Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing
Genre	Dance talent show
Created by	Fenia Vardanis[1] Richard Hopkins[2] Karen Smith[3][4]
Developed by	Karen Smith
Presented by	Sir Bruce Forsyth Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman
Judges	Craig Revel Horwood Bruno Tonioli Len Goodman Arlene Phillips Alesha Dixon Dame Darcey Bussell Shirley Ballas Motsi Mabuse Anton Du Beke
Narrated by	Alan Dedicoat
Theme music composer	Dan McGrath[5] Josh Phillips[6]
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	21
No. of episodes	490
Production
Executive producers	Karen Smith (2004–2006) Sam Donnelly (2007–2009) Moira Ross (2010–2011) Glenn Coomber (2012) Andrea Hamilton (2012) Louise Rainbow (2013–2018) Sarah James (2019–present)
Production locations	BBC Television Centre (2004–2012) Blackpool Tower (2004, 2009–2011, 2013–2019, 2022–) Wembley Arena (2011–2012) Elstree Studios (2013–)[7]
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30–120 minutes
Production company	BBC Studios
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	15 May 2004 (2004-05-15) – present
Related
Come Dancing Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two Strictly Dance Fever Dancing with the Stars

Strictly Come Dancing is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of judges. The title of the show is a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing. The format has been exported to 60 other countries under the title Dancing with the Stars, licensed by BBC Worldwide, and led to a modern dance-themed spin-off Strictly Dance Fever. The Guinness World Records named Strictly as the world's most successful reality television format in 2010.^[8] The series is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Bruce Forsyth co-presented the series with Daly until 2014.

The series has been broadcast on BBC One since 15 May 2004, typically on Saturday evenings with a following Sunday night results show. From series 2 onwards, the show has been broadcast in the run up to Christmas. With its high viewing figures, Strictly Come Dancing has become a significant programme on British television.^[9] Eighteen stand-alone Christmas specials and nineteen charity specials have also been produced.

Producer Richard Hopkins, who had produced the first UK series of Big Brother, unsuccessfully pitched the idea of a modern Come Dancing to the BBC under the title of Pro-Celebrity Dancing in 2003.^[10] Later, entertainment executive Fenia Vardanis also suggested reviving Come Dancing, so Jane Lush, the then head of BBC Entertainment, put Hopkins and Vardanis together to develop the show.^[10]

Hopkins then called in Karen Smith, who had just produced Comic Relief Does Fame Academy for BBC One and The Games for Channel 4, to help lead the development of the show and launch the series. Smith was the show-running Executive Producer of the first three series, and of sister show It Takes Two.^[11] She then took the role of Creative Director of BBC Entertainment whilst still overseeing series 4 and 5.^[12][13]

Hopkins later took the format to America himself when the BBC dismissed the idea of selling it abroad, as they felt it was too British.^[14]

The title is an amalgamation of the titles of the 1992 Australian film Strictly Ballroom and Come Dancing.

From series 1 to 11, Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly presented the pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition. From series 8 to 11, Forsyth only presented the main show and was replaced for the results show by Claudia Winkleman, at which point Daly assumed Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman assumed Daly's role as co-presenter. Winkleman joined Daly as full-time co-presenter for series 12 following Forsyth's departure after the 2013 series. Through telephone voting, viewers vote for who they would like to be in the next round, the results of the poll being combined with the ranking of the judges. For example, with ten contestants left, the judges' favourite would receive ten points, second favourite nine points, and so on, and similarly with the viewers' rankings. The bottom ranked couple gets one point.^[15] The profits from the telephone lines were donated to Sport Relief in series 1, to Children in Need from series 2, until series 8 when donations to charity stopped.

The show is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday evenings, and is currently presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman (with Zoe Ball covering for Winkleman for a number of weeks in 2014). Sir Bruce Forsyth presented the live shows alongside Daly from 2004 to 2013, announcing his departure in 2014. He was to continue to present special editions of the show.^[16] For most of the second series, Natasha Kaplinsky stood in temporarily for Daly while she took maternity leave; Claudia Winkleman hosted the results show and editions that Forsyth had missed between 2010 and 2013. The judging panel initially consisted of Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood. Alesha Dixon took Phillips' place from series 7 to 9, after which she left the programme to judge Britain's Got Talent which led retired ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell to replace her.^[17] Goodman left the show after the 2016 series and was replaced by Shirley Ballas. Bussell remained as judge until 2018, and was replaced by Motsi Mabuse in 2019. Up until 2020, Tonioli commuted weekly between Hollywood and London to judge both the American and British versions of the show simultaneously- however, due the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, he could no longer juggle both the UK and US shows- he was not replaced for the 2020 series; but pro dancer Anton Du Beke took his place from the 2021 series, and has now replaced Tonioli full-time on the panel. The current judging panel consists of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, making Horwood the only judge to remain with the programme since its inception. Each judge gives the performance a mark out of ten, giving an overall total out of forty. The voice-over announcer is Alan Dedicoat. During series four, an hour-long highlights show was shown on Sundays at 19:00 on BBC Two, and during series five and six, the results show moved to Sunday evenings, although it was filmed on Saturday and then broadcast "as live" on the Sunday.

The singers on the show are Tommy Blaize, Hayley Sanderson, Lance Ellington, Andrea Grant and, formerly, the well-known British dance music vocalist Tara McDonald. The music director is David Arch. Tommy Blaize has been part of Strictly since its beginning. David Arch joined in the fourth series and Hayley Sanderson in the fifth. The original musical director from series 1 to 3 was Laurie Holloway. In the seventeenth series, the singers were joined by Mitchell.^[18]

The show was broadcast from a specially constructed set at BBC Television Centre (primarily in the largest studio, TC1^[19]) until its closure in 2013, with the show moving to Elstree Studios' George Lucas Stage 2 from 2013 onwards. However, in the first two series, shows were also filmed at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, where the original Come Dancing series was filmed in the 1970s.^[20][21]

In the second series, two shows were filmed at the Tower Ballroom — show five and the Grand Final, which was broadcast live on 11 December 2004.^[22][23] In 2005 though the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series due to "logistical problems".^[24] In October 2008, Craig Revel Horwood called for the series to return to the Tower Ballroom, saying, "The atmosphere was electric. It's huge and has so much history. The Tower Ballroom puts a lot of pressure on the professionals and the celebrities to perform to the best of their potential. What a wonderful place to go live to 12 million people. We have got to get the BBC to bring Strictly Come Dancing back to Blackpool." Eventually, for series 7, the show did return to the Tower Ballroom, where Blackpool-born Craig Kelly was eliminated. The episode was aired live on 7 November 2009.^[25] Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010^[26] and 2011 series.^[27] After series 10, when Strictly Come Dancing did not go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for series 11.^[28]

Color key

Cast member	Series
	1 2004	2 2004	3 2005	4 2006	5 2007	6 2008	7 2009	8 2010	9 2011	10 2012	11 2013	12 2014	13 2015	14 2016	15 2017	16 2018	17 2019	18 2020	19 2021	20 2022	21 2023	22 2024
Tess Daly	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Bruce Forsyth	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Natasha Kaplinsky	●	●
Claudia Winkleman		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Zoe Ball[a]			●						●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Rylan Clark																	●	●	●	●
Janette Manrara											●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Fleur East																				●	●	●
Len Goodman	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Arlene Phillips	●	●	●	●	●	●
Craig Revel Horwood	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Bruno Tonioli	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Alesha Dixon					●		●	●	●
Darcey Bussell							●			●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Shirley Ballas															●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Motsi Mabuse																	●	●	●	●	●	●
Anton Du Beke[b]	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Notes

See also: List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants

Each season, celebrities are paired with professional dance partners who instruct them in the various dance styles, design their choreography, and perform with them each week in the competition.

