Well the relevant part of my point was that it was a week one performance. Who has given a better performance on week one? (and two and three...).

Alesha, Denise, Austin, Zoe, Cherie off the top of my head.

You can't compare scores because it was much harsher in earlier days but lots had great first weeks.

Yeah, I wouldn't be influenced by scores. I will try and find them on YT though. Denise and Zoe (same year?) were definitely from a series I didn't watch so should be interesting

Denise was 2 (Jill year) Zoe was 3 (Darren Gough) year.

You won't find them on YouTube though hun, sorry. Colin was great from the start too, he got 32 for his cha cha in the first week.

Thanks for the info, even if it's a shame their performances are no longer available. Criminal really

Colin's rumba was the best male rumba evah, and wasn't his amazing quickstep in week 2?

BTW, Cherie's rumba with James was her second dance and scored 35 (9-9-8-9).

Colin's quickstep was indeed week 2. Bloody brilliant (not biased, not biased at all ).

Those who have scored higher than Natalie in their first dance:

Zoe Ball (waltz) 35
Colin Jackson (cha cha) 32
Emma Bunton (quickstep) 33
Kelly Brook (rumba) 33
Penny Lancaster (quickstep) 33
Austin Healey (waltz) 32
Cherie Lunghi (foxtrot) 33
Ricky Whittle (waltz) 33
Jason Donovan (cha cha) 32

The following scored the same (31)

Denise Lewis (waltz)
Alesha Dixon (rumba)
Rachel Stevens (salsa)
Matt Baker (cha cha)
Pamela Stephenson (waltz)

Yes, I am very, very sad .

Since the highest scoring dancer EVER on SCD is Chris Hollins with 50 for his Charleston, I think scores do not mean a lot.

This shows how well Natalie can dance a CCC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01hw0kq

He need oxygen.

Artem has met his match. But then I think he likes his celeb partners to be hardworking.

They're just robotic. Click the switch and off they go. Dance, dance, dance. Stop. If I wanted that I'd watch a specialist dance programme rather than Saturday-evening light-entertainment.

•yawn•

It's all downhill for Natalie from here. As we now all expect absolute perfection from her, I small mistake will seem like a catastrophe. She won't win this, not in a million years.

They're one couple. One. Out of fifteen (now fourteen). Hardly makes it a specialist dancing programme.

They really were not robotic, they were sublime.

But it's not about winning. Who wants a plastic disco ball? It's about entertainment.

As far as I am concerned I just want to watch decent dancing and Natalie is the best they've got.

Suits me just fine

I liked her at first. She is showing signs of head swelling and being desperate/ expecting to win.
Similar to Denise Van Outen, but less common.

I don't agree. I don't think she comes across like that at all. I've yet to see signs of it. However clichéd it sounds, I think she is really enjoying the Strictly experience. I guess because she already has some dance experience she is, perhaps, tapping into the memory of why she enjoyed dance in the first place.
I'm not a Natalie fan but I have to say the rumba, which I normally find boring, was incredible, just incredible to watch.

I don't like it when the celebrity dancers are good from the very start and, Natalie clearly is. I do prefer to watch celebrities learn, progress and get better each week. Her only danger is that people will expect her dances to be good and therefore won't necessarily vote for her.
But her partnership with Artem is amazing and she truly is an incredible dancer.