Strictly Come Dancing sparks backlash with ‘disappointing and upsetting’ male outfits

Strictly Come Dancing came backmost with a bang connected Saturday arsenic 15 caller personage faces took to the level – but not everyone was happy.

The latest se3asonof the long-running BBC creation contention – celebrating its 20th day this year – afloat got nether mode astatine the weekend.

Top of the leaderboard aft 1 creation is JLS vocalist JB Gill, who sits supra everyone other connected 31 points aft his affectional waltz with Amy Dowden.

Just beneath him are Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri and Miranda histrion Sarah Hadland, who are some connected 30 aft receiving awesome scores from the 4 judges.

Meanwhile, languishing astatine the bottommost are 80s popstar Toyah Wilcox and erstwhile footballer Paul Merson, who find themselves connected 12 and 17 points respectively.

And viewers astatine location aren’t blessed with what they judge is the existent crushed for Paul being truthful acold down the leaderboard: ‘stupid, gimmicky outfits.’

The disapproval of the show’s outfit choices appeared to travel aft erstwhile Arsenal prima Paul and DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles had danced their numbers.

On Reddit, @KingPudsey said: ‘Why bash they ever springiness the antheral celebs, who whitethorn not beryllium the champion dancers, stupid, gimmicky outfits and themes?’

They continued: ‘The pistillate celebs who whitethorn not beryllium large dancers get beauteous dresses and are presented much seriously. I consciousness similar it skews nationalist perception.’

And different viewers concurred, with @BeanOnAJourney adding: ‘It’s becoming predictable and rather tedious astatine this point. They’re not determination to beryllium made a mockery of, I deliberation it’s upsetting and precise disappointing.

‘The accidental to larn to creation – the precise crushed they are determination – is denied them successful favour of anserine stereotypical gimmicks.’

@EntertainmentOK6284 complained: ‘I wholly agree! The older antheral celebs each person potential! Give them a bully opus and a large outfit and they volition person a accidental to shine.’

Meanwhile, @ShineAtom was annoyed not conscionable with Paul’s outfit but with the opus prime too, arsenic helium danced to shot anthem Vindaloo by Fat Les.

‘I find those work-related costumes, euphony and dances to beryllium a implicit and utter fail. They are truthful annoying.

‘Dancing an alleged American Smooth to a opus I find irritating astatine the champion of times, and successful the worst costumes of the show, was unenjoyable astatine best.’

Of the 15 dancers competing this year, 9 of them are antheral celebs. In week one, those 9 antheral celebs scored an mean of 22.1 points from caput justice Shirley Ballas and her team.

For the six pistillate celebrities connected the level this weekend, they averaged 23.3 points from Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton De Beke, and Shirley, contempt Toyah’s debased people of 12.

@Chosty55 disquieted that ‘men of a definite age’ would beryllium enactment disconnected learning to dance, portion @Empty_Variety4550 wondered if this was the bequest of John Sergeant’s clip connected Strictly galore years ago.

On the different hand, @Sah10406 believed things would calm down: ”It’s an aboriginal weeks thing. Maximise what they tin do, disguise what they can’t do, and meantime enactment connected their basal skills for immoderate superior dancing aboriginal on.’

While wide viewing figures for Strictly’s opening nighttime are down connected 2023 and the highest of implicit 10 cardinal successful 2020, the quality isn’t each bad.

As confirmed to Metro.co.uk by the BBC, Strictly, which aired from 7pm until 9:30pm, averaged 6.4million viewers past night. The amusement peaked astatine 6.6 million.

It besides acquired a immense assemblage stock of 49.4, and figures are expected to emergence successful the coming days arsenic Strictly devotees drawback up and re-watch via BBC iPlayer.

Metro.co.uk has reached retired to the BBC for comment.

Watch Strictly Come Dancing astatine 6.15pm connected Saturday connected BBC One.

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