Professional dancer	Series
	1 2004	2 2004	3 2005	4 2006	5 2007	6 2008	7 2009	8 2010	9 2011	10 2012	11 2013	12 2014	13 2015	14 2016	15 2017	16 2018	17 2019	18 2020	19 2021	20 2022	21 2023	22 2024
Brendan Cole	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Anton Du Beke	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Hanna Karttunen	●
Kylie Jones	●
Paul Killick	●	●
John Byrnes	●
Camilla Dallerup	●	●	●	●	●	●
Erin Boag	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Nicole Cutler		●		●	●
Hazel Newberry		●
Ian Waite		●	●	●	●	●	●
Lilia Kopylova		●	●	●	●	●	●
Darren Bennett		●	●	●	●	●	●
Matthew Cutler			●	●	●	●	●
Hanna Haarala			●
Andrew Cuerden			●
Karen Hardy			●	●	●	●
Izabela Hannah			●
Flavia Cacace				●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Ola Jordan				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Vincent Simone				●	●	●	●	●	●	●
James Jordan				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Hayley Holt						●
Kristina Rihanoff						●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Brian Fortuna						●	●
Aliona Vilani							●	●	●		●	●	●
Katya Virshilas							●	●	●
Natalie Lowe							●	●	●	●		●	●	●
Robin Windsor								●	●	●	●
Jared Murillo								●
Artem Chigvintsev								●	●	●	●
Pasha Kovalev									●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Karen Hauer										●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Iveta Lukošiūtė										●	●	●
Kevin Clifton											●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Janette Manrara											●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Anya Garnis											●
Aljaž Škorjanec											●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●			●
Joanne Clifton												●		●
Trent Whiddon												●
Tristan MacManus												●	●
Oti Mabuse													●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Gleb Savchenko													●
Giovanni Pernice													●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Oksana Platero														●
Gorka Márquez														●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Katya Jones														●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
AJ Pritchard														●	●	●	●
Amy Dowden															●	●	●	●	●	●		●
Nadiya Bychkova															●	●	●		●	●		●
Dianne Buswell															●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Graziano Di Prima																●			●	●	●
Neil Jones																	●		●			●
Johannes Radebe																	●	●	●	●	●	●
Luba Mushtuk																	●	●			●	●
Nikita Kuzmin																			●	●	●	●
Nancy Xu																			●	●	●	●
Kai Widdrington																			●	●	●	●
Carlos Gu																				●	●	●
Jowita Przystał																				●	●	●
Vito Coppola																				●	●	●
Lauren Oakley																					●	●

Many of the dancers from the show have formed both professional and personal partnerships. Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova are married,^[29] as are James and Ola Jordan.^[30] Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara, who became engaged after joining the show in 2013, were married in 2017.^[31] Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced, but remain professional partners;^[32][33] Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton were engaged when Clifton entered the show in 2013 and were married prior to the 2015 series, before divorcing in 2018, while Neil and Katya Jones entered the show as a married couple before separating in 2019. Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag have danced as a professional couple since 1997,^[34] while Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are former Argentine tango world champions as a duo and have done multiple tours together.^[35] Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup danced together for many years, including a stint on the original series of Come Dancing;^[36][37] following their split in 2004, Cole and Katya Virshilas formed a professional partnership before splitting in November 2009.^[38][39][40] Other current and former professional partnerships featured on the show include Dallerup and Ian Waite, Paul Killick and Hanna Karttunen,^[41] Andrew Cuerden and Hanna Haarala, Brian Fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff, Rihanoff and Robin Windsor,^[42] Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis,^[43][44] siblings Kevin and Joanne Clifton,^[45] AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt, and Gorka Márquez and Karen Hauer.^[46][47]

On average, dances last for approximately 90 seconds.^[48] Musical accompaniment is provided by The Strictly Come Dancing Band.

From series 1 to 4, the results show was shown live on Saturday night one hour after the performances.

As of series 5, the results show is recorded on the Saturday night directly after the live show and incorporates the result of the viewers' votes, which are completed by 21:30. This was confirmed by the official BBC website in 2008:

The Sunday show is recorded on Saturday night but no element involving the results of the vote will start recording until after lines are closed and votes counted and verified.^[49]

Throughout the Sunday results show, the presenters refer to 'Saturday night' in reference to the main show due to the timing of the Sunday programme, and the outfits of Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman and the judges are changed to present an illusion of a second live broadcast.

For series 7, the Sunday results show was axed and put back to Saturday nights as a result of a revamp of the show.^[50] It then reverted to Sundays from series 8.

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A new system called the Dance-off, which takes place in the results show, was introduced in series 5. It continued until series 7, but did not return in series 8. It was then reinstated in series 10 and has remained a feature of the show ever since.

The Dance-off consists of the two couples who received the lowest totals that week from the combined judges' scores and public vote. The aim of the dance-off is for the couples to convince the judges that they deserve to go through to the following week's competition. Before they attempt their dance a second time, the couples sometimes get advice from the judges. The judges then decide which couple remains in the competition based on the dance-off performances. If three of the judges agree that one of the couples should be saved, that couple is through to the following week's competition and the Head Judge's vote is not counted. If one couple has two votes and the other couple has one vote, then the deciding vote is cast by the head judge, originally Len Goodman and currently Shirley Ballas. Afterwards, the eliminated couple perform one final dance — sometimes known as "waltzing out of the ballroom". The Monday after their elimination, they appear on It Takes Two to discuss their time on the programme.

On two occasions, the dance-off was cancelled; firstly, in series 14, in which one of the celebrity contestants, Anastacia, sustained an injury and was unable to compete in the Dance-off as a result. Under the rules of the show, the couple with the lowest combined total was eliminated. The second occasion in which the Dance-off was cancelled was in Series 20, again due to an injury sustained by Tony Adams. Tess Daly announced on the results show that Adams had decided to withdraw from the competition as a result of being unable to compete in the Dance-off.

During the run of Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two is broadcast each weeknight on BBC Two. The series was previously hosted by Claudia Winkleman but, due to her pregnancy in 2011, she had to leave the series, and was replaced by Zoe Ball, who hosted the show from Series 9 to 18.^[51] Rylan Clark-Neal joined as co-host in series 17. In May 2021, it was announced that Ball was to leave the show after 10 years, and on 10 June 2021, her replacement was confirmed to be former professional Janette Manrara.^[52]

The show features reviews of the performances during the previous Saturday's show and interviews with, and training footage of, the couples preparing for the next show. The judges and other celebrities also provide their opinions on how the couples are progressing. It Takes Two replaced Strictly Come Dancing on Three, hosted by Justin Lee Collins, which ran on BBC Three during the first series. Prior to 2010, BBC Two Scotland aired the programme on four nights only, running its own Gaelic-language programming on Thursdays instead.

