Just The Two of Us - Show 1

A new show has started on BBC that will run for the next two Thursday to Sundays. It is called Just The Two of Us and is a singing version of Strictly Come Dancing presented by Tess Daly and husband Vernon Kay, where celebrities are paired with professional singers for duets in different themes and genres. Judges include hip DJ Trevor Nelson, evergreen pop star Lulu, Stewart Copeland, formally of The Police, and now a Hollywood composer and vocal coach Cece Sammy.

Tonight’s categories were pop and ballads and the first pairing to sing was DJ Nicky Campbell and soul singer Beverly Knight who performed the George Michael and Aretha Franklin track I Knew You Were Waiting For Me. Knight is well capable of emulating Aretha but Nicky is no George and the performance was a bit cringy, but the judges were supportive and awarded them 25 points. GMTV’s Penny Smith was up next with Jazz/soul singer Curtis Stigers performing the ballad When I Fall in Love which was painful. I felt sorry for Penny as I think she realized that she wasn’t quite cutting it. They were awarded 17 points.

Holby City’s Mark Moraghan was singing with fellow Scouser Natasha Hamilton of Atomic Kitten to Robbie and Kylie’s Kids. I thought it was quite good and they did a few moves to make it the most comfortable performance so far. The judges liked it also and gave them 26 points. Actress Sian Reeves was supposed to sing with Eighties pop star Rick Astley but after the first meeting he did not return to rehearsals and this knocked her confidence. Astley was more than ably replaced by classical singer Russell Watson to sing Can’t Help Falling in Love With You. She had a respectable voice and managed to hold her own for the most part, though Watson’s powerhouse voice could have drowned her out completely at any moment. They also scored 26 points.

Rogue Trader presenter Matt Allwright was ecstatic to be paired with Soul Diva Jocelyn Brown to sing I Got You Babe. It was obvious they really enjoyed it and managed to make a good, steady performance out of it for the highest score of the evening – 32. Hollyoaks Chris Fountain was paired with Jo O’Meara of S-Club to sing an acoustic version of More Than Words. He had a passable voice, slightly wobbly in places and I though Jo sounded quite weak and obviously nervous. They did well to get 26 points.

TV presenter Gaby Roslin was a revelation to me with a much stronger singing voice that speaking voice when she sang Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Martin Fry of Eighties band ABC. She was not comfy moving as she sang though which made her look awkward and possible counted towards the harsh score of 32. Last act was soul legend Alexander O’Neal with newsreader Fiona Bruce singing Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You and although Fiona has a fairly weak voice she managed to hold the notes on this tough ballad for 24 points.

The public are now voting and the public scores will be combined with the judges scores (Strictly Come Dancing style) and the loser will find out tomorrow who will stay to sing the Big Band or R ‘n’ B/soul track.