. Strictly favourite Anton Du Beke was making his debut as an full-time adjudicator, having stepped in last year as temporary replacement for Bruno Tonioli. And he clearly saw himself as a sort of Bruno 2.0, as he heaped on lashings of positives and occasionally skipped “praise” and went straight to “gushing”.

He was especially impressed with actor Greg Wise, who cut a dash in top hat and cane. “I’d give you 45 points on my own if I could,” Anton said – his enthusiasm in contrast to Shirley Ballas’s annoyance at Wise’s lack of choreography “fundamentals”.

Du Beke’s rapturous verdict was lapped up not just by Wise - and by the actor’s wife Emma Thompson, who beamed with pride in the studio audience.

There will have been rather fewer smiles among BBC brass this week amid reports that a number of the professional dancers have declined to be vaccinated. That controversy looks set to continue to pirouette across the news cycle in the days ahead. But it wasn’t brought up in the first live show where everybody seemed thrilled to be participating.

The only real takeaway that was possible was that the class of 2021 were an eager bunch – and that several are already showing potential to be among Strictly’s most impressive ever twirlers and twerkers. The trickier question of who is a genuine contender and who is destined to fade away will only be answered over the weeks to come.