In May 2004, Strictly Come Dancing began its first series. This was the only series to air in the spring; all subsequent series aired in the autumn.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Jason Wood	Comedian	Kylie Jones	Eliminated 1st
David Dickinson	Bargain Hunt presenter & antiques expert	Camilla Dallerup	Eliminated 2nd
Verona Joseph	Holby City actress	Paul Killick	Eliminated 3rd
Claire Sweeney	Actress, singer & television presenter	John Byrnes	Eliminated 4th
Martin Offiah	England rugby player	Erin Boag	Eliminated 5th
Lesley Garrett	Classical singer	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 6th
Christopher Parker	EastEnders actor	Hanna Karttunen	Runners-up
Natasha Kaplinsky	Journalist & television presenter	Brendan Cole	Winners

The second series began in October 2004. A new spin-off show — Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, presented by Claudia Winkleman — was created and has continued to air alongside each subsequent series on BBC Two.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Quentin Willson	Motoring journalist & television presenter	Hazel Newberry	Eliminated 1st
Carol Vorderman	Countdown presenter	Paul Killick	Eliminated 2nd
Esther Rantzen	Journalist & television presenter	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 3rd
Diarmuid Gavin	Garden designer & television presenter	Nicole Cutler	Eliminated 4th
Sarah Manners	Casualty actress	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 5th
Roger Black	Olympic sprinter & sports presenter	Camilla Dallerup	Eliminated 6th
Aled Jones	Singer & television presenter	Lilia Kopylova	Eliminated 7th
Julian Clary	Stand-up comedian	Erin Boag	Third place
Denise Lewis	Olympic heptathlete	Ian Waite	Runners-up
Jill Halfpenny	EastEnders actress	Darren Bennett	Winners

The third series began in October 2005.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Siobhan Hayes	My Family actress	Matthew Cutler	Eliminated 1st
Jaye Jacobs	Holby City actress	Andrew Cuerden	Eliminated 2nd
Gloria Hunniford	Television & radio presenter	Darren Bennett	Eliminated 3rd
Fiona Phillips	GMTV presenter	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 4th
Dennis Taylor	Snooker player	Izabela Hannah	Eliminated 5th
Will Thorp	Casualty actor	Hanna Haarala	Eliminated 6th
Bill Turnbull	BBC Breakfast presenter & journalist	Karen Hardy	Eliminated 7th
Patsy Palmer	EastEnders actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 8th
James Martin	Chef & television presenter	Camilla Dallerup	Eliminated 9th
Zoe Ball	Television & radio presenter	Ian Waite	Third place
Colin Jackson	Olympic hurdler	Erin Boag	Runners-up
Darren Gough	England cricketer	Lilia Kopylova	Winners

The fourth series began in October 2006.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Nicholas Owen	ITV News presenter & journalist	Nicole Cutler	Eliminated 1st
Mica Paris	Singer & television presenter	Ian Waite	Eliminated 2nd
Jimmy Tarbuck	Comedian	Flavia Cacace	Withdrew
DJ Spoony	DJ & BBC Radio 1 presenter	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 3rd
Georgina Bouzova	Casualty actress	James Jordan	Eliminated 4th
Jan Ravens	Actress & impressionist	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 5th
Ray Fearon	Stage & screen actor	Camilla Dallerup	Eliminated 6th
Peter Schmeichel	Manchester United goalkeeper	Erin Boag	Eliminated 7th
Claire King	Emmerdale actress	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 8th
Carol Smillie	Television presenter	Matthew Cutler	Eliminated 9th
Louisa Lytton	EastEnders actress	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 10th
Emma Bunton	Spice Girls singer	Darren Bennett	Eliminated 11th
Matt Dawson	England rugby player	Lilia Kopylova	Runners-up
Mark Ramprakash	England cricketer	Karen Hardy	Winners

The fifth series began in September 2007. The first programme was a preview of the new series before the competition began. In a change to the previous format, the results show was recorded on Saturday and broadcast on Sunday, rather than shown live later on Saturday. Additionally, the two couples at the bottom of the table after the public vote were subject to a dance-off, where they performed their routine againfor the judges, who decided which couple would leave the competition.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Brian Capron	Coronation Street actor	Karen Hardy	Eliminated 1st
Stephanie Beacham	Stage & screen actress	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 2nd
Willie Thorne	Snooker player	Erin Boag	Eliminated 3rd
Gabby Logan	BBC Sport presenter	James Jordan	Eliminated 4th
Dominic Littlewood	Journalist & television presenter	Lilia Kopylova	Eliminated 5th
Penny Lancaster-Stewart	Model & photographer	Ian Waite	Eliminated 6th
Kate Garraway	GMTV presenter	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 7th
John Barnes	England footballer	Nicole Cutler	Eliminated 8th
Kelly Brook	Model & actress	Brendan Cole	Withdrew
Kenny Logan	Scotland rugby player	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 9th
Letitia Dean	EastEnders actress	Darren Bennett	Eliminated 10th
Gethin Jones	Blue Peter presenter	Camilla Dallerup	Eliminated 11th
Matt Di Angelo	EastEnders actor	Flavia Cacace	Runners-up
Alesha Dixon	Mis-Teeq singer	Matthew Cutler	Winners

A sixth series was confirmed after the dancers' pay dispute was called off in June 2008.^[53] The sixth series began in September with a behind-the-scenes look at the new series, while the first live show aired on 20 September.^[54]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Phil Daniels	EastEnders actor	Flavia Cacace	Eliminated 1st
Gillian Taylforth	EastEnders actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 2nd
Gary Rhodes	Chef & television presenter	Karen Hardy	Eliminated 3rd
Jessie Wallace	EastEnders actress	Darren Bennett	Eliminated 4th
Don Warrington	Film & television actor	Lilia Kopylova	Eliminated 5th
Mark Foster	Olympic swimmer	Hayley Holt	Eliminated 6th
Andrew Castle	GMTV presenter & tennis player	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 7th
Heather Small	M People singer	Brian Fortuna	Eliminated 8th
Cherie Lunghi	Stage & screen actress	James Jordan	Eliminated 9th
John Sergeant	Chief political correspondent	Kristina Rihanoff	Withdrew
Jodie Kidd	Fashion model	Ian Waite	Eliminated 10th
Christine Bleakley	The One Show presenter	Matthew Cutler	Eliminated 11th
Austin Healey	England rugby player	Erin Boag	Eliminated 12th
Lisa Snowdon	Model & television presenter	Brendan Cole	Third place
Rachel Stevens	S Club 7 singer	Vincent Simone	Runners-up
Tom Chambers	Holby City actor	Camilla Dallerup	Winners

The seventh series began in September 2009. Alesha Dixon joined the judging panel, replacing Arlene Phillips, who moved to The One Show.^[55]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Martina Hingis	Professional tennis player	Matthew Cutler	Eliminated 1st
Richard Dunwoody	Jockey	Lilia Kopylova	Eliminated 2nd
Rav Wilding	Crimewatch presenter	Aliona Vilani	Eliminated 3rd
Lynda Bellingham	Actress & Loose Women panellist	Darren Bennett	Eliminated 4th
Joe Calzaghe	Professional boxer	Kristina Rihanoff	Eliminated 5th
Jo Wood	Model & entrepreneur	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 6th
Zöe Lucker	Footballers' Wives actress	James Jordan	Eliminated 7th
Craig Kelly	Coronation Street actor	Flavia Cacace	Eliminated 8th
Phil Tufnell	England cricketer	Katya Virshilas	Eliminated 9th
Jade Johnson	Olympic long jumper	Ian Waite	Withdrew
Ricky Groves	EastEnders actor	Erin Boag	Eliminated 10th
Natalie Cassidy	EastEnders actress	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 11th
Laila Rouass	Footballers' Wives actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 12th
Ali Bastian	The Bill & Hollyoaks actress	Brian Fortuna	Eliminated 13th
Ricky Whittle	Hollyoaks actor	Natalie Lowe	Runners-up
Chris Hollins	BBC Breakfast sports presenter	Ola Jordan	Winners

The eighth series began in September 2010.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Goldie	Musician & DJ	Kristina Rihanoff	Eliminated 1st
Paul Daniels	Magician	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 2nd
Peter Shilton	England goalkeeper	Erin Boag	Eliminated 3rd
Tina O'Brien	Coronation Street actress	Jared Murillo	Eliminated 4th
Jimi Mistry	Film & television actor	Flavia Cacace	Eliminated 5th
Michelle Williams	Destiny's Child singer	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 6th
Felicity Kendal	Stage & screen actress	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 7th
Patsy Kensit	Film & television actress	Robin Windsor	Eliminated 8th
Ann Widdecombe	Conservative Party politician	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 9th
Gavin Henson	Wales rugby player	Katya Virshilas	Eliminated 10th
Scott Maslen	EastEnders & The Bill actor	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 11th
Pamela Stephenson	Comedian & psychologist	James Jordan	Third place
Matt Baker	Television presenter	Aliona Vilani	Runners-up
Kara Tointon	EastEnders actress	Artem Chigvintsev	Winners

