With a queue snaking what felt like half way around Manchester, it was clear that a pandemic putting a pause on the live shows of Strictly Come Dancing had done nothing to lose it any of its die-hard fans.
It may have been two painful years in the waiting but Strictly was BACK dah-ling........ and with the phenomenal line-up of Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice; John Whaite and Johannes Radebe; Max George and Katya Jones; Maisie Smith and Kai Widdrington; Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu; Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin and Sara Davies and Aljaž Skorjanec - well, it was bound to be simply FAB-U-LOUS.
And fabulous it was.
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The judges brought belly laughs in their plenty, seeming more like a treble act of comedians at times, the pro-dancers wowed with their expertise and professional dancer Janette Manrara commanded the arena in her role as sequinned trouser-suit clad presenter.
Here's how the show unfolded:
John Whaite & Johannes Radebe
Chef John Whaite and professional dance partner Johannes Radebe kicked off the show with an electric paso doble with a Pirates of the Caribbean theme.
Their spectacular performance, was dubbed "explosive" by judges who all rewarded the pair with a perfect ten - giving them a solid 30/30.
My personal favourite of theirs was when they took to the stage in matching sheer white shirts with sequined shoulders and white pants to perform to You Got The Love.
And boy, did they have the love. The support for the pair was tangible - with people all around me exclaiming how much they loved them and going wild when they took to the floor.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood said he kept forgetting John was a baker and not a professional dancer - and I would agree.
"He was just a shy boy from Wigan and now he has taken over the world." said Johannes.
The emotion was etched on the face of Johannes and seeing the two men, the first same sex pairing on Strictly - dancing so freely and joyously together, it was hard not to feel emotional too - such was the power of the, some might say, long overdue diversity on the stage.
"It feels like breaking down barriers," my mixed race plus one said to me and I agreed.
Long may it continue.
Max George and Katya Jones
Max survived until just week four in the 2020 series of Strictly, with partner Dianne Buswell.
But due to Covid lockdowns, meaning there was no 2021 live tour, the celebrities performing in 2020, sadly did not get to take part in the live shows.
So Max was instead part of the 2022 tour, paired up with ever popular pro Katya Jones.
He re-created his crowd pleasing jive to I'm A Believer, with a nod to the fun filled routine he and Dianne had performed to The Simpsons theme tune back in 2020 - but this time, instead if being head to toe in yellow paint, the outfits were pastel pink and in Katya's case, super sparkly.
A curmudgeonly Craig told Max he was very flat-footed, which was greeted with a lot of crowd booing.
But judges Bruno Tonioli and Shirley Ballas disagreed.
Max himself did not seem disheartened by Craig's opinion, instead focusing on how delighted he was to be back in his hometown of Manchester, before hugging Craig and then throwing him a pretend kick.
The banter began again when Craig told him his performance to "It had to be you" lacked elegance.
As the crowd disagreed, Craig quipped "Whatever mingers - see you later." - leaving a bewildered Max exclaiming: I can't believe you just called Manchester mingers!"
An excitable Bruno disagreed saying: "It was a little rough around the edges, but it was wonderful how you polished the floor with Katya."
Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin
Tilly and Nikita delivered an enchanting, ethereal waltz, made all the more 'chills down your spine' inducing by the spectacular live vocals of Tara McDonald singing Camila Cabello's hit 'Consequences.'
Judge Bruno told Tilly she was like a 'floating snowflake' during the deeply dreamy dance, words which were mock ridiculed by Craig, who also loved it.
Personally, the combination of the 'other worldy' dancing, stunning, emotive music and Tilly's pretty, pastel hued, sparkling sequinned outfit kept me utterly transfixed.
In their second dance, recreated from musicals week - the pair donned school uniforms and danced a fun, feel good number to Revolting Children from the stage hit Matilda.
Judges agreed the duo had "smashed it" and said the story-telling their dancing had delivered was "amazing."
