Entertainment

Danny John-Jules scores first Strictly Come Dancing 10 of the series

The Red Dwarf actor swept to the top of the leaderboard with an energetic jive.
The Red Dwarf actor swept to the top of the leaderboard with an energetic jive. The Red Dwarf actor swept to the top of the leaderboard with an energetic jive.

Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules and Amy Dowden have swept to the top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard, scoring the first 10 of the series.

Their energetic jive to Flip, Flop And Fly by Ellis Hallby prompted a standing ovation from the audience and all the judges apart from Craig Revel Horwood.

Despite Revel Horwood not standing, he was the most complementary, telling John-Jules simply that his dance was “a dance for the final”.

Strictly Come Dancing 2018
Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Charles Venn and his dance partner Karen Clifton dance a street style routine (BBC/PA)

The pair received a cumulative total of 37 points out of a possible 40, sending them to the top of the leaderboard.

Vick Hope and Graziano Di Prima’s cha cha cha was panned by the judges, who awarded the presenter just 20 points. Last week, Hope scored 29 and placed joint third.

Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts and her partner Pasha Kovalev and Charles Venn and his partner Karen Clifton shared second place, both scoring a cumulative total of 36.

Venn’s street style dance was especially popular with Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro, who stood in for Bruno Tonioli this week.

Ribeiro told the Emmerdale star that his performance had made him “a contender to win this thing”.

He said: “That is my jam, back in the day. All that, I loved it. Great choreography. It’s hard because street, people always want to try and figure out what the technique is. The technique is fun.

Strictly Come Dancing 2018
Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts and her partner Pasha Kovalev (BBC/PA)

“Have a good time and boy, you were jamming. Fantastic, I loved it, You are now a contender to win this thing.”

Roberts danced the rumba to Something About The Way You Look Tonight by Sir Elton John.

Revel Horwood was the most complimentary, saying: “I also loved that passion, darling. I thought it was absolutely amazing darling. You wiped the floor with it. Brilliant.”

Seann Walsh was unable to avoid a reference to the kiss he shared with his professional partner Katya Jones.

After dancing the quickstep to Lightning Bolt by British troubadour Jake Bugg, Walsh was confronted by judge Shirley Ballas, who poked fun at the pair.

“You did a little misstep there, Seann. Tell Seann you felt it, Katya. You felt it. We all know you did,” she said to laughs and cheers from the studio audience.

Strictly Come Dancing 2018
Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Seann Walsh and his dance partner Katya Jones could not escape reference to their kiss (BBC/PA)

The comedian and his professional partner were pictured kissing and have been at the centre of a media storm around their behaviour, for which they have apologised.

In selecting the quickstep, the pair avoided a romantic dance and last week they danced the Charleston to a routine devoid of any intimate moments.

Judge Dame Darcey Bussell also could not help but allude to another Strictly controversy.

Professional dancer Dianne Buswell split from her partner, Emmerdale actor Anthony Quinlan, this week.

Strictly Come Dancing 2018
Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Vick Hope and her dance partner Graziano Di Prima scored only 20 points cumulatively (BBC/PA)

She had been dating Quinlan for around 10 months, but according to The Sun, the split was prompted by concerns over Buswell’s working relationship with Joe Sugg.

YouTube star Sugg and Buswell took to the floor and danced the waltz to Sleeping At Last’s The Rainbow Connection.

After, Bussell congratulated Sugg for “taking control” and suggested the pair were creating a “sweet romance” on the floor, causing laughter across the auditorium.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One with the results show on Sunday at 7.45pm.