Max George and Dianne Buswell have kick started Strictly Come Dancing’s second live show with an energetic jive.
Taking to the dance floor on Saturday night, the sensational duo wowed the judges with their moves and received an impressive score of 20.
The hit performance came amid concerns the show would be postponed due to the Prime Minister’s delayed lockdown speech.
Impressive: Max George and Diane Buswell impressed the judges on Saturday night with their energetic jive
Max and Dianne sizzled as they opened the show with their fast-paced routine set to I’m A Believer by The Monkees.
Shirley Ballas told the pair: ‘You’ve come back this week and definitely improved. I want you to believe in your talent… that jive was tight and precise. Next week keep working on coordination and be confident!’
While Motsi added: ‘I’m so happy you’ve jumped out of your shell, the first time you danced I thought you looked lonely, but you can feel the energy in the room now… it’s very nice to see rhythmical changes in the dance.
‘When you take control Max George I think your dangerous!’
Feedback: The judges were pleased with the routine, with Motsi telling Max he’s ‘dangerous’
Work it! The dancing duo were praised for how hard they had worked and improved over the past week
While even Craig Revel Horwood was impressed, telling Max: ‘For me, you were a little too into the ground like you’d dance a commercial street dance. There was no retraction. I’d like you to be a little lighter on your feet but the energy and timing was spectacular!’
The duo appeared happy with the comments – and a score of 20 – with Diane saying in the post performance interview: ‘I worked him incredibly hard this week and you’ve delivered!’
The show came amid concerns it could be delayed due to the Prime Minister’s delayed lockdown speech.
With barely minutes to spare the BBC cut from Boris Johnson’s press conference to the show causing many fans to sigh a breath of relief.
Unimpressed: Other Twitter users expressed their worry that the Prime Minister’s address to the nation running late may impact on Strictly’s start time ahead of the episode airing
Not too shabby! Max and Diane scored an impressive 20 for their routine
Some fans shared their thoughts earlier in the evening ahead of the Prime Minister’s address to the nation, which was delayed from its original start time of 5pm.
‘Boris better not hold up Strictly. I’m already livid that they’re not doing Halloween week,’ wrote one dancing fan.
And another said: ‘You can take away jobs, close businesses and keep us away from our family, but don’t you DARE delay Strictly on Halloween Week you absolute MONSTER!’
BBC Radio 4’s Nick Robinson even tweeted that Number 10 was aware of Strictly’s impending start time ahead of the show.
What a relief: BBC Radio 4’s Nick Robinson even tweeted that Number 10 was aware of Strictly’s impending start time ahead of the show’s 7.15pm scheduled start
Get a move on! The PM’s speech came dangerously close to eating into Strictly’s air time
He tweeted: ‘Insiders insist there’s been no trouble. PM had to squeeze three days prep – calls, briefings, writing – for the big announcement into a few hours thanks to last night’s National lockdown leak. No 10 well aware that @Strictly is on at 7.15 pm.’
Luckily the show did managed to kick off at 7.15pm with many people joking about how close it came to being pushed back.
Elsewhere in the show Bill Bailey impressed with his Quickstep to Talk To The Animals by Bobby Darin.
Craig was particularly taken with the animal-themed performance, telling Bill and pro Oti Mabuse: ‘I’m not sure about Doctor Doolittle, it was more Doctor Do-a-lot in that my darling! I thought it was absolutely fantastic! Brilliant.’
Motsi also shared the sentiment, telling Bill that she ‘loved every minute’ of the dance.
Move it! Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse wowed with their Quickstep to Talk To The Animals by Bobby Darin
Impressive: Craig told Bill his performance was ‘absolutely fantastic! Brilliant’
Although not having the celebrities and their partners don their best scary garb for Saturday’s show, there was a spooktacular performance from the pros.
Executive producer Sarah James previously explained why there isn’t a Halloween special this year during an interview with the Radio Times in September.
She revealed: ‘We are having a launch followed by a nine-week live run.. We will have movie week and we will have musicals week, but we won’t have Halloween this year.
‘Instead we have done a Halloween group number, but Halloween actually falls on the second week this year so we thought that might be a bit too early for a themed week.’
Not having a Halloween special is just one of the changes Strictly has had to make in order to still stage the show during the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 situation has also meant that this couples have formed their own separate ‘bubbles’ to allow them to train and perform, and are being regularly tested to avoid a virus outbreak during filming.
Gutted: Dozens of fans took to Twitter to share their disappointment at there not being a Halloween special this year
The show will continue to have a live audience, though members of the public will be seated in their separate households or ‘bubbles’ and will wear a mask throughout filming.
While judge Bruno Tonioli was unable to travel back to the UK from his home in LA for the filming due to the crisis and his work commitments on Dancing With The Stars.
Dozens of other fans also took to Twitter to express their disappointment in not having the much-loved special on Saturday night.
One person wrote: ‘I can’t believe they’ve cancelled Halloween Week on Strictly! It’s the best week of the whole show’
And another disappointed viewer added: ‘Today is f*****g s**t, the imposing lockdown and (more importantly) no halloween special theme on Strictly tonight, which is absolutely devastating.’