The ninth season began in September 2011. The couples were paired up for the first time on the launch show. This was the last series to feature Alesha Dixon as a judge; she left the show to become a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

Zoë Ball replaced Claudia Winkleman as host of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two due to Winkleman having just given birth.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Edwina Currie	Conservative Party politician	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 1st
Dan Lobb	Daybreak presenter & tennis player	Katya Virshilas	Eliminated 2nd
Rory Bremner	Comedian & impressionist	Erin Boag	Eliminated 3rd
Nancy Dell'Olio	Lawyer & media personality	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 4th
Lulu	Singer-songwriter	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 5th
Audley Harrison	Heavyweight boxer	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 6th
Russell Grant	Astrologer & entertainer	Flavia Cacace	Eliminated 7th
Anita Dobson	EastEnders actress	Robin Windsor	Eliminated 8th
Robbie Savage	Premier League footballer	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 9th
Alex Jones	The One Show presenter	James Jordan	Eliminated 10th & 11th
Holly Valance	Actress, singer & model	Artem Chigvintsev
Jason Donovan	Actor & singer	Kristina Rihanoff	Third place
Chelsee Healey	Waterloo Road actress	Pasha Kovalev	Runners-up
Harry Judd	McFly drummer	Aliona Vilani	Winners

The tenth series began in September 2012. Darcey Bussell joined the judging panel, replacing Alesha Dixon.^[56]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Johnny Ball	Television presenter	Iveta Lukošiūtė	Eliminated 1st
Jerry Hall	Supermodel & actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 2nd
Sid Owen	EastEnders actor	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 3rd
Colin Salmon	Film & television actor	Kristina Rihanoff	Eliminated 4th
Fern Britton	Television presenter	Artem Chigvintsev	Eliminated 5th
Richard Arnold	Daybreak presenter	Erin Boag	Eliminated 6th
Victoria Pendleton	Olympic track cyclist	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 7th
Michael Vaughan	England cricketer	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 8th
Nicky Byrne	Westlife singer	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 9th
Lisa Riley	Emmerdale actress	Robin Windsor	Eliminated 10th
Dani Harmer	Children's television actress	Vincent Simone	Eliminated 11th
Denise van Outen	Actress, singer & presenter	James Jordan	Runners-up
Kimberley Walsh	Girls Aloud singer	Pasha Kovalev
Louis Smith	Olympic artistic gymnast	Flavia Cacace	Winners

The eleventh series began in September 2013.^[57]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Tony Jacklin	Professional golfer	Aliona Vilani	Eliminated 1st
Vanessa Feltz	Television & radio presenter	James Jordan	Eliminated 2nd
Julien Macdonald	Fashion designer	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 3rd
Deborah Meaden	Dragons' Den investor & businesswoman	Robin Windsor	Eliminated 4th
Rachel Riley	Countdown presenter	Pasha Kovalev	Eliminated 5th
Dave Myers	Chef & The Hairy Bikers presenter	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 6th
Fiona Fullerton	Film & television actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 7th
Ben Cohen	England rugby player	Kristina Rihanoff	Eliminated 8th
Mark Benton	Stage & screen actor	Iveta Lukošiūtė	Eliminated 9th
Ashley Taylor Dawson	Hollyoaks actor & singer	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 10th
Patrick Robinson	Casualty actor	Anya Garnis	Eliminated 11th
Sophie Ellis-Bextor	Singer-songwriter	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 12th
Natalie Gumede	Coronation Street actress	Artem Chigvintsev	Runners-up
Susanna Reid	BBC Breakfast presenter	Kevin Clifton
Abbey Clancy	Model & television presenter	Aljaž Škorjanec	Winners

The series started on 7 September 2014 with a launch show,^[58] followed by the live shows starting on 26 and 27 September.^[59] This series was the first not to be presented by Sir Bruce Forsyth after announcing his departure from the live shows on 4 April (he made his final regular appearance in this series' launch show). However, Forsyth would continue to present special editions of the show, such as Children in Need and Christmas specials.^[60] It was announced on 9 May that Claudia Winkleman would join the main show as co-presenter and that her duties would mirror the existing result show format, with Tess Daly taking over Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman taking Daly's role as co-presenter.^[61]

It was announced on 1 June 2014 that professional dancers Artem Chigvintsev, James Jordan and Anya Garnis would not be returning for the new series, although Garnis would remain on the show's choreography team. It was also announced that Tristan MacManus and Joanne Clifton would be joining the show's professional line-up.^[62] It was then announced in August that Robin Windsor had pulled out of the competition due to a back injury. Windsor was replaced by new professional Trent Whiddon.^[63] In week three, entertainer Donny Osmond joined the four regular judges, making the maximum score that week 50 points.^[64] Due to Winkleman's absence in weeks 6, 7 and 8, It Takes Two presenter Zoë Ball co-presented with Daly.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Gregg Wallace	MasterChef judge	Aliona Vilani	Eliminated 1st
Jennifer Gibney	Mrs. Brown's Boys actress	Tristan MacManus	Eliminated 2nd
Tim Wonnacott	Bargain Hunt presenter & antiques expert	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 3rd
Thom Evans	Scotland rugby player & model	Iveta Lukošiūtė	Eliminated 4th
Scott Mills	BBC Radio 1 presenter	Joanne Clifton	Eliminated 5th
Alison Hammond	Television presenter	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 6th
Judy Murray	Tennis coach & British Fed Cup captain	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 7th
Steve Backshall	Naturalist, author & television presenter	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 8th
Sunetra Sarker	Casualty actress	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 9th
Pixie Lott	Singer-songwriter	Trent Whiddon	Eliminated 10th
Jake Wood	EastEnders actor	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 11th
Mark Wright	The Only Way Is Essex star	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 12th
Frankie Bridge	The Saturdays singer	Kevin Clifton	Runners-up
Simon Webbe	Blue singer & actor	Kristina Rihanoff
Caroline Flack	Television presenter	Pasha Kovalev	Winners

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its thirteenth series with a launch show on 5 September 2015, followed by the live shows starting on 25 and 26 September.

On 23 April 2015, the list of professionals participating in the thirteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who did not return included Trent Whiddon, Iveta Lukosiute and Joanne Clifton. Clifton would remain involved in group dances and would feature on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two as a dance expert. Robin Windsor, absent from the previous series because of injury, also did not return for this series. Three new professional dancers were introduced: Russian dancer Gleb Savchenko (from the American, Australian and Russian versions of Dancing with the Stars), South African dancer Oti Mabuse (from Germany's Let's Dance) and Italian dancer Giovanni Pernice.^[65]

On 3 October 2015, the judges performed The Strictly, a signature dance made up of some iconic moves from the show's history for fans to do at home when they hear the theme tune; subsequently, a tutorial for the dance was made available on the show's website and iPlayer hosted by Natalie Lowe and Tristan MacManus.^[66]

Series 13 was the last to feature Tristan MacManus, Kristina Rihanoff, Ola Jordan, Gleb Savchenko and Aliona Vilani as professional dancers. Jordan later announced that she had quit the show, claiming that the results were "fixed". Vilani announced three days after winning that she was leaving the show; however, she participated in the 2016 live tour. Savchenko announced that he was leaving the show on 28 June 2016.^[67]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Iwan Thomas	Olympic sprinter & sports pundit	Ola Jordan	Eliminated 1st
Anthony Ogogo	Olympic boxer	Oti Mabuse	Eliminated 2nd
Daniel O'Donnell	Singer-songwriter	Kristina Rihanoff	Eliminated 3rd
Ainsley Harriott	Chef & Ready Steady Cook presenter	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 4th
Kirsty Gallacher	Television presenter	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 5th
Carol Kirkwood	BBC Breakfast weather presenter	Pasha Kovalev	Eliminated 6th
Jeremy Vine	BBC Radio 2 presenter & journalist	Karen Clifton	Eliminated 7th
Jamelia	Singer & Loose Women panellist	Tristan MacManus	Eliminated 8th
Peter Andre	Singer & television personality	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 9th
Helen George	Call the Midwife actress	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 10th
Anita Rani	Television presenter	Gleb Savchenko	Eliminated 11th
Katie Derham	BBC Proms & BBC Radio 3 presenter	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 12th
Georgia May Foote	Coronation Street actress	Giovanni Pernice	Runners-up
Kellie Bright	EastEnders actress	Kevin Clifton
Jay McGuiness	The Wanted singer	Aliona Vilani	Winners

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fourteenth series with a launch show on 3 September 2016 on BBC One. This was Len Goodman's final series as head judge.

