Strictly is back! 20th series shrugs off scandal as favourites return

Strictly returned for its 20th series on Saturday as it shrugged off the bullying scandal with fan favourites Amy Dowden and Alijaz Škorjanec making their return. 

The BBC dancing show has been through a tough year after numerous previous contestants alleged abuse by professional dancers. 

Fans were delighted as Amy returned to the dancefloor for a stunning Waltz with her partner, JLS star JB.

Meanwhile Alijaz performed an equally incredible routine with his partner Tasha Ghouri, as they stunned the judges with an upbeat Cha Cha.  

Surprisingly, one star spotted in the audience was Zara McDermott - who was at the heart of the scandal when footage emerged of Graziano Di Prima 'kicking her' in rehearsals - as she turned up for the show to support her pal Pete Wicks. 

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But for its first live show of the season, the sequins were back and the crowd were enthusiastic for Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk's builder-themed opener.

Nick stayed true to his roots for his Jive to We Built This City sporting a sparkly orange reflective vest - before ending it with a disco ball-esque builders hard hat. 

'You're as delighted as I am that that came off the way it did, aren't you?' Anton said to Nick after the dance ended. 

However Craig received boos as he called the performance 'pigeon-toed, stiff and flat footed'. 

For his debut performance, Nick received a three from Craig, and fives from Motsi, Shirley and Anton.

Nick was left red faced as the cast sang him Happy Birthday and presented him with a cake - before professional dancer Carlos smooshed the cake in his face. 

The DIY SOS star shared his worries about performing live but insisted he hopes he does better than people expect. 

'That's easy,' Luba replied as she reassured her partner. Nick said: 'Well then I'll be very happy.' 

Next up was hockey player Sam Quek with her partner Nikita Kuzmin as the pair took on the foxtrot. 

Sam suffered a slight mishap as she lost her balance but while Craig called the performance 'a bit lumpy' he shared his excitement for what's to come. The pair received three sixes and a five from Anton.

'I think there's a lot to look forward to,' Craig added. 

Strictly Come Dancing: Week One Scores

1. JB Gill and Amy Dowden - Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer: 31 out of 40 

2=. Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola - Quickstep to 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton: 30 out of 40 

2=. Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec - Cha Cha to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter: 30 out of 40

3=. Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe - Foxtrot to Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby by Dinah Washington: 26 out of 40

3=. Wynne Evans and Katya Jones - Samba to Help Yourself by Tom Jones: 26 out of 40

4=. Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell - Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles: 23 out of 40

4=. Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin - Foxtrot to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes: 23 out of 40 

4=. Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas - Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone: 23 out of 40

4=. Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova - Tango to Golden by Harry Styles: 23 out of 40

5. Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu - Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder: 21 out of 40 

6. Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez - Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue: 19 out of 40

7. Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk - Jive to We Built This City by Starship: 18 out of 40

8=. Paul Merson and Karen Hauer - American Smooth to Vindaloo by Fat Les: 17 out of 40

8=. Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał - Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy: 17 out of 40

9=. Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones - Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna: 12 out of 40

Shane Ward and Nancy Xu were next to take to the floor with their Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder. The pair received a four from Craig, five from Shirley and sixes from Motsi and Anton.

'Some lovely chemistry moments,' Shirley said after their dance - following Shane's admission that he and Nancy clicked straight away. 

Stunning in blue and gold sequined gown, Toyah Wilcox and Neil Jones took the floor next with a Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna.

Toyah received a huge applause from the audience but Craig claimed it lacked aggression for a tango. 

'Listen Craig this dance has never met Toyah,' Motsi said leaping to Toyah's defence. 'Even Neil didn't know what was happening.' 'Her feet were nowhere near the floor Motsi,' Craig said, to which Shirley agreed - sparking boos.

Toyah's first performance unfortunately got her the lowest score of the night so far as Craig and Shirley gave her twos, while Motsi and Anton were more generous with fours.

