Lisa ‘fuming’ after Tom Chambers wins Strictly Come Dancing

The BBC's sequins and salsa show Strictly Come Dancing finally reached its climax on Saturday amid complaints that problems with phone lines prevented many viewers voting, and that actor Tom Chambers and his professional partner Camilla Dallerup should never have been allowed to progress to the final week and waltz off with the title.

Chambers, who stars in the TV soap Holby City, won despite stumbling during his final foxtrot and losing points with the judges. Ignoring the judges' remarks, the public chose him over the two female finalists - singer Rachel Stevens and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon - who with their respective professional partners, Vincent Simone and Brendan Cole (pictured with Snowdon), had not put a foot wrong in their final dances.

Snowdon, who became the first person in the talent show's history to score two perfect 40s in one night, was apparently "fuming" afterwards because in her view Chambers should have been ejected the previous week when he came third. But the BBC took the controversial decision to keep him on because Stevens and Snowdon had tied and there was no one for him to face a dance-off with.

Snowdon's father, Nigel Snowdon, said: "It was the mother of all cock-ups and Tom dodged the bullet big time. To be honest, Lisa was fuming because she felt that she and Rachel should have been in the final outright."

As for how Chambers got through despite his foxtrot stumble, a BBC insider told The First Post: "It seems the British don't just like an underdog, they really aren't crazy about the sort of perfectionism Rachel and Lisa both showed. They preferred Tom's have-a-go sense of fun."

Among those complaining that they were unable to vote by phone for thei  favourite were the actress Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny in four James Bond films) and the Lib Dem economics spokesman Vince Cable, who is an avid ballroom dancer and "hopelessly addicted" to Strictly. Appearing on the morning-after Andrew Marr show on BBC TV, both claimed they wanted to vote for Rachel Stevens but had trouble getting through - though Ms Bond admitted to having managed to vote for Stevens, the former S Club 7 singer, four times.

Among the studio audience for the final was Lord Mandelson. The Business Secretary is a 7-4 bet at bookmakers William Hill to be a contestant in the next series, despite his spokesman insisting he was only joking when he claimed a few weeks ago that he was a "much better" dancer than Sergeant. ·