Week 1 Wonders

So here we are, the nights are drawing in, we've stocked up on Strictly Snacks, and we're ready for the razzmatazz that is the 2019 launch show. As ever, its a marathon opener, so get ready for a lot of scrolling as we take you through all 15 couples' outfits, song choices, relationships...oh yes, and dances!

Alex and Neil
Well this immediately sent me into a 'OMG she's dancing first, she's going to win!' spiral. That and the most darling of ballroom dresses meant that I was sold before this had even began, and then I realised she can actually dance! For a week 1 quickstep this was a cracker, it wasn't perfect, but she could clearly manage some fairly complicated footwork. I thought the judges were a wee bit harsh on her, you don't expect perfect posture in week 1.

I think the scores reflect being first out. Oh I do so wish the judges wouldn't get so carried away. I mean, there were some absolutely excellent performances later on... but also some of a similar level to this that scored better. I'll be interested to see how she handles a latin dance.

Chris and Karen
A week 1 cha cha means all is right with the world. I'm also loving Karen's Grease 2 vibes with that 80s-tastic outfit (unlike Chris's seizure-inducing shirt) and the choice of the perfect cha cha modern pop song. This was a nice solid piece of week 1 latin, and I'm actually relieved Karen didn't turn it into some sort of comedy routine despite him clearly not being the best. They get on like a house on fire, so hopefully they can channel his keenness over the coming weeks!

So, first of all, I keep mishearing the lyrics as 'blame it on the goose'. I'm like, poor goose, what on earth has it done? And you know, for an 'enthusiastic' week one dance from a non-dancer, with patchy timing and questionable coordination, there were genuine displays potential rhythm. I'm not sure which way Chris is going to go. If he can improve in the next few weeks, I can see the possibility of a journey; if he doesn't, then I imagine the uber-comedy route may be the way it goes...

Catherine and Johannes
Another upgraded pro we've been dying to see, you really are spoiling us, Strictly. Not quite sure about Catherine's 1970s maternity dress though. This one didn't really take flight for me, Catherine seemed a bit tentative and it didn't really flow properly. First dance I've found underwhelming, but there's plenty more to go!

It is genuinely difficult to judge a female celeb in ballroom hold in the early episodes... The dance looked beautiful but I can't really tell how she'll handle others. Unfortunately this was a bit meh for me once I saw the later pizzazz. 

Saffron and AJ
Ah yes, the 'yoof' component according to the BBC, those social media graphics are going to get tiring very quickly, eg by week 2. Despite the absolutely terrible song choice and distracting swishy hair, this actually looked like a tango (thank you AJ) and Saffron gave it just the right amount of attack. Her footwork was good too, but her frame needs work, but she's given AJ plenty to work with. 

Pffft, don't get me started on this yet another chirpy tango. Dear lord, tango is as just about the mood as the marchy time signature. We want dark. We want brooding. Saffron was pretty good. I'm not sure how much she's going to get the general public on side; she doesn't have Joe Sugg's peppiness. 

Mike and Kayta
Katya might just win the dresses for this week, loving that purpley tassley spangly concoction. I still don't know what I made of this, it was clearly rough and ready, but had some good jiving moments - maybe Katya worked out that he only had the capacity to do 8 jive kicks in a row? Craig's comparison to an overwound tin toy was very accurate, and it was eyes-and-teeth-a-mundo. I do wonder whether he will take to ballroom...

Meh, it kind of just got lost in the middle for me. 

Emma W and Aljaz
This was a very...polite cha cha. Emma clearly has poise and better posture than most, but she seemed quite hesitant and dependent on Aljaz. Motsi's comments about needing to spice it up were definitely right. I'm also disappointed that they didn't go full Lady Chatterley with Aljaz as the gamekeeper, but I suppose we are before the watershed.

As above. And I just can't see the public warming too much to Emma.

James and Luba
This was the first dance that completely bombed. Not only is James not a natural dancer, but I think he also seemed really nervous. If he can't sell a moody tango then he will struggle with party latin, I was having Mark Foster flashbacks. Fair play to Luba though for putting together a nice routine and being with him all the way, and in a super-nice sparkly gold outfit.

As above. He clearly tried hard and it's way out of his comfort zone. But hey, remember Michael Vaughan? Natalie Lowe finally cracked it with him. 

