Strictly Come Dancing was the most watched show on TV as millions tuned in to see Kelvin Fletcher triumph.
The Emmerdale actor achieved the highest-ever first dance score on the show and flew to the top of the leaderboard with partner Oti Mabuse.
Not only did @kelvin_fletcher and @Otimabuse score four 8s on last night's show. But @BrunoTonioli took down a fly with his paddle during the scoring. 🤣 👀 pic.twitter.com/tk9Ko9jYUR
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) September 22, 2019
He stepped in to replace injured Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing and, despite having less time to train, earned a score of 32 on the night.
Viewers tuned in en masse to see the first live show, with a peak of 8.5 million watching at one time.
The average viewing was 7.7 million, with a huge 43.9% of the total UK TV audience watching celebrities and professionals showing off their steps.
Brb just watching @kelvin_fletcher and @OtiMabuse's Samba on repeat for three days solid. 😮😮😮 #Strictly pic.twitter.com/k3mfAtvj1N
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) September 21, 2019
Strictly went head to head with ITV show Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions during primetime.
James Cracknell is currently bottom of the leaderboard, with Fletcher showing great skill in the first week.