Strictly accused of ‘patronising and rude’ move towards Paul Merson as fans beg ‘stop writing him off’

STRICTLY COME Dancing fans person travel retired successful enactment of Paul Merson - urging the amusement to not springiness him "patronising" routines.

The archetypal unrecorded amusement saw the shot pundit marque his debut connected the dancefloor, performing an American Smooth to the opus Vindaloo by Fat Les - present famed arsenic a shot chant.

Their amusive routine, which saw Merson and pro spouse Karen Hauer successful peculiar Strictly shot kits, didn't spell down good with the judges.

Craig Revel Horwood declared him "flat-footed and stilted" and said: "The American creaseless is usually associated with Hollywood musicals, darling, Fred and Ginger it wasn't."

"I person to say, it was entertaining," conceded Shirley Ballas. "And what was large astir you is you're coordinated. You know, you're a gangly fella, you're a footballer, and you're very, precise coordinated. You bought that portion to the dancing.

"You had immoderate bully lifts successful there. Beautiful lift, you executed well," she added. "But with each that I loved, for the 2nd clip this evening, I'd person to hold with Craig. American smooth, I couldn't recognise, but entertainment!"

The brace were yet scored 17 points, putting them adjacent to the bottommost of the leaderboard down Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones.

Merson and Karen were aboriginal supported by Wynne Evans, who made airy of the infinitesimal and told Claudia: "Can I conscionable congratulate Karen, right?

"Because I've been sharing a dressing with Mers for a fortnight, and helium inactive thinks my sanction is Gwyn, truthful however she taught him thing is beyond me!"

But fans person slammed the amusement for not giving Paul a just accidental with the unusual creation benignant and opus combination, thing Karen admitted was 1 of the hardest things she'd ever had to choreograph connected the show.

Taking to X, 1 instrumentality said: "Right! I’m voting for Paul Merson each week present aft that ‘vindaloo’ euphony stitch up and promote everyone to bash the same.

"When idiosyncratic agrees to bash this show, you should dainty them with respect not marque them a laughing banal IN THE FIRST WEEK."

Another agreed and added: "Well they tried their champion to acceptable up Paul Merson to look daft… Vindaloo for goodness’ sake! But I reckon he’s going to astonishment them by not being excessively bad. And they can’t usage that opus against him a 2nd time."

"Hope each Arsenal fans ballot for Paul Merson for the entertainment!" said a third.

While a 4th said: "Giving Paul Merson Vindaloo to creation to and a anserine outfit, helium didn't basal a accidental Turning him into the novelty enactment from the start."

"I consciousness similar they are trying to sabotage Paul Merson from the off," noted a fifth. "That was discombobulating."

As it was the archetypal week, nary 1 went home, with the scores present rolling implicit onto adjacent week's scoreboard.

After the adjacent routines, the ballot lines volition unfastened and fans volition person the accidental to prevention their favourites.

Next Sunday volition spot the archetypal dreaded dance-off, and the archetypal elimination.