On 28 June 2016, the list of professionals who were returning for the fourteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who would not return included the previous series' champion and two-time professional winner of the show Aliona Vilani, former professional winner Ola Jordan and two-time professional finalist Kristina Rihanoff, as well as Gleb Savchenko and Tristan MacManus. Joanne Clifton returned after a one-series hiatus. The leaving professionals were replaced by Katya Jones, Burn the Floor dancer Gorka Márquez and former Dancing with the Stars US troupe member Oksana Platero.^[68] On 26 July 2016, three more new professional dancers — AJ Pritchard, Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones, husband of new dancer Katya — were announced.^[69] Hewitt and Neil Jones did not partner a celebrity as the professionals outnumbered the celebrities, although they were still in group dances and appeared on It Takes Two.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Melvin Odoom	Television & radio presenter	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 1st
Tameka Empson	EastEnders actress	Gorka Márquez	Eliminated 2nd
Will Young	Singer-songwriter & actor	Karen Clifton	Withdrew
Naga Munchetty	BBC Breakfast newsreader & journalist	Pasha Kovalev	Eliminated 3rd
Lesley Joseph	Stage & screen actress	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 4th
Anastacia	Singer-songwriter	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 5th
Laura Whitmore	Television presenter	Giovanni Pernice	Eliminated 6th
Daisy Lowe	Fashion model	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 7th
Greg Rutherford	Olympic long jumper	Natalie Lowe	Eliminated 8th
Ed Balls	Labour Party politician	Katya Jones	Eliminated 9th
Judge Rinder	Criminal law barrister & television judge	Oksana Platero	Eliminated 10th
Claudia Fragapane	Olympic artistic gymnast	AJ Pritchard	Eliminated 11th
Danny Mac	Hollyoaks actor	Oti Mabuse	Runners-up
Louise Redknapp	Eternal singer & television presenter	Kevin Clifton
Ore Oduba	BBC Sport presenter	Joanne Clifton	Winners

On 4 May 2017, it was announced that series 7 finalist Natalie Lowe would be departing the show. Five days later, on 9 May, Shirley Ballas announced that she would be replacing Len Goodman as head judge.^[70] On 21 June 2017, Oksana Platero and the previous series' professional champion, Joanne Clifton, announced that they would also be leaving. The new professionals replacing them were Australian Open champion Dianne Buswell, Welsh dancer Amy Dowden, and Ukrainian two-time world champion Nadiya Bychkova. On 7 August, Nick Grimshaw announced that Mollie King was the first celebrity known to be taking part in the series. This was the first series to be broadcast since Sir Bruce Forsyth's death in August that year.^[71]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Chizzy Akudolu	Holby City actress & comedian	Pasha Kovalev	Eliminated 1st
Rev. Richard Coles	Broadcaster, musician & Church of England priest	Dianne Buswell	Eliminated 2nd
Charlotte Hawkins	Good Morning Britain presenter & journalist	Brendan Cole	Eliminated 3rd
Brian Conley	Comedian, singer & actor	Amy Dowden	Eliminated 4th
Simon Rimmer	Chef & Sunday Brunch presenter	Karen Clifton	Eliminated 5th
Aston Merrygold	JLS singer	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 6th
Ruth Langsford	Television presenter	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 7th
Jonnie Peacock	Paralympic sprinter	Oti Mabuse	Eliminated 8th
Susan Calman	Stand-up comedian & television presenter	Kevin Clifton	Eliminated 9th
Davood Ghadami	EastEnders actor	Nadiya Bychkova	Eliminated 10th
Mollie King	The Saturdays singer	AJ Pritchard	Eliminated 11th
Alexandra Burke	Singer-songwriter	Gorka Márquez	Runners-up
Debbie McGee	Radio presenter & magician's assistant	Giovanni Pernice
Gemma Atkinson	Actress & model	Aljaž Škorjanec
Joe McFadden	Holby City actor	Katya Jones	Winners

On 30 January 2018, it was announced that Brendan Cole would no longer appear on the show.^[72] On 30 May 2018, the full lineup of professional dancers was announced. Chloe Hewitt left the series and three new professional dancers — Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe and Luba Mushtuk — were announced to be joining the show. This meant that there were 18 professional dancers, the most in the show's history.^[73]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Susannah Constantine	Television presenter & fashion journalist	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 1st
Lee Ryan	Blue singer & EastEnders actor	Nadiya Bychkova	Eliminated 2nd
Katie Piper	Philanthropist & television presenter	Gorka Márquez	Eliminated 3rd
Vick Hope	Capital FM presenter	Graziano Di Prima	Eliminated 4th
Seann Walsh	Stand-up comedian	Katya Jones	Eliminated 5th
Dr. Ranj Singh	This Morning presenter & author	Janette Manrara	Eliminated 6th
Danny John-Jules	Stage & screen actor	Amy Dowden	Eliminated 7th
Kate Silverton	BBC News presenter & journalist	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 8th
Graeme Swann	England cricketer	Oti Mabuse	Eliminated 9th
Charles Venn	Casualty actor	Karen Clifton	Eliminated 10th
Lauren Steadman	Paralympic swimmer & paratriathlete	AJ Pritchard	Eliminated 11th
Ashley Roberts	The Pussycat Dolls singer	Pasha Kovalev	Runners-up
Faye Tozer	Steps singer	Giovanni Pernice
Joe Sugg	YouTube personality	Dianne Buswell
Stacey Dooley	Investigative journalist	Kevin Clifton	Winners

On 13 February 2019, professional dancer Pasha Kovalev announced that he was leaving the show after competing on it for eight years.^[74] On 10 April 2019, it was announced that judge Darcey Bussell had left the show after seven years.^[75] On 22 July 2019, Motsi Mabuse was announced as the replacement for Bussell. On 30 July 2019, it was announced that Nancy Xu would be joining the cast of professional dancers.^[76] On 5 September 2019, it was announced that Jamie Laing had withdrawn from the show due to a foot injury. He was later replaced by Kelvin Fletcher. In late October, Will Bayley left the competition due to a sustained leg injury.^[77]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
James Cracknell	Olympic rower	Luba Mushtuk	Eliminated 1st
Anneka Rice	Television & radio presenter	Kevin Clifton	Eliminated 2nd
Dev Griffin	BBC Radio 1 presenter	Dianne Buswell	Eliminated 3rd
David James	England goalkeeper	Nadiya Bychkova	Eliminated 4th
Catherine Tyldesley	Coronation Street actress	Johannes Radebe	Eliminated 5th
Will Bayley	Paralympic table tennis player	Janette Manrara	Withdrew
Emma Weymouth	Fashion model & socialite	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 6th
Mike Bushell	BBC Breakfast sports presenter	Katya Jones	Eliminated 7th
Michelle Visage	RuPaul's Drag Race judge & singer	Giovanni Pernice	Eliminated 8th
Saffron Barker	YouTube personality	AJ Pritchard	Eliminated 9th
Alex Scott	England footballer	Neil Jones	Eliminated 10th
Chris Ramsey	Stand-up comedian	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 11th
Emma Barton	EastEnders actress	Anton Du Beke	Runners-up
Karim Zeroual	CBBC presenter & actor	Amy Dowden
Kelvin Fletcher	Emmerdale actor & racing driver	Oti Mabuse	Winners

