Strictly Come Dancing’s winning style of chaos overshadows months of scandal

In preparation for the first Strictly Come Dancing live show of the season, a huge question mark hung over the dance competition. How would the show cope with months of scandal that threatened to tarnish its primetime shine?

Would we see behind-the-scenes footage of carers sitting in on rehearsals? Each couple now has a member of staff present during rehearsals. Would Tess and Claudia solemnly address the new social care measures, as they urgently reminded us about social distancing when the show was airing during Covid? Would Shirley Ballas give a speech? In the end, none of that happened. Instead Strictly got back to doing what he does best – giving us a dose of flashy, escapist mayhem that played out like a surreal dream, with a mahogany fake tan. It was a (slightly unbalanced) approach to business as usual that paid off.

Host Claudia Winkleman seemed to be channeling Princess Leia as she took to the dance floor in a high-necked, flowing-sleeved white gown (though she suggested on Instagram that she was actually inspired by Greek singer and caftan lover Demis Roussos). Her extravagant sartorial choices seemed to set the tone for the episode, which really leaned toward Strictlycamp, larger than life figure.

Soon, Do it yourself SOSNick Knowles paraded around dressed as an intergalactic Bob the Builder, complete with a shiny reflective vest, until dancer Carlos Gu suddenly threw a pie in his face. Miranda star Sarah Hadland tried to teach her dance partner Vito Coppola how to make a proper cup of tea. And Pete Wicks, of just about every reality show you can name, descended on a tightrope from the ceiling to perform a stomping Paso Doble. If the producers were hoping to distract viewers from their previous bad PR by simply throwing us increasingly bizarre spectacles, they succeeded. Do we really need hand-wringing when we could have Dave Arch’s band gamely attempting to cover The Prodigy?

The most enigmatic of all? Paul Merson and Karen Hauer’s American Smooth, performed to, mind you, Fat Les’ “Vindaloo,” a song that doesn’t lend itself to smooth moves. Merson, who was drafted in to fill the requisite “pathetic bad footballer” slot previously occupied by his former Arsenal teammate Tony Adams, stomped around the dance floor, kicked a giant ball, and jumped around holding on to air as if he were clinging to an imaginary space jumper. Was that funny, or just plain stupid? Who knows, but it was pretty funny to argue both ways.

Even the judges seemed to accept the sense of chaos in the air. Head judge Shirley Ballas stood up to perform miniature routines, showing exactly how each move could be fine-tuned; at one point, she kissed a bewildered Motsi Mabuse on the lips. The newly bearded Craig Revel Horwood said that one dancer looked more like he was walking through a steel mill than performing (why a steel mill, Craig?). And Anton du Beke said what everyone was thinking when he pointed out that professional dancer Gorka Marquez (who is paired with Live Morning GP Dr Punam Krishan never misses an opportunity to show off his abs. Straying from the path seemed much more in line with Strictly spirit than to discuss old scandals.

And then, to top it off? Wynne Evans, aka the opera-singing guy from the Go Compare advert, jumped out from under a silver platter in a chef’s hat and started singing along to a Tom Jones tune (he’s Welsh, didn’t you know?), before samba-ing around the dance floor with his partner, the ever-patient Katya Jones. The biggest surprise of all? Despite all the weird buffet-style props, he was pretty good – he could do a Bill Bailey and go from wild card to potential winner.

There were also moments that remind us how powerful Strictly it can be, like when comedian Chris McCausland, the show’s first blind contestant, took to the dance floor to perform Twist and Shout with partner Dianne Buswell. It was a truly impressive feat. And Amy Dowden’s return with new partner JB Gill, after a year off the show for cancer treatment, was rewarded with a fitting standing ovation.

Such flashes of emotion amidst the pantomime and chaos made tonight’s show a classic Strictly. It was a big, crazy, sparkling response to all the skeptics who said the show couldn’t go on (and yes, I was among them) — proof that there’s still a ton of charm in this format.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 28 September on BBC One