STRICTLY Come Dancing came under fire as fans accused judge Anton Du Beke of over-scoring one of the stars.

Saturday’s first live show saw Arsenal legend Paul Merson perform an American Smooth with pro partner Karen Hauer.

Strictly Come Dancing viewers disagreed with some of Anton Du Beke's scoring
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Strictly Come Dancing viewers disagreed with some of Anton Du Beke’s scoringCredit: BBC

Saturday's show saw Paul Merson perform an American Smooth with Karen Hauer
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Saturday’s show saw Paul Merson perform an American Smooth with Karen HauerCredit: PA

The pair received a score of 17 - but some fans watching at home weren't happy
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The pair received a score of 17 – but some fans watching at home weren’t happy
Having scored 17 , some viewers believed the judges – particularly Anton – had over-marked the star’s efforts.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one vented: “6?! Anton Du Beke scored Paul Merson more than Sam Quek?! What a joke!!”

Another added: “A 6 for Paul? Are you taking the p**s?”

A third chimed in: “Shirley & Anton giving Paul 5’s and 6’s”.

While a fourth remarked: “Anton scoring Paul Merson higher than Sam Quek is just absolutely ridiculous.”

After performing the Foxtrot, Sam received 6’s from three judges and a 5 from Anton.

Whereas Paul received a 6 from Anton – and 2, 4 and 5 respectively from the remaining panelists.

Prior to revealing his score, Anton showered praise on Paul’s dance in his feedback.

He said: “I’ve done many numbers like this over the years.

“If I was still dancing on the show, I’d be dancing with you. This would be the partnership and this is the number we would do.

Strictly descends into chaos as Wynne Evans calls out Paul Merson for getting his name wrong
“We’re the same person. It’s a magnificent number.”

He added: “I was delighted. Didn’t have to sub him off, came down the stairs unaided. I loved it!

“You were terrific, well done.”

Meanwhile, other stars also had their scores scrutinised by fans on social media.

GoCompare ad star Wynne Evans danced a salsa to Help Yourself by Tom Jones in honour of his Welsh heritage.

The fun comedy routine saw him turned into an all-singing, all-dancing chef, with Wynne later ripping off his kitchen whites to reveal a glittery shirt.

Strictly 2024 Week One Scoreboard

Here’s how the first week scoreboard looked:

      JB and Amy = 31

 

      Tasha and Aljaz = 30

 

      Sarah and Vito = 30

 

      Wynne and Katya = 26

 

      Montell and Johannes = 26

 

      Shayne and Nancy = 23

 

      Jamie and Michelle = 23

 

      Chris and Dianne = 23

 

      Sam and Nikita = 21

 

      Dr Punam and Gorka = 19

 

      Tom and Nadiya = 18

 

      Nick and Luba = 18

 

      Pete and Jowita = 17

 

      Paul and Karen = 17

 

    Toyah and Neil = 12

Alongside pro partner Katya Jones, the pair received an impressive score of 26/40 – although some viewers were left irritated by this.

One wrote on X: “Wynne was overmarked he wasn’t better than Sam or Shane. Shane and Pete undermarked.”

 

Another remarked: “Wynne was way overmarked. Just stop.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and iPlayer.

Some fans questioned Anton's scoring of Paul and Sam Quek
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Some fans questioned Anton’s scoring of Paul and Sam QuekCredit: PA