Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left furious at Sunday’s ‘pointless’ and ‘boring’ show after Nigel Harman’s departure resulted in no dance-off.
Actor Nigel, 50, had competed in the BBC Latin and ballroom competition alongside professional partner Katya Jones, 34, but withdrew from the series just hours before Saturday’s live show after attempting to perform a stunt during the rehearsals, leaving him with a rib injury.
And the 40-minute results show featured the usual dance and music performances, but the rest of the episode featured interviewers and video messages from celebrities in an attempt to fill the time.
Joss Stone sang as Billie Piper and Bear Grylls sent their best wishes, but viewers at home still wanted more.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone wrote: “The results show this week is a bit pointless.”
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left furious during Sunday’s ‘pointless’ show after Nigel Harman’s departure resulted in no dance-off (LR) presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman
Actor Nigel, 50, had taken part in the BBC Latin and ballroom competition alongside professional partner Katya Jones, 34, but withdrew from the series just hours before Saturday’s live show
While a second said: ‘Tonight’s whole Strictly Come Dancing show just feels pointless and boring now that there’s no elimination or public voting this week.’
Someone else commented: ‘This week seems quite pointless’.
And: ‘Apart from the pro dance and the musical guest, this results show is pointless’.
Nigel’s last-minute exit caused chaos on the show, forcing the usual dance and elimination to be scrapped.
Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly leave to explain to the audience how the series would deal with the fallout before judging the latest performances.
During Saturday’s show, Tess expressed how devastated they were to lose Nigel, before her co-host confirmed there would be no public vote or elimination.
Claudia explained: ‘The judges will still score and those scores will carry over. Next week you can vote as usual.’
On Saturday, Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin scored full points with 40 for their Pasa Doble to Backstage Romance from Moulin Rogue The Musical.
About X, formerly known as Twitter, they wrote: ‘The results show that this week is a bit pointless’
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola’s quickstep came second with 36, as they performed to Belle from Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell struggled with the salsa as they strutted their stuff on Dirty Dancing’s (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, finding themselves with a disappointing score of 34.
At the bottom of the leaderboard were Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe with 33 points, after dancing the Foxtort to Wicked’s Good.
Nigel’s last-minute exit caused chaos on the show, forcing the usual dance and elimination to be scrapped (Ellie and Vito pictured Saturday)
Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly leave to explain to the audience how the series would deal with the fallout, ahead of judging the latest performances (Bobby and Dianne pictured on Saturday)
Nigel and Katya both appeared on the show where the former EastEnders star told how he hurt his rib during a jump during rehearsals.
He said: ‘I was about to get caught by some very handsome men, but when I landed I did something to my rib. I’m a little high on painkillers.’
When asked by host Claudia Winkleman if he enjoyed his time on the show, Nigel said: ‘Oh, I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it. This doesn’t really get through.
COME STRICTLY DANCE 2023: THE PROFILES OF THE PARTICIPANTS
Layton Williams
Age: 28
Profession: Actor
Layton says: ‘Absolutely exciting to confirm that I will be taking part in Britain’s most iconic dancing competition! It’s time to take it to the ballroom. I’m so excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!”
Age: 22
Profession: Coronation Street star
Ellie says: ‘It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to do Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine, so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!’
Age: 20
Profession: EastEnders star and model
Bobby says: ‘I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly line-up, I can’t wait to start training as a professional dancer and add a few moves to my locker. I look forward to performing for everyone.”
Age: 57
Profession: Announcer and ex-tennis player
Annabel says: ‘I’ve always loved watching Strictly and can’t quite believe I’m going to be part of this magical show – swapping tennis balls for glitter balls and I’m looking forward to finding some joy in the process.’
