The glitz and glamor of Strictly is finally back on our TV screens.
September’s launch show revealed all the combinations for this year’s competition and gave viewers a taste of the dancing skills with the infamous group performance. However, the show has made headlines for other reasons, with several former contestants reporting negative experiences with both partners and producers.
Since then, two professional dancers have been released and an investigation is ongoing. If you want to know what’s in store for Strictly 2024, we’ve got everything you need to know.
When is Strictly’s first live show?
The launch show aired last weekend and will air throughout the first week of the live competition Saturday 21 September 2024 at 7pm BST.
Watch the first group dance below:
Who are the Strictly participants and professional partners?
Here are all the pairings taking part in Strictly 2024:
- Comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
- Singer and presenter JB Gill and Amy Dowden
- Broadcaster and opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
- Singer and actress Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
- Media physician Dr. Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
- Model and TV personality Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
- TV personality Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
- Actor and singer Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
- Actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
- Actor Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
- Olympian Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
- Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas/Fire and Johannes Radebe
- TV presenter Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
- Footballer and presenter Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
- Olympian and TV presenter Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Aljaž is back on the show after a two-year break – he is the husband of Janette Manrara and won the competition in 2013 with Abbey Clancey. Amy Dowden has also made a triumphant return after being cleared of cancer.
Two dancers missing from the line-up are Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima. Both former professionals have left the show following allegations of abuse and bullying from former partners.
The BBC has an ongoing investigation into training footage.
Who are the presenters and judges of Strictly 2024?
Once again, Tess Daley and Claudia Winkelman return to host the main show. Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke are all back on the jury.
Janette Manrara and Fleur East return to present the spin-off show It Takes Two, which interviews duos and looks behind the scenes at the production, costumes and training for the competition.
It has not been confirmed whether the official Strictly podcast will return, previously hosted by Joe Sugg and Kim Winston, providing more insight and gossip about the competition for audio listeners.
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2023?
EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier and Bad Education actor Layton Williams battled it out for the glitterball trophy. But in the end, Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach won the title with her partner Vito Coppola.
They scored a maximum of 40 points for their American Smooth routine. However, they made a big mistake on the last lift in their show dance. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop the 22-year-old from claiming victory in the show’s youngest ever final.
How to watch Strictly Come Dancing from abroad
As always, Strictly will be on BBC One. You can watch on your TV as the episode airs, or on BBC iPlayer on most internet-connected devices, whether that’s a laptop, tablet or phone, or perhaps a media streamer or games console.
You can also watch it on BBC iPlayer if you missed the episode and want to catch up. If you’re outside the UK, there are ways to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, such as using a VPN (virtual private network) like NordVPN. Read more about how to do that here.