On 6 March 2020, Kevin Clifton announced that he was leaving the show after seven years.^[78] On 26 March 2020, AJ Pritchard also announced that he was leaving the show after four years.^[79] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was confirmed that the series would be slightly shorter than planned.^[80][81][82] Before the series began, the professional dancers and some of the crew isolated and tested for COVID-19 to then become a household. Strictly took over a hotel near the studios and the pro dancers learnt and filmed all the group routines for the series at once.^[83] This allowed for the show to still include the professional group dances each week. On 21 August 2020, it was announced that Bruno Tonioli would not be on the judging panel but would appear virtually while he filmed Dancing with the Stars in the US. It was the first series since 2012 to begin in October.^[84] On 12 November 2020, Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were forced to withdraw from the competition after Jones tested positive for COVID-19.^[85] On 19 December 2020, Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse were crowned the winners of the series, making Mabuse the second professional dancer to win the show twice and the first to win it consecutively, following her 2019 victory. This series featured the first all-female and same-sex partnership of Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Jacqui Smith	Labour Party politician	Anton Du Beke	Eliminated 1st
Jason Bell	NFL player & pundit	Luba Mushtuk	Eliminated 2nd
Nicola Adams	Olympic boxer	Katya Jones	Withdrew
Max George	The Wanted singer	Dianne Buswell	Eliminated 3rd
Caroline Quentin	Actress & television presenter	Johannes Radebe	Eliminated 4th
Clara Amfo	BBC Radio 1 presenter	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 5th
JJ Chalmers	Television presenter & Invictus Games medallist	Amy Dowden	Eliminated 6th
Ranvir Singh	Good Morning Britain presenter & journalist	Giovanni Pernice	Eliminated 7th
HRVY	Singer & television presenter	Janette Manrara	Runners-up
Jamie Laing	Made in Chelsea star	Karen Hauer
Maisie Smith	EastEnders actress	Gorka Márquez
Bill Bailey	Comedian, musician & actor	Oti Mabuse	Winners

On 10 June 2021, it was announced that Janette Manrara would leave the show as a professional dancer and replace Zoe Ball as a new It Takes Two presenter. On 24 June, Anton Du Beke was announced as having joined the judging panel for this series instead of returning as a professional dancer, replacing Bruno Tonioli, who missed a second year due to continuing travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the remaining fourteen professional dancers from Series 18, all of whom returned for this series, four new professional dancers joined the show: Cameron Lombard, Jowita Przystał, Kai Widdrington and Nikita Kuzmin.^[86]

This series marked the first time that two contestants withdrew from the competition. On 13 October 2021, Robert Webb withdrew from the competition for health reasons.^[87] On 17 December 2021, AJ Odudu was forced to pull out of the final after tearing a ligament in her right ankle.^[88]

The series saw the first couple with a deaf contestant, actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and the first all-male partnership of John Whaite and Johannes Radebe.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Nina Wadia	Stage & screen actress	Neil Jones	Eliminated 1st
Katie McGlynn	Coronation Street actress	Gorka Márquez	Eliminated 2nd
Robert Webb	Comedian & actor	Dianne Buswell	Withdrew
Greg Wise	Film & television actor	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 3rd
Ugo Monye	England rugby player & pundit	Oti Mabuse	Eliminated 4th
Judi Love	Comedian & Loose Women panellist	Graziano Di Prima	Eliminated 5th
Adam Peaty	Olympic swimmer	Katya Jones	Eliminated 6th
Sara Davies	Dragons' Den investor & businesswoman	Aljaž Škorjanec	Eliminated 7th
Tom Fletcher	McFly singer	Amy Dowden	Eliminated 8th
Tilly Ramsay	Chef & television presenter	Nikita Kuzmin	Eliminated 9th
Dan Walker	BBC Breakfast presenter & journalist	Nadiya Bychkova	Eliminated 10th
Rhys Stephenson	CBBC presenter	Nancy Xu	Eliminated 11th
AJ Odudu	Television presenter	Kai Widdrington	Withdrew
John Whaite	Baker & television presenter	Johannes Radebe	Runners-up
Rose Ayling-Ellis	EastEnders actress	Giovanni Pernice	Winners

The twentieth series began in September 2022.

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Kaye Adams	Loose Women panellist & journalist	Kai Widdrington	Eliminated 1st
Richie Anderson	Television & radio presenter	Giovanni Pernice	Eliminated 2nd
Matt Goss	Singer-songwriter	Nadiya Bychkova	Eliminated 3rd
Jayde Adams	Comedian & actress	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 4th
James Bye	EastEnders actor	Amy Dowden	Eliminated 5th
Ellie Simmonds	Paralympic swimmer	Nikita Kuzmin	Eliminated 6th
Tony Adams	England footballer & manager	Katya Jones	Withdrew
Tyler West	Kiss FM presenter	Dianne Buswell	Eliminated 7th
Ellie Taylor	Comedian, actress & television presenter	Johannes Radebe	Eliminated 8th
Kym Marsh	Actress, singer & Morning Live presenter	Graziano Di Prima	Eliminated 9th
Will Mellor	Stage & screen actor	Nancy Xu	Eliminated 10th
Fleur East	Singer-songwriter & radio presenter	Vito Coppola	Runners-up
Helen Skelton	Television presenter	Gorka Márquez
Molly Rainford	Nova Jones actress & singer	Carlos Gu
Hamza Yassin	Wildlife presenter & cameraman	Jowita Przystał	Winners

The twenty-first series began in September 2023.

In April 2023, Rylan Clark announced that he was stepping down as co-host of It Takes Two. Fleur East, who was one of the finalists in series 20, was later announced as his replacement.^[89]

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Result
Les Dennis	Comedian, actor & television presenter	Nancy Xu	Eliminated 1st
Nikita Kanda	BBC Asian Network presenter	Gorka Márquez	Eliminated 2nd
Jody Cundy	Paralympic cyclist & swimmer	Jowita Przystał	Eliminated 3rd
Eddie Kadi	Comedian & BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter	Karen Hauer	Eliminated 4th
Amanda Abbington	Stage & screen actress	Giovanni Pernice	Withdrew
Zara McDermott	Media personality & television presenter	Graziano Di Prima	Eliminated 5th
Adam Thomas	Waterloo Road & Emmerdale actor	Luba Mushtuk	Eliminated 6th
Krishnan Guru-Murthy	Channel 4 News presenter & journalist	Lauren Oakley	Eliminated 7th
Angela Rippon	Television presenter, journalist & newsreader	Kai Widdrington	Eliminated 8th
Angela Scanlon	Television presenter	Carlos Gu	Eliminated 9th
Nigel Harman	Stage & screen actor	Katya Jones	Withdrew
Annabel Croft	Professional tennis player & pundit	Johannes Radebe	Eliminated 10th
Bobby Brazier	EastEnders actor & model	Dianne Buswell	Runners-up
Layton Williams	Bad Education actor & West End performer	Nikita Kuzmin
Ellie Leach	Coronation Street actress	Vito Coppola	Winners

Celebrity	Notability	Professional partner	Status
Chris McCausland	Stand-up comedian & actor	TBA	Participating
JB Gill	JLS singer	TBA	Participating
Dr. Punam Krishan	Morning Live doctor & author	TBA	Participating
Tom Dean	Olympic swimmer	TBA	Participating
Toyah Willcox	Singer & actress	TBA	Participating
Wynne Evans	Opera singer & BBC Radio Wales presenter	TBA	Participating

Since the inception of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, several special editions of the show have been transmitted by the BBC each year. These have included seasonal specials, charity specials, and variations of the Strictly Come Dancing format.

