'Strictly Come Dancing's Danny Mac Makes History With Perfect Score For Samba

Is this the man to beat Ed Balls?

Danny Mac has proved he may be the one ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant who can tip-tap around Ed Balls’ people popularity, with a record-breaking samba in last night’s show. 

Dancing with Oti Mabuse, Danny took to the floor in a shirt that soon became unbuttoned as he and Oti performed in what Bruno Tonioli described as “like watching a mating ritual”. 

The result? 40 points from the judges - the first time in the show’s history that any contestant has scored maximum marks for the samba. 

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"Like watching a mating ritual"
BBC

Even Craig Revel Horwood complimented Danny’s moves, saying, “We never get that hip action from a male celebrity.”

Other contestants doing well included Louise Redknapp - who scored 39 - and Ore Oduba - who came in at 36 points. 

But the man to beat remains Ed Balls, who scored a welcome 23 points with his partner Katya Jones for their tango. Despite their earlier confidence, Ed also came last in the additional Cha Cha challenge, scoring a measly one extra point. This event was won by Louise, who garnered six additional points. 

Despite his low scoring, however, Ed has yet to appear in the bottom two of the competition, forcing him into a dance-off and leaving him at the mercy of the judges, including Darcey Bussell who on Friday revealed she’d be quick to pull the Ed ejector cord…