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	Bruce Forsyth Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman
Judges	Craig Revel Horwood Arlene Phillips Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Alesha Dixon 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	23
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	15–150 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 (commonly referred to asStrictly) is a Britishdance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainlyballroom andLatin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of judges. The title of the show is an amalgamation ofStrictly Ballroom, a 1992 film and the long-running seriesCome Dancing. The format has been exported to 60 other countries under the titleDancing with the Stars, licensed by BBC Worldwide, and led to amodern dance-themed spin-offStrictly Dance Fever. TheGuinness World Records namedStrictly as the world's most successful reality television format in 2010.^[8] The series was presented byBruce Forsyth andTess Daly from its inception;Claudia Winkleman joined Daly as a lead presenter from the 2014 series, having hosted results shows in place of Forsyth since 2010. Forsyth continued to host special episodes with Daly until November 2015. Daly and Winkleman left the series in 2025, with the presenting line-up for 2026 yet to be announced.

The series has been broadcast live onBBC One since 15 May 2004, airing on Saturday evenings. From series 2 onwards, the show has been broadcast in the run up to Christmas. Results shows were originally broadcast live on Saturdays, and are currently pre-recorded and aired on Sunday evenings. With its high viewing figures,Strictly Come Dancing has become a significant programme for dancing on British television.^[9] Eighteen stand-alone Christmas specials and nineteen charity specials have also been produced.

ProducerRichard Hopkins, who had produced the first British series ofBig Brother, unsuccessfully pitched the idea of a modernCome Dancing to the BBC under the title ofPro-Celebrity Dancing in 2003.^[10] Later, entertainment executive Fenia Vardanis also suggested revivingCome Dancing, soJane 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 previously producedComic Relief Does Fame Academy for BBC One andThe 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 showIt Takes Two.^[11] She then became 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, establishing the format internationally asDancing with the Stars.^[14]

The title is an amalgamation of the titles of the 1992 Australian filmStrictly Ballroom andCome Dancing.

The show is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday evenings, with a results show originally following later on Saturday, also broadcast live. For series five, six and eight onwards, the results show is pre-recorded on Saturday and broadcast on Sunday evenings. The final results continued to be shown live on Saturdays, and were combined with the main show from series 14.

From series 1 to 11, SirBruce Forsyth andTess 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 byClaudia 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. Forsyth continued to present special editions of the show until 2015.^[15] Throughtelephone 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.^[16] In the event of tied scoring from the judges by two or more contestants, the couple immediately below them gets one point below them, until the bottom ranked couple on the leaderboard who ends up getting at least 2 points instead of one.^[17] The profits from the telephone lines were donated toSport Relief in series 1, and toChildren in Need from series 2 until series 8.

The judging panel initially consisted ofBruno Tonioli,Arlene Phillips,Len Goodman andCraig Revel Horwood.Alesha Dixon replaced Phillips from series 7 to 9, after which she left the programme to judgeBritain's Got Talent which led to retired ballerinaDame Darcey Bussell to replace her.^[18] Goodman left the show after the 2016 series and was replaced byShirley Ballas who was promoted as Head Judge following a selection process which attracted many candidates. Bussell remained as judge until 2018 and was replaced byMotsi 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 not appear on both the British and American shows. No replacement was named for the 2020 series; but pro dancerAnton 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 isAlan Dedicoat.

The singers on the show areTommy Blaize,Hayley Sanderson,Lance Ellington, Andrea Grant and formerly British dance music vocalistTara McDonald. The music director isDave Arch. Tommy Blaize has been part ofStrictly since its beginning. Arch joined in the fourth series and Hayley Sanderson in the fifth. The original musical director from series 1 to 3 wasLaurie Holloway. In theseventeenth series, the singers were joined by Mitchel Emms.^[19]

The show was broadcast from a specially constructed set atBBC Television Centre (primarily in the largest studio, TC1^[20]) until its closure in 2013, with the show moving toElstree Studios' George Lucas Stage 2 from 2013 onwards. However, in the first two series, shows were also filmed at theTower Ballroom inBlackpool, where the originalCome Dancing series was filmed in the 1970s.^[21][22]

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.^[23][24] In 2005, the BBC announced that they would not be returning to the venue for the third series because of "logistical problems".^[25] 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 bringStrictly Come Dancing back to Blackpool." Eventually, for series 7, the show did return to the Tower Ballroom, where Blackpool-bornCraig Kelly was eliminated. The episode was aired live on 7 November 2009.^[26]Strictly Come Dancing returned to Blackpool for the 2010^[27] and 2011 series.^[28] After series 10, whenStrictly Come Dancing did not go to Blackpool, they announced that they would return for series 11.^[29]

Colour key

Notes

See also:List ofStrictly Come Dancing contestants

Each series, 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.

