The night Ed Balls went totally barny and stunned Strictly
ED BALLS conquered Strictly Come Dancing last night, earning the title The Charleston of the Exchequer.
The former Shadow Chancellor and partner Katya Jones danced up a storm with a vigorous country-and-western, barndance style routine that even involved prop banjos.
Their spirited performance wowed the audience, and should have marked a memorable comeback after they came bottom of the leaderboard on last week’s show. But they still came last again.
Ed and Katya danced the Charleston to The Banjo’s Back In Town after rehearsing for eight hours a day to perfect the notoriously challenging moves.
A clearly relieved Balls yelled ‘Boom’ as he walked to the judges’ desk following the routine.
Host Tess Daly said he ‘went at the routine full throttle and threw the kitchen sink at it’.
Despite being an audience favourite Ed and Katya scored just 23 points from judges.
Head judge Len Goodman said Balls, who lost his seat at the last Election, had gone down a storm, adding: ‘You have been to the country before and didn’t do very well but tonight you came out with enthusiasm and you got stuck in.
‘People are not stupid – you got a standing ovation because it was so much fun.’
Bruno Tonioli said: ‘I cannot believe it. What a comeback! Tony Blair would be proud. It was good to see the funny side of Balls. He was flapping around like a mating rooster but nevertheless he never lost time.’
And Darcey Bussell added: ‘You were oozing energy and character. I didn’t think I was going to see that musical bounce through your body all the way through.’
But waspish Craig Revel Horwood was less than impressed, saying: ‘That’s a sight I don’t wish to see again.
‘This dance is meant to be goofy but I am afraid that was the wrong side of goofy.
‘Sadly it had an air of desperation. Technically it was a disaster.’ He gave the couple a score of three.
One couple will be eliminated from the BBC1 show tonight.