MORE than 10 million viewers tuned in on Saturday night to see Sheffield Ballroom dance star Darren Bennett and his celebrity partner, EastEnders favourite Jill Halfpenny, jive to victory in the finals of BBC1 hit Strictly Come Dancing.
The show went head to head with ITV1 rival The X Factor but left the pop talent contest, which attracted two million viewers less, trailing in its wake as fans gripped by the excitement of one of the year's biggest hits, switched on for the live gran
d final from Blackpool's Tower Ballroom.
And they were rewarded by a display of dancing that saw even professional judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel-Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli, overcome with admiration as they award Darren and Jill four perfect tens for a jive routine that brought the ballroom crowd to its feet for a standing ovation.
Lining up alongside Jill and Darren, from Walkley, for the final were athlete Denise Lewis and her partner and coach Ian Waite who, as the final week dawned, were being tipped by some experts to take the prize.
And then there was camp comedian Julian Clary who, alongside partner Erin Boag, had become a viewer favourite, his attempts to overcome his basic inability to do anything but the most simple steps successfully, winning a sympathy vote that saw him all the way through to the final.
But two competitive routines and a special display dance which saw Julian dressed in full Officer and a Gentleman gear could do nothing to hide the fact that he was out of his depth in a lineup where top quality dance was now the norm.
And it was when Jill and Darren finally took to the floor for their celebrated jive routine - already one of the biggest hits of the series - that the judges finally acknowledged them as champions, handing them the only perfect 40 score of the series and describing the couple's efforts as: "An explosion of talent."
The dancing doesn't stop, next week they'll be joining the star-studded lineup for the Royal Variety Performance, appearing alongside Elton John and Liza Minnelli in a show for the Prince of Wales.
And they'll be dancing for the champion of champions title opposite series one winners newsreader Natasha Kaplinski and dancer Brendan Cole in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special on December 22.
