Strictly Come Dancing's Will Best blows away fans with first dance as Craig delivers verdict on "grinding"

It's no easy feat to be the opening celebrity dancer on Strictly Come Dancing's first live show in a season, but that's what Will Best did.

The Big Brother presenter opened the revamped 2026 run with professional dancer Dianne Buswell, dancing the Samba to the band's version of Robbie Williams's Rock DJ.

In a revealing vest and leather trousers, Best performed an energetic turn, stood on the judges' desk, performed some grinding, and he wiggled away.

Of course, legendary judge Craig Revel-Horwood was withering as ever, noting Will's hips were "off", his "arms very sloppy", and "too big steps".

"I could have done without all that grinding stuff on the desk, darling," said Craig at first too, but host Josh Widdicombe said he could see a happy face on Craig when it happened.

Craig's colleague Motsi Mabuse was more positive, saying Will was "made for showbusiness" and showed "courage", while head judge Shirley Ballas agreed and said he showed "great potential" and "entertainment value".

Ultimately, Craig Revel-Horwood and Shirley Ballas awarded Will 4 points each, while Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke gave him 5 points, for a total of 18 points, which will roll over into next week.

As he was first, Will and his partner Dianne had a short-lived time at the top of the leaderboard, but were swiftly dethroned by Tabby Stoecker.

Fans at home were much more positive, with a flurry supporting Will on X, formerly known as Twitter.

One fan noted: "Will Best, you did what you needed to do #Strictly"

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Another penned on X: "That was better then 18? #strictly Will getting undermarked because he is on first.."

Meanwhile, another was a big fan of the whole show's revamp and launch, penning: "Great first dance from Will & Dianne. Emma looks stunning, not sure Josh is needed. Missing Luba already. #Strictly"

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Finally, another concluded they would have been much more genereous: " i thought that was fun, fabulous thrusting debut on Strictly 2️⃣6️⃣ and Will has huge potential and he certainly did his BEST He can move his 🥳 hips and im in ❤️ he's gorgeous Leather is a 🔟 I would score a 7️⃣ #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly".

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 26 September at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.