Color key

Many of the dancers from the show have formed both professional and personal partnerships. Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova are married,^[30] as are James and Ola Jordan.^[31] Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara, who became engaged after joining the show in 2013, were married in 2017.^[32] Matthew and Nicole Cutler are divorced, but remain professional partners;^[33][34] 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,^[35] while Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are formerArgentine tango world champions as a duo and have done multiple tours together.^[36] Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup danced together for many years, including a stint on the original series ofCome Dancing;^[37][38] following their split in 2004, Cole and Katya Virshilas formed a professional partnership before splitting in November 2009.^[39][40][41] Other current and former professional partnerships featured on the show include Dallerup and Ian Waite, Paul Killick and Hanna Karttunen,^[42] Andrew Cuerden and Hanna Haarala, Brian Fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff, Rihanoff and Robin Windsor,^[43] Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis,^[44][45] siblings Kevin and Joanne Clifton,^[46] AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt, and Gorka Márquez and Karen Hauer.^[47][48]

On average, dances last for approximately 90 seconds.^[49] Musical accompaniment is provided by an in-house band, led by Dave Arch.

The show includes themed weeks during the competition. Since Series 20, Movie Week falls on the third week, Halloween Week falls on the sixth week, Blackpool Week falls on the ninth week, and Musicals Week falls on the eleventh week and during the Quarterfinals. Series 22 introduced Icons Week, which originally fell on the seventh week and then on the fifth week in Series 23.

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.^[50]

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 while the couples wore the same performance outfits.

For series 7, the Sunday results show was cancelled and returned to Saturday nights as a result of a revamp of the show.^[51] 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, originallyLen Goodman and laterShirley Ballas. As of series 23, the deciding vote instead rotates weekly between each regular judge. The Monday after their elimination, the elminated couple appear onIt Takes Two to discuss their time on the programme. Series 23 contestantBalvinder Sopal and her partnerJulian Caillon hold the record for the most dance-off victories, having been saved by the judges on five occasions.^[52]

On two occasions, the dance-off was cancelled due to a couple in the bottom two being unable to dance due to injury. Firstly, in series 14,Anastacia sustained an injury and was unable to compete in the dance-off as a result.^[53] Under the rules of the show, the couple with the lowest combined total was eliminated, and Anastacia continued in the competition. The second occasion in which the dance-off was cancelled was in series 20, again due to an injury sustained byTony 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 ofStrictly Come Dancing,Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two is broadcast each weeknight onBBC 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.^[54]Rylan Clark joined as co-host in series 17. In May 2021, it was announced that Ball would leave the show after 10 years, and on 10 June 2021, her replacement was announced to be former professionalJanette Manrara.^[55]

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 replacedStrictly Come Dancing on Three, hosted byJustin Lee Collins, which ran onBBC Three during the first series. Prior to 2010,BBC Two Scotland aired the programme on four nights only, running its ownGaelic-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.

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

The third series began in October 2005.

The fourth series began in October 2006.

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 again for the judges, who decided which couple would leave the competition.

A sixth series was confirmed after the dancers' pay dispute ended in June 2008.^[56] 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.^[57]

The seventh series began in September 2009.Alesha Dixon joined the judging panel, replacingArlene Phillips, who moved toThe One Show.^[58]

The eighth series began in September 2010.

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

Zoe Ball replacedClaudia Winkleman as host ofStrictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two due to Winkleman having just given birth.

The tenth series began in September 2012.Darcey Bussell joined the judging panel, replacingAlesha Dixon.^[59]

The eleventh series began in September 2013.^[60]

The series started on 7 September 2014 with a launch show,^[61] followed by the live shows starting on 26 and 27 September.^[62] This series was the first not to be presented bySir 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 asChildren in Need and Christmas specials.^[63] It was announced on 9 May thatClaudia Winkleman would join the main show as co-presenter and that her duties would mirror the existing result show format, withTess Daly assuming Forsyth's role as main presenter and Winkleman taking Daly's role as co-presenter.^[64]

It was announced on 1 June 2014 that professional dancersArtem Chigvintsev,James Jordan andAnya Garnis would not be returning for the new series, although Garnis would remain on the show's choreography team. It was also announced thatTristan MacManus andJoanne Clifton would be joining the show's professional line-up.^[65] It was then announced in August thatRobin Windsor had withdrawn from the competition due to a back injury. Windsor was replaced by new professionalTrent Whiddon.^[66] In week three, entertainerDonny Osmond joined the four regular judges, making the maximum score that week 50 points.^[67] Due to Winkleman's absence in weeks 6, 7 and 8,It Takes Two presenterZoe Ball co-presented with Daly.