Kelvin and Oti
He's not Jamie Biscuits! I thought his name was Kevin! Why have they given him a week 1 samba?! Who cares, he can actually move his hips! This was a sudden and unexpected shot of excitement into the show, I've never seen him in Emmerdale but I think I assumed he was just a Yorkshire farmer who they'd make appear on a tractor. Oti, in your tangerine Carmen Miranda get-up, is there no-one you can't pull an awesome samba out of?

Frankie said later 'Is Oti the Samba muse?!' - she does seem to be able to pull them out of the feathered, tasseled bag. And my goodness, that was excellent for a first week dance. Like, really excellent. He moved from his core - what is that about?! - and how?! 

David and Nadiya
That whole routine was a 'huh?' GIF in action, even David looked baffled for the whole thing. The song was so distracting that I barely registered with the dancing, even though it did have some actual foxtrot content. I think I will resist passing any real judgement on his dancing ability until I've seen him do another dance. 

Despised it. Poor David, not his fault, but dear lord the theme. And the song. For a lovely elegant foxtrot. That was a fox not for me. 

Michelle and Giovanni
Fair play to Michelle, there was a fair bit of expectation on this first dance from her and she shrugged it off like she was on a night out. I genuinely wanted this to be more camp, it's not like Giovanni doesn't know how to do camp! Her popstar history will stand her in good stead and she can certainly sell it, but I do wonder how she will take to the technicalities of ballroom, as she didn't seem that comfortable in hold.

I thought this was excellent - timing, musicality and sparkle. She was a little wobbly in parts but I suspect she's going to be all kinds of popular. If she starts to show improvement, I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the final.

Dev and Dianne
Another unknown quantity of a contestant, although I'm really happy to see Dianne back in action and looking as cute as a button in a prom dress. Giving this guy a foxtrot week 1 was quite harsh, he was clearly as much of a fish out of water as James, but he took to the dance a lot better than him. Dianne did a good job of putting together a routine that was foxtrot, not too hard, but also with some twiddly bits to jazz it up. I hope he gets to do something a bit more party next week, because he may have potential.

Yet another week one wonder. Really promising. I agree with Frankie - looking forward to seeing something a bit more upbeat. If he can do as well with that, then he could go a long way.

Anneka and Kevin
Stand aside celebs, the jumpsuit has arrived! This was delightfully rubbish, it had shades of Judy Murray about it. It was visibly a cha cha, and I wonder if Anneka was better in rehearsal and just got distracted by the studio and audience. Maybe Kevin can corral her into ballroom hold next week?

She did manage to keep time, to be fair. I am not sure if her endless self-deprecation is endearing or not, but I absolutely love the comment she made about the joy of dancing. I completely believe her, and I love that.

Will and Janette
This was a right old jumble sale of stuff, I think Janette tried to baffle us by throwing as many things at us as possible. In a very weird dress. There wasn't enough in hold, but I could see why because Will is a MUCH better dancer out of hold than he is in it, otherwise his frame was all over the place. The bits outside of hold did at least show us he has rhythm though and he's got boundless energy to share, it just needs to be channeled. 

What's going on this year? Another celeb who appears to have pretty good timing and musicality. This was all a bit bonkers, but in a really good way.

Karim and Amy
Poor Amy in her neon snot-coloured dress. Well, I say poor Amy, when she's only gone and bagged herself the male ringer of the year and is clearly having the time of her life! I think they may have shown their hand too early with this, a cha cha doesn't need gymnastics. There is room for improvement though: one thing I noticed was that he and Amy didn't really seem to be dancing together, which will obviously be important when ballroom comes along.

Wow, despite all the gimmicks, I really liked this. He's totally trained though so maybe that will go against him (something that seems to go against female celebs more than make imo) I hope Amy doesn't get too brazen with flouting rules - I'd like to see some classic dancing from them too.

Emma and Anton
What a surprise, they've saved Anton and his young talented partner until last! A week 1 jive for Anton was an....interesting choice, they'll blatantly be doing a lovely waltz next week. Shirley was right, it was a bit heavy and there were plenty of kinks to iron out, but she does have potential and her natural musicality is going to carry her far with this partner. However, a little bit underwhelming to end the show on, should have saved Kelvin for that!

This was an odd choice for the best slot of the night. Wasn't good enough and wasn't bad enough. Would have preferred to end on a high energy Kelvin or Karim, but hey, she has potential, but Anton isn't the best partner for developing that...