Strictly Come Dancing Live! is a nationwide arena tour staged every year since 2008.^[90]

On 13 December 2008, Strictly Come Dancing became the subject of press attention and viewer complaints about an error in the voting system during the semi-final of series six. In the show, three couples remained in the competition. After all three had performed and the judges had given their scores, two of the couples were in joint-first position on the leaderboard, while the third — Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup — were in last place. This meant that, no matter how many public votes were cast in their favour, it was mathematically impossible for the third-placed couple to avoid the dance-off. This oversight was initially unnoticed by producers until after the public vote became live and viewers were invited to call in and save their favourites at a cost of 15p per vote. Once the mistake was finally realised and the public vote was closed, it was announced that all three couples would be put through to the final, all the votes already cast would count towards the final result of the competition, and viewers could apply for a refund if they wished.^[91]

The BBC received 1800 complaints about the incident,^[92] while media regulator Ofcom received 297.^[91] Jon Beazley, the BBC's Head of Entertainment Production, was interviewed on Strictly's spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on 15 December. He apologised for the oversight, referring to it as an "unprecedented situation". On the same day, the BBC posted a statement on its website, which clarified that an independent adjudicator had been consulted to reach a solution that would offer "fairness to the viewers who voted and the contestants themselves".^[93] The BBC also stated that, following the mistake, "the voting and judging mechanisms used in all BBC voting programmes [had] been thoroughly examined".^[91]

After conducting an investigation, Ofcom concluded that "the mistake had resulted from an oversight, rather than any shortcomings in the technical arrangements for voting or in the handling of votes received", and that they were "satisfied that appropriate steps were taken by the BBC and the disadvantage to viewers minimised". Ofcom also opined that "the BBC had been open and transparent with viewers about the mistake it made and the solution adopted".^[91]

In June 2009, tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that the then 66-year-old judge Arlene Phillips, who had judged the show since its inception in 2004, was to be replaced by series five winner Alesha Dixon, then aged 30.^[94] This was later confirmed by the BBC in July of that year.^[95] Subsequently, the BBC was accused of ageism and sexism by several sources,^[95][96] an accusation the corporation has faced before over the removal of several older female presenters, including Moira Stuart,^[97] Juliet Morris,^[98] Miriam O'Reilly,^[98][97] Michaela Strachan,^[98] Charlotte Smith^[98] and Anna Ford.^[99] The BBC denied the allegations that the decision to remove Phillips was due to her age.^[95]

Furthermore, Dixon herself was criticised after the debut episode of the seventh series, the first to feature her as a judge. A total of 272 complaints were received by the BBC – bringing the total number about Dixon joining the programme to over 4000 – along with over 5000 comments on Strictly Come Dancing's internet message board.^[100] Dixon was compared unfavourably to Phillips, with claims that the former was "unsuitable", "unqualified" and lacked "knowledge, experience and talent".^[100] However, Dixon was praised and defended from her critics by the BBC,^[100] by fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood^[100] and by Phillips herself.^[101]

In 2009, during the seventh series, professional dancer Anton Du Beke issued a public apology^[102] for his use of a racial slur during a conversation with his dance partner Laila Rouass.^[103] Du Beke claimed that the comment, which was never broadcast, was a joke referring to Rouass' spray-tan, in which he said that she "looked like a Paki".^[103] Over 600 complaints were received by the BBC, including those about comments Bruce Forsyth, then host of Strictly Come Dancing, made about the controversy on a Talksport radio programme, in which he suggested that Britain "used to have a sense of humour" about such incidents, and that Du Beke's apology should be accepted.^[104]

Following the incident, and Forsyth's response, the BBC stated:

Racially offensive language in the workplace is entirely unacceptable. Anton was right to apologise quickly and without reservation and Laila has wholly accepted his apology. Everyone is very clear that there can be no repetition of this behaviour.^[104]

Forsyth also clarified his position:

What Anton said to Laila was wrong and he has apologised unreservedly for this. Nor do I in any way excuse or condone the use of such language. To be absolutely clear, the use of racially offensive language is never either funny or acceptable. However, there is a major difference between this and racist comments which are malicious in intent and whilst I accept that we live in a world of extraordinary political correctness, we should keep things in perspective.^[104]

In 2015, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, Egghead C. J. de Mooi said that he was turned down for the show because he had wanted to dance with a same-sex partner.^[105] The BBC denied that de Mooi had ever been under consideration for the show,^[106] and also declared that "Strictly is a family show and we have chosen the traditional format of mixed-sex couples".^[105] The press has reported on the issue on numerous occasions when gay celebrities have appeared on the show, including Will Young,^[107] Susan Calman,^[108] Robert Rinder,^[109] Richard Coles^[110] and Ranj Singh.^[111] Strictly Come Dancing judges Shirley Ballas^[111] and Craig Revel Horwood^[112] have both expressed their support for introducing same-sex couples.

Same-sex partnerships have been featured on several international versions of the show, including Austria (2011), Italy (2015), Australia (2019) and Germany (2019).^{[113][114][115]} On 3 November 2019, Johannes Radebe and fellow professional Graziano Di Prima performed together to Emeli Sandé's "Shine" on the Sunday results episode, the show's first individual same-sex dance.^[116] On 2 September 2020, it was announced that boxer Nicola Adams would feature in the show's first same-sex couple for its eighteenth series.^[117] She was partnered with professional dancer Katya Jones. In 2021, it was announced that John Whaite would feature in the first all-male same-sex couple with Johannes Radebe for the nineteenth series.^[118] The United States version of the show would also have a same-sex couple that same year, with JoJo Siwa & Jenna Johnson. Series 20 also included same-sex partnerships with Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice in an all-male partnership and Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer in an all-female partnership. ^{[citation needed]} In Series 21, Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin competed as an all-male partnership, finishing as one of two runners up.

In January 2024, The Sun reported that Amanda Abbington requested footage of her time training with Giovanni Pernice and was seeking legal advice over his training methods.^[119] In March 2024, The Sun said that Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh had met to discuss their negative experiences with Pernice on the show. Legal firm Carter Ruck told BBC News there were "numerous serious complaints" about his behaviour while filming Strictly Come Dancing.^[120] On 16 May, it was reported by The Sun that Pernice had quit the show. Pernice denied all accusations of wrongdoing. His departure was confirmed by the BBC on 10 June.^[121]

In July 2024, the BBC's probe into misconduct brought further claims made by production staff, who observed Graziano Di Prima's behaviour towards dance partner Zara McDermott during the 2023 series. A source speaking to The Sun claimed that footage showing Di Prima's alleged treatment of McDermott "reduced those who have seen it to tears".^[122] In a statement Di Prima said that he "deeply regretted his actions that led to his departure from [the show]".^[123] The BBC has announced that Di Prima has left the show, and in the future a member of the production team would be present at all times during rehearsals.^[124]

A third professional dancer has been identified as a "person of interest".^[125]

An example of Strictly Come Dancing's popularity is that, after episodes, electricity use in the United Kingdom rises significantly as viewers who have waited for the show to end begin boiling water for tea, a phenomenon known as TV pick-up. National Grid personnel watch the show to know when closing credits begin so they can prepare for the surge.^[126]

All ratings are from BARB. Series averages exclude Christmas special and launch show.

