Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland pushed the boundaries in more ways than one tonight.
The beloved comedian, 47, makes history as the show’s first-ever blind contestant, partnered with Aussie pro Dianne Buswell, 35.
And while his first performance had the nation on their feet in applause, his jokes were also the talk of social media.
Chris has already proven he won’t shy away from risky gags, having mocked the fact that the stars were ‘able to get in the same room as a GP’ on launch night, as Dr Punam Krishan competes for the glitterball.
Taking things one step further in the first live show of the year, Chris had viewers on edge with a joke that was rather close to the bone, given the scandals surrounding the show currently and how former professionals have been accused of misconduct.
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When asked how training had been going, Dianne praised Chris for being ‘such a hard worker’, before he lifted the lid on the mishaps that occurred before nailing a trick that saw Dianne stand on her head and be grabbed by Chris.
‘That cartwheel thing, when she suggested it, I said, “Are you mad?”
‘We messed it up so many times. She kicked me in the head one day!
‘If there was ever any doubt that I have more sight than I was letting on, I did not avoid nor anticipate it… I stood there and I took a foot right in the face.’
Reacting to Chris’s humour, viewer katyajcnes wrote on X: ‘i know the bbc hr employees felt their souls leave their bodies hearing chris talk about getting kicked’.
It’s safe to say Chris has been taken to the hearts of the nation, though, especially with his amazing clapback at Craig Revel Horwood’s criticism.
‘I’m too knackered to care, mate!’, he retorted, adding to the show’s resident Mr Nasty: ‘I’ll drive you home tonight.’
User deirdreheenan declared him ‘comedy gold’, while GeekGirlManners joked: ‘BREAKING NEWS: Chris McCausland becomes the first ever contestant to WIN #StrictlyComeDancing in WEEK ONE.’
Chris and Dianne performed a cha cha cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles as all 15 couples took to the floor for the first time.
Landing middle of the leaderboard, Chris scored a respectable 23 points out of a possible 40.
He was instantly awarded a standing ovation in the studio, with members of the panel admitting they felt tearful watching him gleefully boogie across the floor.
Judge Anton Du Beke said: ‘It was one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen in my entire life.’
Head judge Shirley Ballas said: ‘I’m quite shocked and very emotional – fabulous.’
Speaking to Claudia Winkleman after the dance, Chris quipped that the routine was actually a load of ‘nonsense’, in his typical quick-witted style.
‘It’s like someone’s just sucked all the fun out of dancing and replaced it with terms and conditions!’, he said.
‘You’ve gotta keep your legs straight, your shoulders back, your toes out, your arms straight, you’ve gotta point your finger for some reason… it took me two weeks to do it with my mouth shut,’ he added, pulling a shocked expression.
Strictly fanatics were keen to heap praise on Chris for his extraordinary performance, given that the comic lost his sight at age 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of rare eye diseases that affect the retina, making its cells break down slowly over time, causing vision loss.
Speaking to the i newspaper about losing his sight, Chris previously said: ‘My grandmother had it, and my mum. Basically, I’d been going blind very slowly since I was born, and so didn’t even really notice it happening.’
He added: ‘They say that when you lose your sight, your hearing gets better. It doesn’t. But you do pay more attention to it. So when you’re sat at a beach resort, and you’re hot, and you can’t see what’s around you, then you just end up concentrating on how hot you actually are. I suffer more for it.’
Ahead of his Strictly debut, Chris was very open about having no idea what he was heading into, but viewers already have a special place for him in their hearts, suggesting next week won’t be the last time we see him dance.
All stars return to the ballroom again next Saturday before the judges’ scores are combined, leaving two couples in the dreaded dance-off, fighting for their place in the competition.
Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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