1) Claudia's new look a nd Tess's constant bobbing up and down were distracting.
2) Mull of Kintyre, bagpipes & Anton - three things I cane stand and all at the same time, too much.
3) Would love to see Jake do a tango again when he's learnt more technique, it was fab.
4) Something a bit off about Joanne, she didn't seem sharp enough to be a pro.
5) Tim Wannacot made me laugh and smile, hope he stays for a good while.

1. Caroline surprised me - I thought she'd be more of a Ballroom girl, but her Cha Cha was really, really good. If she hadn't fluffed up in the middle, she would've been top of the leaderboard for sure.

2. Jake was another one who surprised me, purely because I had no idea he'd be anywhere near as good as he was. Even if I did think he was a smidge overmarked, his Tango was very enjoyable to watch.

3. Speaking of surprises, Scott was hilariously awkward to watch. Nancy Dell'Olio is still the only contestant in the show that's actually made me laugh out loud at the dancing, but this wasn't a whole lot better. Still, I think he'll be better in Ballroom.

4. I think I mentally hyped up Pixie's performance too much (great song, dancing last, previous training), but it wasn't quite as good as I thought. Still, I think it'll do her wonders with the public vote if she's not miles ahead of the others (ala Natalie last year).

5. Tim... well, what can I say? And Anton too, for wearing a bloody kilt in the middle of a Waltz.

A great show overall though, and I'm very much looking forward to tonight.

1) Told you Jake looked useful

2) Is Claudia's face melting?

3) Scott must have stomped potholes in the dance floor ?

4) Is Judy Murray Scottish?

5) Pixie over marked, little sustained jive content apart from armography

1. Oh, dear, Tim. I love you but .............

2. Great to have the contestants introduced without the awful 'Brucie' jokes.

3. The judges had more time to speak without Brucie's interruptions.

4. I think Pixie will grate on me very soon.

5. Loved Jake. Hope he can do softer dances as well as he did the Tango.

1. I think they would have been better off ditching the 'opening' to Tim's dance, which felt uncomfortably like the audience were laughing at him.
2. I assume/hope Scott must be able to do something right for Joanne's sake.
3. Kilts? Really? I do wonder if they'd have felt the need to change that if the referendum had gone the other way...
4. I liked Caroline and Jake.
5. I can't think of a fifth thing to say.

1 - No Bruce. No awful jokes and gaffes. No soft shoe shuffle or whatever it was.

2- No Pro number to start the show, missed that.

3- A waltz should be danced to music that is soft and lilting. Whoever came up with idea of Mull of Kintyre should be sacked. Simply dreadful

4 -Bring back quirky Claudia, not a fan of the new look (yet)

5 - Dances looked lacklustre but its the first show and they are just beginners, hopefully most will be given the chance to improve week by week so we can share the "J" word with them.

I was really tired yesterday and feeling off colour, so probably all my grumpy reactions should be disregarded.

1) I think having the first show for an hour on a Friday doesn't quite work. I missed starting with a pros' dance and it's hard not to feel that the real thing kicks off tonight. Having said that I can see why they do it because 15 tonight would be too many. Perhaps 15 is just too many altogether. Maybe they should go to 12 couples and one show?
2) Tess and Claudia were good and will be better once they settle. I didn't miss Bruce or wish they had brought someone else in.
3) The judges, though, I thought seemed really tired, going through the motions and cliches of themselves. If they are tired now, what are they going to be like half way through the series?
4) I hated the bit at the beginning with the girls from the Saturdays, boys from Blue, cast of Casualty, etc - nothing against them, just the whole film felt really really badly done and clunky. They'd have been so much better starting with dancing.
5) All six seemed nice without really wowing me. Jake seems a nice bloke and could warm up into a good contestant. Caroline's dancing was rather lost in her dress and Pixie didn't have the performance gumption I'd have expected given her job, but perhaps she was nervous. Tim and Judy were sweet. Scott was alright but I have no idea why the audience stood up. Nobody really made me stop in my tracks.

1. I thought it started with a whimper sooner than a bang - really need a pro routine to set the scene and get everyone into the mood.
2. The music and 'themes' seemed too contrived and got in the way.
3. I think the production team - and Tess will need time to get used to Bruce not being there. Annoying as he could be there is a lot of time and big personality to fill.
4. The judges didn't seem engaged with the programme - a bit bored even?!
5. Most of the celebrities seemed very nervous but all put in a good effort - no one was too embarrassing to watch.

1. Some of the pros would be better off actually teaching their celebs some basic steps, rather than trying to build a 'story' for the dance. (Seriously, what was with all the stories last night?)
2. Wardrobe have lost none of their sense of humour since last year.
3. Lovely bit of judge bothering from the random floor lady.
4. Like the pros escorting Tess and Claud down the stairs.
5. Think there is going to be a big gap between 'good' and 'not good' this year.

1. I prefer Tess in this new role and not in the chummy Tesspit role.
2. OK first show so forgiven for focussing on entertainment rather than dance technique, but some of the staging was a bit too much (Tim, Judy etc)
3. Please producers let the pros choreograph dances and not impose a story/scene on them and make the dance fit that (wishful thinking I know)
4. Jake was surprisingly better than I had thought he would be and overall I am pleased there is no stand out front runner, so far.
5. Interesting that the staging of Judy made much of her being Scottish but no mention of her sons.

