Chris McCausland expertly slaps down Lord Alan Sugar, 77, over BBC Strictly 'gimmick' complaint
BBC Strictly: Lord Alan Sugar has faced criticism from Chris McCausland for his criticism of the line-up
BBC/PA
Chris McCausland has been applauded by Strictly Come Dancing fans for his response to Lord Alan Sugar's criticism of this year's line-up.
McCausland, 47, is the show's first-ever blind contestant and alongside pro dancer Dianne Buswell, has been impressing the judges and viewers alike with his routines.
On Saturday evening, McCausland ended up joint-fifth on the leaderboard with a respectable score of 30, tying with Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu, and JB Gill and Amy Dowden.
He and Buswell had performed a Salsa for Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke to critique - a routine that was widely praised by the judging panel.
But Lord Sugar, 77, appeared to ignore McCausland and Buswell's impressive performance and instead appeared to criticise the fact that the BBC show employed a comedian with a disability.
Issuing a brutal take on this year's line-up, The Apprentice star penned on X this past weekend: "I don't know when Strictly come dancing are going to run out of contestant gimmicks.
BBC Strictly: Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland have impressed so far this series
BBC
"I would not be surprised if they had a AI mechanical robot next year. @bbcstrictly."
Not letting Lord Sugar's criticism go unanswered, McCausland took to the social media platform to hit back.
Reposting the 77-year-old's complaints, McCausland brilliantly wrote back: "I am sorry my gimmick offends you oh mighty Lord. #YoureTired."
He piled in further on Lord Sugar's remarks when a fan sarcastically asked how he read the Apprentice star's post, quipping: "I'm an AI robot."
I am sorry my gimmick offends you oh mighty Lord. #YoureTired https://t.co/kfs737R0lp
— Chris McCausland - New tour on sale now! 🎫 (@chrismccausland) October 13, 2024
McCausland is the latest in a long string of celebrity contestants who've competed on the show with a disability, including fellow 2024 star Tasha Ghouri who was born deaf.
Buswell, on the other hand, ignored Lord Sugar's remarks and instead focussed her attention on thanking fans for their support ahead of yet another week in the competition.
On Instagram, she penned to her one million followers: "Once again thank you @chrismccauslandcomedy for trusting me! When I said we are going to do the kangaroo jump you didn’t even hesitate.
"You're a legend and I’m so happy to be able to dance another week with you! To everybody who has been supporting us we thank you soooooo much.
"Week 5 I can not believe it... your all BONZA," she added, to which McCausland replied on the social media site: "I think we both felt quite emotional after that one didn't we?
"What a blast, and thank you for letting me hold onto you till I knew I wasn't going to cry. You are the absolute best! Slow one this week though eh X." (sic)
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BBC Strictly: Dianne Buswell and Chris McCausland sailed through to the next stage of the competition
BBC
While McCausland and Buswell's show-stopping routines continue to dominate the conversation among Strictly fans, several BBC viewers had their attention piqued for another reason this past weekend.
Celebrity contestant Wynne Evans and pro dance partner Katya Jones both hit headlines for their behaviour on Saturday night.
In one incident, Jones rejected a high-five from her partner which sparked rumours of a feud between the pair - although pro dancer Kai Widdrington tried to allay fears with his comments on the incident soon after.
But in a second incident, Evans faced criticism for moving his hand across Jones' waist in view of the camera.
Jones dismissed the suggestion she would be "in any way offended" by Evans and branded the "hand incident" as a "silly inside joke".