BBC Strictly Come Dancing viewers are accustomed to the opening number setting the standard for the rest of the evening, but tonight’s performance had social media in a frenzy within seconds.

Alex Kingston, best known for her roles in Doctor Who and ER, took to the dance floor with fan-favourite professional Johannes Radebe to perform the Cha,Cha,Cha. However, their routine quickly descended into chaos, with several mistimed steps leaving both judges and fans shocked.

First to share her thoughts was judge Motsi Mabuse, who didn’t hold back, delivering a blunt critique of the couple’s performance. She said, “Every mistake is a bitter taste.” Before concluding that she could have forgiven a couple of errors, but “three mistakes… I’m not Mother Christmas!”.

Show host Tess Daly swiftly tried to comfort Alex, who looked devastated by her errors, and said it was “such a shame” that her routine fell apart during the opening moments of the dance contest, which has struggled more than ever this series to stay on track.

After Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke also delivered their similarly disappointed verdicts. Craig Revel-Horwood, famed for his harsh tongue, delivered the final blow, remarking: “You lost it. It just got worse and worse.”

Craig was also the harshest in his scoring of the routine, awarding it a brutal 4 out of 10, while the other judges gave the pair 6s and 7s, prompting some viewers on Strictly to question their scores.

One wrote: “On what planet did Alex deserve a 6 or 7 for that shambles when Balvinder repeatedly received 6s and 7s for perfectly decent routines with no mistakes?!” Meanwhile, a second commented: “Is there something in the air in the studio tonight? It feels like everyone is making mistakes and messing up. What’s going on??? Why does it feel like the standard has slipped this week #Strictly.”

Unfortunately, after Alex and Johannes’ performance, the show continued to decline as other celebrities also stumbled in their routines, including YouTuber George Clarke and EastEnders star Bavinder Sopal. The seemingly endless errors in the dance routines had some viewers declare it the “worst show” in 10 years of the dance competition’s history.

One wrote: “This episode is hands down utter bottom, absolute worst of the worst.” While a second agreed. “Now for #Strictly as it limps toward the finish. I think this is the worst series I’ve ever watched of it.”

Another begged for the show to be “put out of its misery” after watching the contestants’ continuous mistakes, which made them question whether they had “fully recovered” from the Blackpool episode the previous weekend. While a separate user simply stated they would be “turning it off”.