Bruno joked that under Nikita's influence, Tilly had "taken to the wild side like a duck to water, and he loved it."
"Even your dad would have liked it," he joked of the notoriously hard to impress chef Gordon Ramsay - high praise indeed.
Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu
Rhys and Nancy had judge Shirley saying "There wasn't a paddle board big enough" for the 10 she marked their bubbly charlston, with Bruno saying their dance raised the standards of the very Charlston dance itself - blimey!
But for me, a real stand out performance of the entire night was their darkly dramatic Argentine tango, in act two.
Looking like something straight out of a Bond movie, Nancy Xu simply oozed sex appeal in a split to the thighs, tight leather skirt and sequinned bodice, while a suited and serious Rhys looked every inch the daring 007.
I simply could not take my eyes off them as they sizzled and smouldered with every sexy step - utterly stunning.
Sara Davies and Aljaž Skorjanec
The ever popular Aljaž worked the crowd with his good looks and flirty charm, with judges often making double entendres that made his presenter partner Janette Manrara act out mock despair.
Partnered with Dragons Den star, Sara Davies the pair took to the floor to perform an engaging foxtrot to Dream A Little Dream.
Dressed in champagne silk and chiffon with a scattering of sparkle, Sara was praised for her elegance while Bruno added: "Aljaž has transformed a dragon into a purring pussy cat."
Their second dance was a jaunty and feel-good quickstep to 9 To 5 by Dolly Parton, which was equally as entertaining.
Maisie Smith and Kai Widdrington
Maisie is another star of the 2020 series- she was partnered with Gorka Marquez - but was paired up with the new Kai Widdrington after his partner AJ Odudu had to pull out at the last moment due to a foot injury.
In shocking pink feathers and seemingly BURSTING with energy Maisie shone and shimmied in this super fun, upbeat, lively dance that made me want to jump out of my seat and join in - (but don't worry, I restrained myself.)
The energy in the room was so electric it could have caused a power surge and the pair definitely deserved the three perfect tens they were awarded.
The pair also performed an infectious quickstep to When You're Smiling with the same top scores.
Craig was met with a mixed response when he controversially stated: "I actually prefer this partnership."
Maisie said performing had brought back all her happy memories of being on the series.
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice
Saving the series winners to last ....... where would we be without dance-floor darlings Rose and Giovanni?
The highly endearing pair started the night with the Argentine Tango.
Dressed in scarlet and black lace, blonde hair fiercely pulled back in to a flowing pony tail, Rose took on a sexy, serious vibe to deliver a stunning performance with the black suited Giovanni.
The judges, and the crowd loved it.
And when the music was silenced during their rendition of Symphony, those few seconds where the audience were suddenly plunged into the same soundless world as Rose, the show's first deaf contestant - the emotion was palpable.
Suddenly, you could clearly imagine what Rose is experiencing as she dances - how the laughter, music, clapping are completely cut off from her - and yet how connected she still remains.
Bruno said: "Rose, you have thousands of people under your spell."
Shirley agreed, saying: "Your heart is so pure and your performance is so honest."
While Craig decided to sum it up in his one, iconic word: FAB-U-LOUS.
Group dances included a powerful performance to Kate Bush hit "Running Up That Hill" with some dancers dressed in dark, almost menacing attire while others were in cobalt blue creating an interesting juxtaposition .
While a dreamy, enchanting group dance complete with frothy ball gowns, candelabras and sparklers saw men dancing with men and women dancing with women in a performance that had people around me positively singing the praises of breaking with tradition.
The audience vote saw John Whaite and Johannes Radebe being hailed the winners before both judges and presenter joined the dancers on stage, with Shirley Ballas spinning across the stage in a swirling skirt and Craig and Bruno busting some moves.
Tons of Humour, a fun feel-good factor, pure sex appeal and raw emotion - there was something for everyone in this sizzling, sequinned, sensation of a show and if I had to rate my afternoon watching it - well, I would give it a perfect 10.