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 includedTrent Whiddon,Iveta Lukošiūtė andJoanne Clifton. Clifton would remain involved in group dances and would feature onStrictly 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 dancerGleb Savchenko (from the American, Australian and Russian versions ofDancing with the Stars), South African dancerOti Mabuse (from Germany'sLet's Dance) and Italian dancerGiovanni Pernice.^[68]

On 3 October 2015, the judges performedThe 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 byNatalie Lowe andTristan MacManus.^[69]

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.^[70]

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fourteenth series with a launch show on 3 September 2016 onBBC One. This wasLen 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 showAliona Vilani, former professional winnerOla Jordan and two-time professional finalistKristina Rihanoff, as well asGleb Savchenko andTristan MacManus.Joanne Clifton returned after a one-series hiatus. The leaving professionals were replaced byKatya Jones,Burn the Floor dancerGorka Márquez and formerDancing with the Stars US troupe memberOksana Platero.^[71] On 26 July 2016, three more new professional dancers (AJ Pritchard,Chloe Hewitt andNeil Jones, husband of new dancer Katya) were announced.^[72] Hewitt and Neil Jones did not partner a celebrity as the professionals outnumbered the celebrities, although they were still in group dances and appeared onIt Takes Two.

On 4 May 2017, it was announced that series 7 finalistNatalie Lowe would be departing the show. Five days later, on 9 May,Shirley Ballas announced that she would be replacingLen Goodman as head judge.^[73] 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 championDianne Buswell, Welsh dancerAmy Dowden, and Ukrainian two-time world championNadiya Bychkova. On 7 August,Nick Grimshaw announced thatMollie 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.^[74]

On 30 January 2018, it was announced thatBrendan Cole would be leaving the show.^[75] 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 andLuba Mushtuk) were announced to be joining the show. This meant that there were 18 professional dancers, the most in the show's history.^[76]

On 13 February 2019, professional dancerPasha Kovalev announced that he was leaving the show after competing on it for eight years.^[77] On 10 April 2019, it was announced that judgeDarcey Bussell had left the show after seven years.^[78] 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.^[79] On 5 September 2019, it was announced thatJamie Laing had withdrawn from the show due to a foot injury. He was later replaced byKelvin Fletcher. In late October,Will Bayley left the competition due to a sustained leg injury.^[80]

On 6 March 2020,Kevin Clifton announced that he was leaving the show after seven years.^[81] On 26 March 2020,AJ Pritchard also announced that he was leaving the show after four years.^[82] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was confirmed that the series would be slightly shorter than planned.^[83][84][85] 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.^[86] This allowed for the show to still include the professional group dances each week. On 21 August 2020, it was announced thatBruno Tonioli would not be on the judging panel but would appear virtually while he filmedDancing with the Stars in the US. It was the first series since 2012 to begin in October.^[87] On 12 November 2020,Nicola Adams andKatya Jones were forced to withdraw from the competition after Jones tested positive forCOVID-19.^[88] On 19 December 2020, Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse were announced as 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.

On 10 June 2021, it was announced thatJanette Manrara would leave the show as a professional dancer and replaceZoe Ball as a newIt 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, replacingBruno Tonioli, who missed a second year due to continuing travel restrictions imposed by theCOVID-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 andNikita Kuzmin.^[89]

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.^[90] On 17 December 2021, AJ Odudu was forced to withdraw from the final after tearing a ligament in her right ankle.^[91]

The series saw the first couple with a deaf contestant, actressRose Ayling-Ellis and the first all-male partnership ofJohn Whaite andJohannes Radebe.

The twentieth series began in September 2022.

The twenty-first series began in September 2023.

In April 2023,Rylan Clark announced that he was leaving as co-host ofIt Takes Two.Fleur East, who was one of the finalists in series 20, was later announced as his replacement.^[92]

The twenty-second series began in September 2024.

The twenty-third series began in September 2025.

