Strictly Come Dancing bosses under pressure after furious fans blast judges for giving highest scores in seven years in first week

STRICTLY Come Dancing judges face a backlash after handing out their highest scores in more than seven years.

This year’s contestants have enjoyed generous marks which The Sun can reveal are up almost 15 per cent on last year.

In 2010 during the show’s second week of series eight, the panel gave an average of 23.9 points across all of the contestants.

But on this year’s second show the contestants were given a whopping average of 27.3.

And the individual judges have been more generous with their marks too, with acid-tongued judge Craig Revel Horwood, 51, already dishing out seven eight-out-of-tens already - whereas last series he did not give one until week three.

Head judge Len Goodman, 72, who is leaving after 12 years on the show, has also given high marks.

In 2015’s series he did not give a nine-out-of-ten until week three, whereas this year he gave one in the opening week.

A source said: “Viewers are concerned that the show will get boring with so long to go and the big scores not there to build towards.

“Len is clearly being generous in his final series and Craig has softened up.

“He’s giving out eights like he never has before, with four in week one and three in week two.

"Last year it took him three weeks to give one.

“It’s like the other judges are trying to be more diplomatic to nab Len’s job.”

The show’s highest scores easily trump those of last year.

Daisy Lowe and Aljaz Skorjanec were top in week one with 32, while last year Peter Andre and Janette Manrara were best with just 30.

Peter’s score would have left him in joint fourth if he were in this year’s competition.

The show’s former pro dancer James Jordan, 38, says the high scores are because the celebrities - such as former dance judge Louise Redknapp and actor Danny Mac - are too good to start off with.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, he said: “They’re bringing in more people that have a lot of dance background.

"It’s got worse and worse. Now it seems that the criteria is that you’ve got to have dance training.

"It’s a massive, massive advantage even if it is in a different style of music.

“The show is supposed to be about taking someone who’s never danced before and turning them into a dancer.

"I want to see the likes of Ed Balls and last year’s Jeremy Vine. To me they were the ones who captured me.

“I can tell you now, a non-dancer will never win Strictly again.

"That’s what the show’s supposed to be about.”