The new Simon Cowell-produced dance show The Greatest Dancer kicked off on BBC One on Saturday night.
While it might not have bested rival The Voice UK in the live ratings, the show seemed to resonate with audiences. Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse, Glee star Matthew Morrison and singer Cheryl took their places as Dance Captains as the search for The Greatest Dancer began.
Hosted by Jordan Banjo and Alesha Dixon, the opening episode saw a number of hopefuls auditioning in a bid to win over the audience. Dancing in faux studio, each dancer had to earn 75% of the audience vote in order to open the mirror and continue performing in front of them, and the Dance Captains.
The show promised to deliver dancers of all ages, styles and abilities, and it certainly did that. From the quartet Froback through to the incredibly talented contemporary Scottish dancer Ellie, there truly was something for everyone.
One of the night’s biggest head scratchers was when classical ballet dancer Yassaui Mergaliyev failed to make it through to the next stage. The Dance Captains, particularly Matthew, begged the audience to vote for him but they didn’t listen.
Despite Yassaui’s failure, the audience put through Cheryl super-fan James and let’s be honest that decision shouldn’t have happened should it?
The first episode ended on a high note when 21-year-old Andrew, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, danced to Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling. The tears flowed from Cheryl as she watched in awe and it was the feel-good moment of the first show.
This weekend’s episode sees the auditions continue and judging from episode one, it’s not going to be easy to predict who the audience will vote through. Take a look at our preview gallery below…
The Greatest Dancer continues at 8.10pm Saturday on BBC One.