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

Strictly Come Dancing Live! is a nationwide arena tour staged every year since 2008.^[93]

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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 ofseries 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, withTom Chambers andCamilla Dallerup in last place. This meant that, no matter how many public votes were cast in their favour, it was mathematically impossible for Chambers and Dallerup 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.^[94]

The BBC received 1800 complaints about the incident,^[95] while media regulatorOfcom received 297.^[94] Jon Beazley, the BBC's Head of Entertainment Production, was interviewed onStrictly's spin-off showStrictly 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".^[96] The BBC also stated that, following the mistake, "the voting and judging mechanisms used in all BBC voting programmes [had] been thoroughly examined".^[94]

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".^[94]

In June 2009, tabloid newspaperThe Sun reported that the then 66-year-old judgeArlene Phillips, who had judged the show since itsinception in 2004, was to be replaced byseries five winnerAlesha Dixon, then aged 30.^[97] This was later confirmed by the BBC in July of that year.^[98] Subsequently, the BBC was accused ofageism andsexism by several sources,^[98][99] an accusation the corporation has faced before over the removal of several older female presenters, includingMoira Stuart,^[100]Juliet Morris,^[101]Miriam O'Reilly,^[101][100]Michaela Strachan,^[101]Charlotte Smith^[101] andAnna Ford.^[102] The BBC denied the allegations that the decision to remove Phillips was due to her age.^[98]

Furthermore, Dixon herself was criticised after the debut episode of theseventh 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 4,000) along with over 5,000 comments onStrictly Come Dancing's internet message board.^[103] Dixon was compared unfavourably to Phillips, with claims that the former was "unsuitable", "unqualified" and lacked "knowledge, experience and talent".^[103] However, Dixon was praised and defended from her critics by the BBC,^[103] by fellow judgeCraig Revel Horwood^[103] and by Phillips herself.^[104]

In 2009, during theseventh series, professional dancerAnton Du Beke issued a public apology^[105] for his use of aracial slur during a conversation with his dance partnerLaila Rouass.^[106] Rouass accepted his apology and said that he should "[a]bsolutely not" be fired: "Anton has apologised and I've accepted it. This happened a couple of weeks ago now and we are just having a really good time. We just want to move on from it."^[107] Over 600 complaints were received by the BBC, including those about commentsBruce Forsyth, then host ofStrictly Come Dancing, made about the controversy on aTalksport 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.^[108]

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.^[108]

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.^[108]

In 2009, Du Beke said that his dance partnerLaila Rouass "looked like a paki" after she had arrived at rehearsal with a spray tan. Du Beke apologized publicly,^[109][110] and reiterated his remarks onIt Takes Two,Strictly Come Dancing's companion show, stating that "I feel embarrassed. I feel stupid as well. It was a stupid thing to do, stupid thing to say ... I am mortified about it completely and, you know, Laila has been quite remarkably wonderful."^[111] Rouass accepted his apology,^[111] and stated in a 2011 interview: "The story had been blown out of proportion ... Anton didn’t mean to be offensive. I wouldn’t have danced with him if he was racist."^[112] In 2016, she backed him to be a Strictly judge: "I think Anton would be a fabulous judge. He's so funny, I can’t tell you. I was so lucky to be paired with that man."^[113]

In 2015, in an interview with theDaily Mirror,EggheadC. J. de Mooi said that he was rejected by the show because he had wanted to dance with a same-sex partner.^[114] The BBC denied that de Mooi had ever been under consideration for the show,^[115] and also declared that "Strictly is a family show and we have chosen the traditional format of mixed-sex couples".^[114] The press has reported on the issue on numerous occasions when gay celebrities have appeared on the show, includingWill Young,^[116]Susan Calman,^[117]Robert Rinder,^[118]Richard Coles^[119] andRanj Singh.^[120]Strictly Come Dancing judges Shirley Ballas^[120] and Craig Revel Horwood^[121] have both expressed their support for introducing same-sex couples.

Same-sex partnerships have been featured on severalinternational versions of the show, includingItaly (2018),Australia (2019) andDenmark (2019).^{[122][123][124]} On 3 November 2019,Johannes Radebe and fellow professionalGraziano Di Prima performed together toEmeli Sandé's "Shine" on the Sunday results episode, the show's first individual same-sex dance.^[125] On 2 September 2020, it was announced that boxerNicola Adams would feature in the show's first same-sex couple for itseighteenth series.^[126] She was partnered with professional dancerKatya Jones. In 2021, it was announced thatJohn Whaite would feature in the first all-male same-sex couple with Johannes Radebe for thenineteenth series, with the two of them eventually finishing as the runners-up.^[127] TheAmerican version of the show would also have a same-sex couple that same year, withJoJo Siwa andJenna Johnson.Series 20 also included same-sex partnerships withRichie Anderson andGiovanni Pernice in an all-male partnership andJayde Adams andKaren Hauer in an all-female partnership.^[128] InSeries 21,Layton Williams andNikita Kuzmin competed as an all-male partnership, eventually finishing as one of the two runners-up couples.^[129]