Dancing to song of the summer with her partner Aljaž Škorjanec, Tasha Ghouri - who was the first ever deaf contestant on Love Island - wowed with her high-energy Cha Cha. 

'What a way to introduce yourself, this was not demure this was all eyes on me,' Motsi said as she praised her performance. 

While Shirley was amazed by Tasha, as she said: 'You're on your way to have one of the most spectacular leg actions this show has ever seen, you're onto a winner.' 

Topping the leaderboard, Tasha received an incredible two eights and two sevens - giving her a whopping 30 points.

JLS star JB Gill and returning dancer Amy Dowden performed next with a Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer.

The judges were wowed by the ballroom number, as they gushed over Amy being back on the dancefloor following her cancer battle. 

'Ohhhh don't stop I loved it,' Anton gushed. 

JB overtook Tasha at the top of the leaderboard gaining 31 points - seven from Craig, eight from Motsi, eight from Shirley, and eight from Anton.

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Pete Wicks, who is pals with last year's contestant Zara, was next up with his partner Jowita Przystał as they danced a Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy. 

'Paso Pete I'm lost for words actually,' Shirley began before slamming the dance as not classic Paso Doble. 'It wasn't my cup of tea darling.' 

However while Craig and Anton agreed with Shirley, Motsi said she would be the odd one out as she admitted to being 'captured'. 

Gaining a disappointing 17 points, Pete was awarded two fives, a three and a four. 

Miranda star Sarah Hadland was next to maker her Strictly debut as she took to the dancefloor with last year's winner Vito Coppola.

The pair performed a bouncy Quickstep to 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton and the judges were completely wowed by her skills. 

'Just love this pairing,' Shirley gushed, as fans online shared how impressed they were. 

Sarah went on to match Tasha's score of 30 - the highest week one Quickstep in Strictly history.  

Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his partner Nadiya Bychkova were up next with a Tango to Golden by Harry Styles.

The judges said Tom was positioning himself too much as a swimmer, leaning forward. 

However they shared that he showed great potential - as Anton admitted there was so much to love. 'It is just the posture, so sort that out and everything else will fall into place.' 

The duo received a solid score of 23 as they were award three sixes and a five. 

Taking to the stage with a Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue were TV doctor Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez.

'Your energy is off the charts,' Shirley said. 'This is another great partnership.' 

After her performance, Punam told Tess: 'I've never done a Nativity before, I just need to say he (Gorka) was absolutely mental.' Punam and Gorka score a respectable 19.

Next was the turn of former England player Paul Merson who danced the American Smooth to Vindaloo by Fat Les with his partner Karen Hauer. 

The pair sported a hilarious costume including wide-leg navy pants with a bedazzled England football shirt. 

The highly entertaining routine even had lifts for the first week, which was commended by the judges - but they couldn't recognise the American Smooth. 

However the performance fell flat with Craig kicking off with a two, however things got better as Motsi gave a four, Shirley five and Anton six. 

EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick - who won last year's Christmas special - danced a Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone with newbie Michelle Tsiakkas.

Jamie was praised for the mood and emotion of the piece but he was told his dance was slightly wooden. 

However Craig leapt to the actor's defence as he commended his energy, with Jamie getting a total score of 23. 

Fan favourite comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Diane Buswell were next with a Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles.

The hilarious pair wowed the entire audience, with Shirley taking to her feet for a standing ovation also - as Chris looked overwhelmed. 

Craig claimed Chris's knees were bent but Motsi stepped in to defend Chris. 'You gave absolutely everything and I didn't feel the nerves. You brought the Cha Cha style to the room.'

'That was for me, actually I'm quite shocked and very emotional, fabulous,' Shirley said getting choked up.

Anton added: 'It's one of the most extraordinary things I've ever seen in my entire life.' 

Craig received a huge boo as he gave Chris just four points - but his luck improved with two sixes and a seven. 

Strictly favourite Johannes Radebe and his celebrity partner Montell Douglas, an Olympian and Gladiator, danced some ballroom next. 

