Strictly Chris McCausland fans demand 'give him the Glitterball' as he makes history

Strictly fans had been sceptical about whether comedian Chris McCausland could deliver on the dancefloor - and no one had been more unconvinced than the man himself.

He confessed: "I don’t dance, I haven’t danced, I can’t dance, I can’t see the dancing I will have to do. What can possibly go wrong?" However, when he finally took to the floor with Aussie pro partner Dianne Buswell for a Cha Cha to the tune of The Beatles' 'Twist and Shout', he was an instant hit.

One fan took to Twitter to urge: "Give him the glitterball now, I loved that.. they're bringing the house down on social media, he's hilarious & Di's enjoying every minute with him.. I'm clapping here and will probably keep doing it until Xmas!"

Another appreciatively commented: "Kudos to Dianne for teaching Chris and to Chris, for delivering a performance which seems like such an impossible task. Respect for the energy and courage. #StrictlyComeDancing #strictly." A third chimed in: "Wow, that was honestly better than anything I imagined! Dianne has done amazing teaching Chris!"

Meanwhile, one fan exclaimed that he could now scarcely believe Chris' claims that he wouldn't be a competent dancer. They quipped: "Chris is having us all on, or else he is an absolutely star. Performance of the night."

As the praise kept pouring in, with admissions that viewers' jaws were "on the floor", someone else echoed the mood by commanding: "Just give Chris the trophy now #strictly."

As Dianne was praised for her technique as a teacher after the electrifying performance on this evening's show, she admitted she'd "kept on adding bits to the routine" because she'd found such a speedy learner in Chris.

"He's such a hard worker to the point that I had to keep adding stuff because I was like, 'You've got that, better add something else!'" she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, the audience roared with approval, demonstrating that their routine - complete with Dianne's 1960s-themed blast from the past dress - had been a hit.

The best score the pair received on the night was from Anton du Beke, who confidently declared: "Extraordinary!" as he awarded them seven points.

They also survived Craig Revel Horwood's notoriously nasty comments and caustic critique.

However, the pair aren't at the top of the leaderboard yet, with JB Gill of JLS and his cancer survivor pro partner Amy Dowden earning the top spot this evening.

Another couple intensely praised by the judges were Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, who came second.

As Aljaz soaked up the praise, he gave an ecstatic shout-out to the baby daughter he shares with Janette Manrara, Lyra, whom he exclaimed was "going to go nuts".

Elsewhere on the show, Toyah Willcox scored the lowest ratings from the judges, while Shayne Ward had a crushing humiliation when Craig Revel-Horwood declared his samba had "failed miserably", but the performances were backed up by Motsi Mabuse.