In August and October 2025, two male stars of the series were arrested on suspicion of rape. Reports indicated that neither man was due to be involved in the 2025 series.^{[130][131][132]} This followed aMetropolitan Police investigation into alleged drug use by two stars of the series in August 2025.^[133]

Forthe twenty-third series (2025), formerThe Apprentice contestantThomas Skinner's participation as a celebrity dancer was deemed controversial due to his association with US Vice PresidentJ. D. Vance and the widerMake America Great Again movement.^[134] At a press event to promote the series, Skinner left early, which he attributed to having seen a message relating to a "personal story" from his past on a reporter's phone.Director General of the BBCTim Davie defended Skinner's casting.^[135]

After becoming the first contestant to be eliminated from the series, Skinner claimed to be in possession of an email detailing that the result against him had been rigged, and that the BBC were "angry" and "nervous" over his meeting with Vance. In response to the allegation, the BBC affirmed that the vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy", with auditors PromoVeritas also stating that they had not found any issues with the public vote. While he reportedly planned to sue the BBC over the matter, Skinner declined to attend the series' final with the other eliminated celebrities.^[136][137]

In January 2024,The Sun reported thatAmanda Abbington requested footage of her time training withGiovanni Pernice and was seeking legal advice over his training methods.^[138] In March 2024,The Sun said that Abbington,Laura Whitmore andRanvir Singh had met to discuss their negative experiences with Pernice on the show. Legal firmCarter Ruck toldBBC News there were "numerous serious complaints" about his behaviour while filmingStrictly Come Dancing.^[139] On 16 May, it was reported byThe Sun that Pernice had quit the show. Pernice denied all accusations of wrongdoing. His departure was confirmed by the BBC on 10 June.^[140]

In July 2024, the BBC's probe into misconduct brought further claims made by production staff, who observedGraziano Di Prima's behaviour towards dance partnerZara McDermott during the 2023 series. A source speaking toThe Sun claimed that footage showing Di Prima's alleged treatment of McDermott "reduced those who have seen it to tears".^[141] In a statement Di Prima said that he "deeply regretted his actions that led to his departure from [the show]".^[142] 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.^[143]

A third professional dancer has been identified as a "person of interest".^[144]

In 2024,Wynne Evans became embroiled in controversy after allegedly making a sexualized remark about dancerJanette Manrara during a Strictly live tour photocall, which was reported by the press and led to public backlash and accusations of misogyny. Evans denied the remark was sexual or directed at Manrara, explaining it was an inside joke nickname for fellow contestantJamie Borthwick, but nonetheless issued an apology and agreed to resign from his BBC radio show and the tour to focus on his wellbeing. The scandal was compounded by a separate incident involving aTikTok "body language experiment" with dance partnerKatya Jones, which was misinterpreted and also prompted an apology. Throughout, Evans maintained that his actions were misunderstood and expressed regret over the effect on his reputation.^[145][146]

In June 2025,Jamie Borthwick was suspended fromEastEnders by theBBC after a backstage video fromStrictly Come Dancing in November 2024, surfaced showing him referring to the inhabitants ofBlackpool by usingableist language considered derogatory towarddisabled individuals. The BBC described his language as "entirely unacceptable" and said it did not reflect their values or standards. He issued a public apology in a statement toThe Sun on Sunday, expressing regret for his words and acknowledging the offence they had caused.^[147][148] In September 2025, it was announced that Borthwick had been axed fromEastEnders after 19 years, and would not return from his suspension.^[149]

An example ofStrictly 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 fortea, a phenomenon known asTV pick-up.National Grid personnel watch the show to know whenclosing credits begin so they canprepare for the surge.^[150]

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

The show has won aRose d'Or award for "Best Variety Show", competition from reality shows from twelve other different countries.^[152] It has also won two awards for "Best Reality Show" at theTRIC Awards and two at theTV Quick Awards for "Best Talent Show". It has also received fourBAFTA Award nominations.^[153]

The show won the award of "Most Popular Talent Show" at theNational Television Awards in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.^[154]

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

In 2016,BBC Worldwide commissioned amatch-3 mobile app game published by Donut Publishing and developed byExient 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 andNeil Jones). The mo-cap process was featured onIt 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 theApp Store andGoogle Play in early 2016, and is regularly updated with new dance features alongside new series of the show.^[236]

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