1. I miss Brucie.

2. Tess and Claudia dont work for me - would be better if their roles were reversed.

3. Claudia needs her old look back/Tess needs to calm down.

4. Anton is as fabulous as ever!

5. Favourites after first show - Pixie and Caroline.

1. lots of first night hiccups, sound all wrong, band and singers not really on point, tess and claudia not quite warmed up, darcey stuttering,etc

2. liked: caroline - seems fun, easy going, unaffected and quite able

3. potential: the one from eastenders, not as good as the judges made out, but promising, good posture. needs to lighten up a bit, seemed a bit nervous/overly serious about it all

4. dreadful: that DJ one who danced with the new girl. i predict she will get told off very soon (was already) for choreographing cheesy and not very accomplished disco routines rather than anything like the real things. cringe for her partner, poor routine, badly exectuted.

5. Natalie flashing her silver knickers.

My major concern was "why does Claudia not seem like Claudia" long fringe and eye liner urgently needed please!

Was ok without Brucie - we will get used to it.

Jake had a difficult first dance - super tango cos he got into the character as
well as learning the steps

As ever, Anton is far too up his own kilt....yuk

Liked Caroline a lot.

1) Darcey usually takes a few week to warm up and get her comments clear and concise, still love her though
2) Disappointed Scott isn't very good and Joanne didn't read the situation well. Not sure how I feel about her now. (How weird would it be if she proved massively unpopular compared to her brother?!)
3) Pixie very average for someone who's trained. Poor technique.
4) Feel quite bad for James Jordan, when completely forgettable pro's like Trent now get picked.
5) Loved Tim & Nat, they'll go far.

1. Jake really committed; scores not a surprise. But man, he needs to lighten up
2. It was nice to see what seemed like genuine support for Jake from his fellow dancers when they went up to the
2. wtf was Caroline wearing? H&S have banned those gold fringly things as fire hazards. She can shimmy though . And she's a better dance partner for him than Rachel.
3. No-one was car crash terrible, which was most welcome (I'm not holding out much hope for Wallace though ).
4. I still think (hope) Scott will be better at ballroom.
5. I miss Claudia's fringe and panda eyes.

1. Really surprised by how good Jake was.
2. Not surprised by how good Caroline was.
3. Not sure if I like Joanne or not. Her personality could grate and her choreography was poor.
4. Tess was as annoying as hell. Please make her stop.
5. Why is Judy humiliating herself like this?

1. I want to see Jake do a gentle, softer type dance before I decide if I like him. Just want to know what he's like when he is himself and not channelling Max Branning (sp?)
2. No Man in the Hat Come on BBC.
3. Natalie!!!! I love that woman. Tim is lovely but I just watched her the whole dance. She is a Goddess.
4. what was poor Scott dancing? It was painful to watch.
5. If I was in the audience and they started that tediously boring booing every time Craig says something that isn't totally positive I think I'd have to kill people.

Never done one of these before but here goes:

01. Judging felt realistic on the whole, although paddles 1-4 remained largely untouched

02. Thought Caroline was the best although the fringing on that dress was both distracting and hid the hip action. Scott the worst but in his defense the choreography was horrible.

03. There was defiantly a lot good in what Jake did - his posture and frame were excellent. I thought the music felt a bit silly for a Tango which spoiled it somewhat. Potential but find him a bit hard to warm to.

04. Props and faffing rear their ugly head again this series but well done to Pasha for choreographing a straight dance routine to open the show.

05. My scores would have been: Caroline 7, Tim: 2, Jake: 6, Judy: 3, Scott: 1, Pixie: 6

1-YAY strictly is back
2-Well done Claudia and Tess
3-Scott was shocking !!!
4-a lackluster show.
5- I enjoyed pixie and Caroline dances the most

1. Tim trying too hard to be funny and not hard enough to learn to dance.

2. My hopes were way up there for Joanne. That was a bit of a shock.

3. Anton is doing the dancing and the personality bits.

4. Jake needs to play a role maybe? - not himself?

5. Janette seems to have put some work in pre-series.

1. I am not a fan of Tim at all. He isn't really funny and he really thinks he is.

2. I didn't like Pixies dance at all. Her and Trent are 5 shades of bland, there was hardly any jive and as I suspected, she is a gangly dancer. Not a natural at all.

3. Anton let Judy down, he could have done better

4. Caroline will win this if she has the right personality and doesn't get too cocky

5. Scott Mills is unpleasant to watch. I didn't enjoy his dance at all. He is the worst.

He was just there... When the orch was introduced. I saw the brim of his hat and one hand raised to wave, way over on the right, then he was gone.

Oh I didn't see that. They tantalise us.

I will watch out for him tonight though.

Hi all - very excited for the second show of the weekend later and looking forward to hearing everyone's comments. I like Tess and Claudia together presenting. I think they did a good job. Tim, Scott and Judy struggled but thought Caroline and Jake did well. Pixie was good too but expected more after all the hype about how she was tipped to win. Early days yet. See you all tonight.

1) Tess & Claudia work much better as a presenting duo than they did last season. Claudia seems marginally less terrified now and it's therefore more relaxed. I thought they worked well together, definitely well enough to pass muster.

2) Tim is utterly charming, a bit old for me, but I'm starting to see his attractive points nonetheless!

3) Can we see more of Steve already? (Ideally, a LOT more!)

4) I want to get to know their actual personalities, not their soap opera characters or former professions. Is all this cringeworthy crowbarring of themes really necessary?

5) I like Joanne.