BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland impresses with salsa

The comedian has impressed so far on his run on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, with fellow competitor Toyah Willcox saying that she thought he was the one to watch, joking: “If you don’t want to do a dance-off, get rid of Chris.”

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Last week McCausland, the show’s first blind contestant, landed a score of 30 after his dance with partner Dianne Buswell to Wayne's World.

The audience gave the comic, who previously studied at Hereford's Royal National College for the Blind, a standing ovation, with celebrities like Joe Sugg and Marvin and Rochelle Humes among the crowd.

And this week the pair took on an Australian-inspired salsa to Men At Work's Down Under.

The dance ended to huge applause, with Dianne hugging Chris as they awaited their scores.

Judge Shirley Bassey said that in her experience lifts had taken real eye-timing and that she could not even imagine how he had managed to do it flawlessly. 

Fellow judge Anton Du Beke said Chris' salsa step was "a bit plonky", but that it was "still one of the most remarkable things" he had seen in his entire life.

And Motsi Mabuse said the dance had given her goosebumps and that it was a joy to watch.

Speaking to host Claudia Winkleman, Chris said he felt like he had fallen off a horse and been dragged two miles, while Dianne said she trusted him with all her heart.

The pair finished with a score of 32.

The 47-year-old comedian, originally from Liverpool, lost his eyesight in his early 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition. This diagnosis prompted a career change from his previous job in web development to become a comedian.

McCausland studied at the Royal National College for the Blind in the mid 90s, and even returned in 2022 to mark its 105th anniversary with a show at the Courtyard in Hereford.

He is known to television audiences for his role as Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too, and regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including the Comedy Store.