Series	Series premiere	Series finale	Average UK viewers (in millions)[127]
1	15 May 2004	3 July 2004	6.45
2	23 October 2004	11 December 2004	8.61
3	15 October 2005	17 December 2005	8.37
4	7 October 2006	23 December 2006	8.55
5	6 October 2007	22 December 2007	9.05
6	20 September 2008	20 December 2008	9.64
7	18 September 2009	19 December 2009	9.22
8	1 October 2010	18 December 2010	11.07
9	30 September 2011	17 December 2011	10.98
10	5 October 2012	22 December 2012	10.80
11	27 September 2013	21 December 2013	10.71
12	26 September 2014	20 December 2014	10.25
13	25 September 2015	19 December 2015	10.63
14	23 September 2016	17 December 2016	10.96
15	23 September 2017	16 December 2017	11.14
16	22 September 2018	15 December 2018	10.59
17	21 September 2019	14 December 2019	10.42
18	24 October 2020	19 December 2020	10.77
19	25 September 2021	18 December 2021	9.72
20	24 September 2022	17 December 2022	9.09
21	23 September 2023	16 December 2023	8.55

The show has won a highly prestigious Rose D'Or award for 'Best Variety Show', beating off competition from reality shows from twelve other different countries.^[128] It has also won two awards for 'Best Reality Show' at the TRIC Awards and two at the TV Quick Awards for 'Best Talent Show'. It has also received four BAFTA Award nominations.^[129]

The show won the award of 'Most Popular Talent Show' at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.^[130]

In the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 edition, the format of Strictly Come Dancing was named the most successful television show with the format being sold to more than 38 countries worldwide.

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2004	National Television Awards	Most Popular Entertainment Programme	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated
2005	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Karen Smith, Richard Hopkins, Izzie Pick	Nominated
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Costume Design	Su Judd	Nominated	[131]
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[132]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[133]
	TRIC Awards	Entertainment Programme		Won	[134]
	Rose d'Or	Variety		Won
2006	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Karen Smith, Richard Hopkins, Sam Donnelly	Nominated	[135]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Entertainment Programme	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated	[136]
	TRIC Awards	Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[137]
2007	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Sound: Fiction/Entertainment	Gary Clarke	Nominated	[138]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Sound – Entertainment & Non-Drama Productions	BBC Studios Sound Team	Nominated	[139]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated	[140]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[141]
2008	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Martin Scott, Sam Donnelly, Clodagh O'Donoghue	Nominated	[142]
		Audience Award	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment		Nominated	[143]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show		Won	[144]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[145]
2009	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment		Nominated	[146]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[147]
2010	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show		Nominated	[148]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[149]
2011	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[150]
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	Su Judd, Patrick Doherty, Mark Kenyon, Lisa Armstrong	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Lighting For Multicamera	Mark Kenyon (for "Halloween Special")	Nominated	[151]
		Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama Productions	Lisa Armstrong (for "Halloween Special")	Nominated
		Sound – Entertainment & Non Drama	Tony Revell, Andy Tapley, Howard Hopkins (for "Halloween Special")	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated	[152]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[153]
2012	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama Productions	Vicky Gill	Nominated	[154]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[155]
2013	British Academy Television Awards	Radio Times Audience Award		Nominated	[156]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[157]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Vicky Gill	Nominated	[158]
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[159]
2014	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[160]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[161]
		Special Awards	Strictly Come Dancing	Won
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Vicky Gill	Nominated	[162]
		Multicamera Work	Nikki Parsons and Camera Team	Nominated
		Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Lisa Armstrong	Won
		Production Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Patrick Doherty	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[163]
	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Best Comedy/Entertainment		Won	[164]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[165]
2015	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Louise Rainbow, Nikki Parsons, Vanessa Clark, Jason Gilkison	Nominated	[166]
		Radio Times Audience Award	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated
		Best Entertainment Performance	Claudia Winkleman	Nominated
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Make Up and Hair Design	Lisa Armstrong, Neale Pirie	Nominated	[167]
		Best Costume Design	Vicky Gill	Nominated
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	Lisa Armstrong, Patrick Doherty, Vicky Gill, Tony Revell	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment Performance	Claudia Winkleman	Won	[168]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama Productions	Vicky Gill	Won	[169]
		Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama Productions	Lisa Armstrong, Neale Pirie	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[170]
2016	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Louise Rainbow, Vinnie Shergill, Sarah James, Nikki Parsons	Won	[171]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Entertainment Craft Team	Jason Gilkison, Mark Kenyon, Tony Revell, Dave Newton	Nominated	[172]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Multicamera Work	Camera Team, Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[173]
		Production Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Patrick Doherty	Nominated
		Sound – Entertainment & Non Drama	Tony Revell	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[175]
2017	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Won	[176]
		Best Entertainment Performance	Claudia Winkleman	Nominated
		Virgin TV's Must-See Moment	"Ed Balls' Gangnam Style"	Nominated
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[177]
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	David Newton, Mark Kenyon, Jason Gilkison, Vicky Gill	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment	Strictly Come Dancing	Nominated	[178]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment and Non Drama	Vicky Gill & The Costume Team	Nominated	[179]
		Multicamera Work	Camera Team, Nikki Parsons	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Best Entertainment		Nominated
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[180]
2018	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[181]
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	Jason Gilkison, Mark Kenyon, Patrick Doherty, David Newton	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Entertainment Performance	Claudia Winkleman	Nominated	[182]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Director – Multicamera	Nikki Parsons	Won	[183]
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[184]
	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Best Entertainment		Nominated
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Nominated	[185]
2019	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme	Louise Rainbow, Sarah James, Robin Lee-Perrella, Jason Gilkison	Nominated	[186]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Entertainment Craft Team	Lisa Armstrong, Jason Gilkinson, Mark Kenyon	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Vicky Gill	Nominated	[187]
		Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Lisa Armstrong	Won
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Best Entertainment		Nominated
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[188]
2020	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Won	[189]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Entertainment Craft Team	David Bishop, Patrick Doherty, Vicky Gill and Andy Tapley	Won	[190]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Production Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Catherine Land, Patrick Doherty	Nominated	[191]
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Won	[192]
2021	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[193]
		Best Entertainment Performance	Claudia Winkleman	Nominated
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	David Bishop, Darren Lovell, David Newton, Richard Sillitto, Andy Tapley, Catherine Land	Nominated
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme		Nominated	[194]
	Rose d'Or	Studio Entertainment		Won
2022	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[195]
		Virgin TV's Must-See Moment	"Rose and Giovanni silent dance to 'Symphony'"	Won
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated	[196]
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	David Bishop, Patrick Doherty, Catherine Land, David Newton, Richard Sillitto and Tom Young	Nominated
	Royal Television Society Programme Awards	Judges' Award	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[197]
	Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards	Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama	Lisa Armstrong, Lisa Davey	Won	[198]
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[174]
		Talent Show Judge	Anton Du Beke	Won
	TRIC Awards	Reality Programme	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[199]
2023	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Nominated	[200]
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Multi-Camera	Nikki Parsons	Nominated
		Best Entertainment Craft Team	Catherine Land, David Bishop, Patrick Doherty, Richard Silitto, David Newton, Joe Phillips	Won
	National Television Awards	Talent Show	Strictly Come Dancing	Won	[201]
	TRIC Awards	Entertainment Programme		Nominated
2024	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Programme		Won	[202]

In 2016, BBC Worldwide commissioned a match-3 mobile app game published by Donut Publishing and developed by Exient Entertainment. The game uses a mix of hand animation and motion-captured data for all the dances in the game, using pro dancers from the show (Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones). The mo-cap process was featured on It Takes Two in the build-up to the release of the app. The game features over 150 dresses and 9 dances: Quickstep, Jive, Tango, Salsa, Charleston, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, and Paso Doble. It was released on the App Store and Google Play in early 2016 and is regularly updated with new dance features alongside new seasons of the show.^[203]

• Just the Two of Us (TV series) – the same format, with singing instead of dancing
• Let's Dance for Comic Relief

• Smith, Rupert (2005) Strictly Come Dancing; dance consultant: Len Goodman. London: BBC Books ISBN 0-563-52293-3

• Strictly Come Dancing at BBC Online
• Strictly Come Dancing at IMDb
• Strictly Come Dancing at UKGameshows.com
• Strictly Come Dancing Biogs.com