Strictly’s Nigel Harman emerges as early favourite to win as he and partner Katya Jones tops the leaderboard during week one

By William On Sep 23, 2023

Strictly’s Nigel Harman emerges as early favorite to win as he and partner Katya Jones top the leaderboard in week one

By Sean O’grady for Mailonline

Published: 4:21 PM EDT, September 23, 2023 | Updated: 4:43 PM EDT, September 23, 2023

Nigel Harman has emerged as an early favorite to win Strictly Come Dancing as he topped the leaderboard in week one on Saturday.

The 50-year-old actor was named ‘the one to beat’ by judge Shirley Ballas after performing an excellent pasodoble with dance partner Katya Jones.

The Casualty star danced to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and received rave reviews from all four judges, receiving a score of 32 out of 40.

“That was the dance of the night,” exclaimed Craig Revel Horwood, while Motsi Mabuse added: “This at the end of the night was spectacular, amazing.”

Anton Du Beke also praised the actor and reminded the audience that it is not easy for the star who has to close the show.

Candidate: Nigel Harman has emerged as an early favorite to win Strictly Come Dancing as he topped the leaderboard in week one on Saturday

Flawless: The actor, 50, was named ‘the one to beat’ by judge Shirley Ballas after performing an outstanding pasodoble with dance partner Katya Jones

Success: The Casualty star danced to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and received universal praise from all four judges, receiving a score of 32 out of 40

Viewers took to X/Twitter to praise Nigel for his performance, with one writing: ‘Nigel was amazing! I could just watch that Paso over and over again.”

Another added: ‘That was extraordinary. Nigel Harman’s performance was great. Katya Jones is an incredible choreographer.”

A third wrote: ‘Nigel needs to be in the final now,’ while a fourth said: ‘Top of the leaderboard and definitely worth the wait.’

Another viewer added: ‘I didn’t expect that! Brilliant!’

Despite being tipped as the pin-up of the series, Nigel, who attended £24,000 a year at Dulwich College, is unlikely to fall victim to the show’s much-discussed ‘Strictly curse’.

He is happily married to actress Lucy Liemann, 49, who starred in The Bill and Agatha Christie’s Poirot, as well as the third Jason Bourne film, The Bourne Ultimatum.

Nigel was at the center of a controversial storyline in Downton Abbey in 2013, in which his character punched maid Anna (played by Joanne Froggatt) in the face and dragged her into a room in a violent rape scene.

But earlier this year Nigel returned to the BBC and joined the cast of Casualty, where he plays charming clinical lead Max Christie.

Reaction: Viewers took to X/Twitter to praise Nigel for his performance, with one writing: ‘Nigel was amazing! I could just watch that Paso over and over again.”

Strictly speaking: week one rankings

Nigel Harman and Katya Jones – Paso Doble to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana – 32 points out of 40

Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – Samba to Touch by Little Mix – 29 points out of 40

Ellie Lelk and Vito Coppola – Jive to Can’t Tame Her by Zara Larsson – 29 points out of 40

Bobby Brazier and Diane Buswell – Foxtrot for All About You by McFly – 29 points out of 40

Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice – Viennese Waltz to Pointless by Lewis Capaldi – 29 points out of 40

Angela Rippon Kai Wrrington – Cha Cha to Get the Party Started by Shirley Bassey – 28 points out of 40

Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe – Cha Cha to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel – 28 points out of 40

Angela Scanlan and Carlos Gu – Tango to Prisoner by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa – 23 points out of 40

Eddie Kadi and Karen – Quickstep to Two Hearts by Phil Collins – 22 points out of 40

Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley – Cha Cha to Boom Shack A Lack by Apache Indian – 22 points out of 40

Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał – Quickstep to I’m On Top Of The World by Bobby Darin – 21 points out of 40

Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk – Cha Cha to Waffle House by Jonas Brothers – 19 points out of 40

Zara McDermott and Graziano Dr Fine – Cha Cha to Crush by Jennifer Page – 19 points out of 40

Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez – Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston – 18 points out of 40

Les Dennis and Nancy Xu – Tango to Don’t You Want Me by Human League – 16 points out of 40

In addition to many stage credits, Nigel has performed in Guys and Dolls in London’s West End and Shrek the Musical, which he subsequently directed for the UK tour.

His film work includes roles in Blood Diamond, Telstar and The Outsiders for ITV.

After being confirmed as a contestant, Nigel said: ‘I’m amazed, excited and terrified to be doing Strictly.

“As an armchair fan of the show, I watched in awe as people spun and spun across the screen. And now it’s my turn…gulp!’