Helen Skelton and Hamza Yassin top Strictly leaderboard in BBC centenary special

Helen Skelton and Hamza Yassin top the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard on a night that saw appearances from the Tardis and polar bears as the show celebrated the BBC’s centenary.

As the broadcaster marked 100 years on October 18, the dance competition honoured the occasion on Saturday night with routines to classic BBC theme songs and references to popular shows.

For the first performance of the night, TV presenter Skelton went back to her Blue Peter days as she danced the Charleston to Mike Oldfield’s theme tune for the children’s show.

She dressed in red dungarees and her partner Gorka Marquez donned red trousers as they performed before revealing a puppet creation of the judges.

They secured a score of 35, with judge Anton Du Beke describing it as Skelton’s “best dance yet”, and Craig Revel Horwood agreeing that it was “confident” and “energising”.

Wildlife cameraman Yassin also secured the top score after he paid homage to his BBC nature programming background as he danced the quickstep to On Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons, with Jowita Przystal, with fake polar bears in the background.

Revel Horwood criticised some of Yassin’s movements, but praised him as a “fantastic dancer”.

Shirley Ballas added: “You make our hearts sing, you make us smile, you make everyone at home, I’m sure, smile. There was a little wobble but it was a very little wobble, but other than that your frame was fabulous.”

Singer and presenter Fleur East and Vito Coppola came joint third with a score of 32 points for their performance to Waterloo by Abba, which won the Swedish pop group the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 in Brighton.

In traditional Eurovision style, Graham Norton introduced the pair who were dressed in classic Abba style with fringed, sequinned outfits and knee-high white boots as they jived across the floor.

Revel Horwood said it was “slightly heavy-footed” but praised East’s energy and the routine.

Actor Will Mellor and Nancy Xu channelled the drama of Line Of Duty in their Viennese waltz as they performed to the show’s end credit theme to secure their 32 points.

After slipping down the leaderboard last week due to a bout of flu, Revel Horwood said Mellor was “back with vengeance” and carried the passion all the way through the routine.

Ballas added: “I loved the performance. I loved the fact that you give it your all, but remember, if you push too hard and you go off balance, you’re going to struggle.”

Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and Dianne Buswell brought a haunting atmosphere to the dancefloor as they danced the tango to the Doctor Who theme tune.

The performance, which also featured a Tardis and Weeping Angels, secured a score of 32 with Revel Horwood complimenting West’s “sharp” and “staccato” movements.

While Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin brought the tension of The Apprentice’s boardroom to the dancefloor as they performed to the show’s theme tune.

Dancing a dramatic paso doble to the song, which is originally from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo And Juliet ballet, the couple scored 30 points.

Ballas said: “Your laser vision at the very beginning, I could see that you were totally into this, you brought a lovely sense of mood” but she deducted one point for an “illegal lift” during the routine.

Singer and actress Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu performed to the Grange Hill theme tune dressed in full school uniforms.

Their performances, which saw them dance around a canteen set in a routine that ended in a food fight, received 30 points with Du Beke describing it as a “safe” option for their couple’s choice.

Ted Lasso star Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe sent hearts racing with their tango to the Casualty theme song, which opened with a dramatic sketch of them having to save a mannequin’s life.

Scoring 29 points, judge Motsi Mabuse praised the opening and added: “What I see every single week is an improvement. This is a marathon and you guys are slowly getting there and I just love your development. A little bit more action, a little bit more understanding, but I loved it”.

For their routine, comedian Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer took on the Charleston to comic song The Ballad Of Barry And Freda (Let’s Do It), which was written and performed by fellow comedian Victoria Wood during her BBC show.

Mabuse said Adams is “one of the best” performers on the show, but felt the dance moves need improving at this stage of the competition. They scored 28 points.

Soap star Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima honoured Strictly’s predecessor show, Come Dancing, as they performed a quickstep to Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz.

Angela Rippon, one of the original presenters of Come Dancing, introduced the couple to the dancefloor for a high-octane routine in flamboyant outfits to secure a score of 27.

EastEnders star James Bye paid homage to the BBC soap opera as he performed the foxtrot to Julia’s Theme, the show’s alternative version of the classic theme song.

Backdropped by a set of the show’s Queen Vic pub, Bye and his partner Amy Dowden glided gracefully to secure a score of 26.

With fellow cast members in the audience, Bye became emotional as he said it was a “dream” to present his show on the dancefloor.

Former England footballer Tony Adams found himself at the bottom of the leaderboard with 19 points after his cha cha to the Grandstand theme tune with partner Katya Jones.

Appearing to be in slight disbelief, Revel Horwood said: “I don’t know how to describe what I’ve just seen. You put everything into it.”

To kick off Saturday’s show, the professional dancers and judges performed a routine which moved through numerous classic BBC shows including Casualty, EastEnders and University Challenge.

The number opened with broadcaster Huw Edwards paying tribute to the dance competition and later Norton featuring judge Mabuse in his show’s famous red chair.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One.