Dowden plus Skinner may be a Strictly masterstroke

The beloved pro dancer's partnership with the controversial 'Apprentice' star has potential

- Katie Rosseinsky

Typically, the Strictly launch show is an uncontroversial beast. It's a shiny, happy extravaganza; an extended, prerecorded love-in that doesn't tend to make headlines because the judges are putting on their most welcoming smiles rather than dishing out scathing critiques. But on Saturday night, as fans tuned in to discover which celebrity hopefuls had been teamed up with which professional dancers, one particular pairing appears to have raised everyone's eyebrows skyward.

The BBC's decision to cast Thomas Skinner - the former Apprentice contestant turned professional Essex geezer turned right-leaning social media mouthpiece, known for hanging out with JD Vance and posting about flag-waving - has dominated discussion of the new season since the lineup was confirmed in August. And not in a good way. Director general Tim Davie has weighed in to defend the hiring ("We wouldn't take anyone whose views are just beyond the pale," he said earlier this month). Skinner himself has come under further scrutiny for reportedly picking up a journalist's phone and then storming out of a pre-Strictly press event, and has had past infidelities dragged through the tabloids.

It's no wonder, then, that the biggest question ahead of Saturday evening's diamante-studded festivities was: who the heck was going to have to draw the short straw and dance with one of the most controversial contestants in recent