Anton Du Beke’s debut on the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing was met with a positive reaction from viewers on Saturday night.
The professional dancer filled in for regular judge Motsi Mabuse, who has been forced to miss two weeks of the BBC ballroom show as she is currently self isolating after an “urgent” trip to Germany.
It was the first time Anton – who had already been eliminated from this year’s competition with partner, former home secretary Jacqui Smith – had sat on the panel, having previously voiced his desire to do so on numerous occasions over the years.
Sitting alongside Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas, he passed judgement on this week’s routines and dished out scores – including a 10 for Clara Amfo and Aljaz Skorjanec’s Charleston routine.
On social media, Anton was widely praised for his judging debut…
After the show, Anton tweeted: “Well, my loves, how did I do?! Scores please! Such a phenomenal show tonight too, what a joy to judge! Loved it!!”
Prior to taking on the role, Anton said: “I can’t tell you how excited I am.“I am so thrilled for so many reasons.
“I just love, love, love the show as everybody knows and to be asked just to fill in for Motsi for the next couple of weeks is just an absolute honour.”
He also described his temporary job as the “biggest compliment”.
Anton, who has been a professional on Strictly since its inception in 2004, previously made a play for a role on the judging panel in 2017, when he was in the running to replace head judge Len Goodman. However, Shirley was later announced as his replacement.
Saturday’s show saw Motsi make an appearance via video link at the end of the show to give an overview of her thoughts on this week’s routines.
Announcing she would not be appearing in the studio earlier in the week, she wrote on Instagram: “Earlier this week I needed to travel to Germany for an urgent reason. I will of course be following the UK government guidelines and self-isolating for 14 days.
“I’ll be watching from home and by the power of technology, should be in your living rooms.”
Motsi later revealed on Instagram that her dance school in Germany, where she usually lives, had been the target of a break-in.
She is not the only judge who has been absent from the panel this year.
Regular Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli is also missing from the series due to travel restrictions, as he’s currently also a judge on the US version of the show.
However, he continues to appear on the results show via video link to give his verdict on the week’s performances.
Find out who is next to leave Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday at 7.25pm on BBC One.