Their dynamic Foxtrot to Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby by Dinah Washington sparked roars from the crowd as they made their way over to the judges. 

'All these solo pieces you had looked like they belonged on a West End stage,' Shirley shared. 'I think this is a partnership made in heaven.' 

Craig said Johannes had taught Montell to dance as he 'does in heels' as he gushed over how much he loved the performance.  The pair got a respectable 26 points as Motsi and Anton gave seven while Craig and Shirley awarded six. 

The final couple of the evening were opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones with a Samba to Help Yourself by Tom Jones.

'What a finale,' Tess yelled as the pair finished up their dance, revealing Wynne was singing along throughout his dance. 

Craig said: 'It actually did put a smile on my face,' before Motsi noted that the singer did not miss a beat. 

Wynne closed out the show with a fabulous score of 26 also. 

All fifteen celebrities and their pro partners will take to the dancefloor for the first live show following last weekend's dazzling launch, where the pairings were first revealed. 

But while the launch show was pre-recorded, this week, there was no room for errors as every step, spin and sashay was closely scrutinised by judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.

As ever, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were on hand to welcome, congratulate and console the latest batch of nervous dancers as they stepped onto the floor to not only impress the judges, but the viewers at home.

Viewers were in for a treat as the first live show kicked off, with a variety of dances including Cha Chas, Viennese Waltz's, Sambas and even a Paso Doble lined up for their viewing pleasure.

It's a big year for Strictly as it celebrates it's 20th year, while pro dancer Amy Dowden made her much-awaited return to the show following her heartbreaking cancer battle.

However, the positive news has been tainted by a year of controversy as the BBC show was embroiled in a number of scandals.

It all began last October when actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show before claiming that her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her.

The Sherlock actress has made a series of accusations about Giovanni's teaching methods and has described his behaviour as 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean'. He strongly denies all of the claims. 

Giovanni, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is underway over allegations made by Amanda and two other former celebrity partners. 

He has vehemently denied the claims. 

With the report into his misconduct due any day now, Amanda has reportedly been left deeply disappointed with the BBC bosses over fears they're 'protecting' the dancer amid the bullying probe.

There have been high-level meetings among BBC bosses as they navigate how to deliver their findings as they fear the looming possibility of legal action from either Amanda or Giovanni if either is disappointed by the outcome. 

After Giovanni, the show was hit with a fresh wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked  in July for 'kicking' his partner Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Zara explained that she didn't report the incidents at the time as she was 'scared' of backlash. 

Instead it was junior production staff who came forward to share what they had witnessed as the investigation into pro dancer Giovanni was taking place.

Zara told her followers that while much of her time on Strictly 'was everything I could have dreamt of' inside the training room with Graziano there were 'particular incidents which are incredibly distressing'.

However despite this, Zara and boyfriend Sam turned out for the live show and looked happier than ever as they posed for photos wearing matching T-shirts with TOWIE star Pete's face printed on the front. 

The couple also rocked coordinated blue denim jeans with a number of pictures of Pete and large black letters reading, 'Vote Pete Wicks' written down the leg. 

Over the summer Strictly has struggled to stay out the headlines as more and more alumni of the show have come forward to share their stories. 

Steve Backshall complained to the BBC about his professional partner on Strictly Come Dancing Ola Jordan back in 2014 claiming she 'bullied' him.

Meanwhile Ola's husband James was left furious when he hit back after unearthed footage emerged of him telling his partner Georgina Bouzova he would 'drag her across the floor and scream at her' if she forgot her moves. 

The ballroom dancer and choreographer, 46, slammed the BBC after the clip began doing the rounds again following the recent Giovanni and Graziano scandals - saying most of the footage 'was not related to Georgina at all'.

Professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova also met with BBC bosses to complain about the show in July. 

Amid the tough year for the show, hosts Tess and Claudia failed to mention the scandals as they welcomed viewers to last week's launch show.