Bat-fans in the UK were thrilled to see Batman and Robin dancing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing this week in what was a fun and memorable routine.
Batman has done a lot in recent years. On the movie side of things, he’s returned to the top of the box-office with the Robert Pattinson-led The Batman. In the comics, he’s faced a lot of adversity and still finds ways to outwit those who oppose him. But on television, he did something that he hasn’t done in years: Dance.
This time it was Casualty and EastEnders actor Nigel Harman who donned the cape and cowl for Week 3 of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – on which he is currently competing in. He was joined by his dance partner Katya Jones as the pair did a Jive to the classic Batman theme from the 1966 TV series and movie.
Prepare to be amazed by the Caped Crusaders’ moves.
Nigel Harman and Katya Jones dance to Batman theme on Strictly
Week 3 on Strictly Come Dancing is the show’s annual Movie Week celebration, which sees the contestants dance to classic movie themes (complete with costumes). Nigel and Katya were tasked with dancing the Jive to the original Batman theme from the classic TV series by Neal Hefti and his Orchestra and Chorus, wearing suits inspired by the ones that Adam West and Burt Ward wore on the show.
Now wait, before you say “but that was a TV series not a movie”, there was indeed a movie spinoff based on the show released between the first and second seasons in 1966. Titled Batman: The Movie, the film adaptation saw West and Ward reprise their roles to take on the nefarious foursome of The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman, and The Joker.
Nigel and Katya’s routine featured a number of nods to both the TV show and the movie, with the pair opening with the Dynamic Duo’s famous walk up the side of a building and also including their famous Bat-run scene from the movie. Bat-fans were also impressed to see that it included the iconic Batusi, which Adam West’s Caped Crusader danced in the very first episode of the classic show. And that might very well have been the last time we saw Batman dance – until now.
The pair opened the show and received positive reviews from judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, and Motsi Mabuse, scoring a strong 25 points. And it will no doubt live on in TV history as an epic tribute to the campy and beloved TV series.
Of course, in today’s day and age, the hero is much broodier (heck, he goes by the The Dark Knight, after all), so this was a fun throwback to the golden years of the DC Comics character. And to those unfamiliar with this period of Bat-history, well it must have been an experience seeing the Dynamic Duo lighter and brighter than they ever knew possible.
I can’t tell you how much I loved this. It gets a big Bat-shaped thumbs up from us, old chums!