Strictly Come Dancing: The biggest talking points from week one, from Bobby Brazier to Angela Rippon

The Glitterball is up for grabs once again...

‘Jaw-dropping’ Angela Rippon wows Strictly audience with incredible high kick as Craig Revell-Horwood moved to tears

It’s back. The BBC’s flagship dance competition series, Strictly Come Dancing, has returned to screens for its 21st series.

The programme has lined up an enviable roster of celebrity guests for the new series, which premiered on BBC One at 6.35pm on Saturday (23 September).

Episodes will continue to air every Saturday, with the acompannying results show airing the following evening.

Among the contestants this year are reality star Zara McDermott and veteran Channel 4 broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, as well as TV presenter Les Dennis.

You can find the full line-up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing here.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are returning to present the series, while the judging panel comprises Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas.

Here are the biggest talking points from the first competitive episode of Strictly 2023.

Angela Rippon makes history

The 78-year-old presenter became the oldest contestant to feature on Strictly in this week’s episode... and she certainly didn’t disappoint. Dancing the Cha Cha Cha to “Get the Party Started” by Shirley Bassey with partner Kai Widdrington, Rippon stunned the judges with her flair, defying the years with a fleet-footed performance that Revel Horwood aptly termed “jaw-dropping”.

Bobby Brazier draws tears from his father

Soap actor Brazier was another of the night’s clear highlights, performing an absolutely magnetic foxtrot to McFly with partner Dianne Buswell. The son of the late reality star Jade Goody and TV presenter Jeff Brazier drew high praise from the judging panel, and was seen moving his father to tears, in an affecting emotional moment.

Les Dennis brings the levity

Family Fortunes star Dennis may have finished the night at the bottom of the leaderboard, but it was a performance that stood out for its initmitable sense of fun. Dennis mugged his way through “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League, with a tango that managed to transcend any technical stiffness on show. Some might see him as the novelty act of the 2023 series, but it’s clear Dennis is trying his best – and the warm comments from the judging panel show that his efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

You can follow along with the first live episode of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 with The Independent’s liveblog below...

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Key points

• Meet the contestants for Strictly 2023
• Adam Thomas kicks off episode with dance to Jonas Brothers’ ‘Waffle House'
• ‘Jaw-dropping’ Angela Rippon wows Strictly audience with incredible high kick
• Les Dennis sets amusing tango to The Human League
• The leaderboard at the end of week one

[23 September 2023 12:54 · Louis Chilton]

Good afternoon, and welcome to The Independent’s Strictly Come Dancing 2023 liveblog.

Still a good few hours to go until launch, so I’m going to take this opportunity to share some of the Strictly-related pieces we’ve run recently.

[23 September 2023 13:16 · Louis Chilton]

First up, here’s a great piece about the over-50 stars leading the line on this year’s series

[23 September 2023 14:00 · Louis Chilton]

A refresher before the series starts! Here’s a breakdown of all the contestants on Strictly this year

[23 September 2023 14:30 · Louis Chilton]

And here’s who they’re paired with...

[23 September 2023 15:00 · Louis Chilton]

Ellie Harrison spoke personally to Bobby Brazier, the actor and son of Jade Goody who is one of this year’s competitors.

Highly recommend.

[23 September 2023 15:30 · Louis Chilton]

Ellie also went long for this feature on Amanda Abbington, the Strictly contestant whose involvement has prompted calls for a boycott.

[23 September 2023 16:00 · Louis Chilton]

A bit more left-field, but here are eight facts you might not have known about Strictly...

[23 September 2023 16:30 · Louis Chilton]

Another list, this time rounding up the 12 greatest moments of the entire series.

Will this new season give us anything on this level? We can hope...

[23 September 2023 17:00 · Louis Chilton]

One of the most frequently Googled queries about Strictly, I’m told: do the contestants get paid?

[23 September 2023 17:30 · Louis Chilton]

Another bit of Google catnip - the dreaded Strictly curse.

Is it a real thing? It’s complicated...