Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') 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 usually 4 ...

'' returned for its nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, with the live shows beginning on 25 September.

Tess Daly Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English model and television presenter who co-presented the BBC One celebrity dancing show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2004 to 2013; she has been the show's main presenter since 2014. ...

and

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English television presenter, radio personality, film critic and journalist. Between 2004 and 2010, she presented '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' on weeknights on BBC Two. Since ...

returned as hosts, while

Rylan Clark-Neal Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...

returned to host '' Strictly: It Takes Two'', alongside new presenter

Janette Manrara Janette Manrara Škorjanec (born November 16, 1983) is a singer, Cuban-American television presenter, choreographer and professional dancer from Miami, Florida, US. Originally a singer, learning from her Cuban family, she formally studied dance ...

, who replaced

Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British radio and television presenter. She was the first female host of both '' Radio 1 Breakfast'' and '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' for the BBC, and presented the 1990s children's show '' Live ...

following her departure from the show. In June 2021, the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

announced that

Craig Revel Horwood Craig Revel Horwood (born 4 January 1965) is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Horwood is best ...

Shirley Ballas Shirley Annette Ballas (née Rich, formerly Stopford; born 6 September 1960) is an English ballroom dancer, dance teacher, and dance adjudicator. She specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles w ...

and Motsi Mabuse would return to the judging panel. It was also announced that original professional

Anton Du Beke Anthony Paul Beke (born 20 July 1966), known professionally as Anton Du Beke (), is a British ballroom and Latin dancer, and television presenter, best known for being a professional dancer and later a judge on the BBC One celebrity dancing sh ...

, who served as a guest judge in the previous series, would join the panel in place of

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is an Italian choreographer, ballroom and Latin dancer, and Television personality. He has appeared as a judge on the British television dance competition ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and American adaptation ...

, who did not return for the second year in a row due to travel restrictions imposed by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. In July 2021, the show's executive producer, Sarah James, said the show would return for a "full-length series", with fifteen celebrities, themed weeks, pre-recorded professional group dances and a Christmas special, but not a Blackpool Tower Ballroom special. From this series, the contestants were no longer restricted to perform one of the "couple's choice" categories

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

, theatre/jazz or street/commercial and could instead incorporate the routine however they wished. In September, a row broke out over whether dancers should be vaccinated against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. Reports had suggested that three dancers had refused to be vaccinated, with one unnamed celebrity already having to self-isolate since the show's launch night had been filmed. The series was won by Rose Ayling-Ellis and her professional partner

Giovanni Pernice Giovanni Pernice (born 5 September 1990) is an Italian professional dancer based in the United Kingdom, best known for his appearances on the British television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. He is also an Italian Open Latin Dance Champion (2012 ...

. Ayling-Ellis was also the first deaf contestant to appear on the programme. The series also featured the first all-male partnership of

John Whaite John Whaite (born 23 May 1989) is an English baker who won the third series of ''The Great British Bake Off'' in 2012. He works as a chef, television presenter, and author. Early life John Whaite was born in Chorley, Lancashire, and grew up o ...

and

Johannes Radebe Johannes Radebe (born 27 April 1987) is a South African dancer and choreographer. Early life Radebe was born in Zamdela. He is gay, and has spoken out about the homophobic bullying he received as a child. He and his sister attended a dance sch ...

, who finished as runner-up.

AJ Odudu Onatejiro "AJ" Odudu (born 12 February 1988) is a British television presenter from Blackburn, UK. She is best known for co-presenting the 2013 Channel 5 reality show spin-off '' Big Brother's Bit on the Side'', alongside Emma Willis and Ryla ...

also qualified for the final with partner Kai Widdrington, but was forced to withdraw the day prior after injuring her ankle.

Professional dancers

In March 2021, the

announced that all sixteen professional dancers from the eighteenth series would return in 2021. However, in June, the BBC revealed that

and

would not be reprising their dancing roles: Manrara was announced as a new co-host of '' It Takes Two'', succeeding

, while Du Beke was revealed to be replacing

on the judging panel. In July 2021, the BBC announced that four new professional dancers would be joining the fourteen remaining returning pros. These are: six-time Italian Latin and Ballroom Champion

Nikita Kuzmin Nikita Kuzmin ( Ukrainian: Нікіта Кузьмін; born 23 December 1997) is a Ukrainian dancer and choreographer. He is best known for being a professional dancer on the RTL and BBC One dance competitions '' Let's Dance'' and ''Strictly C ...

, who was also a professional dancer on the German version of the show in 2020; reigning South African Latin Champion Cameron Lombard, who was also a finalist on '' South Africa's Got Talent'' in 2012; Polish Open Latin Champion

Jowita Przystał Jowita Przystał (born 22 August 1994) is a Polish ballroom dancer. She is known for appearing on ''The Greatest Dancer'' and ''Strictly Come Dancing'' as a professional. Career Przystał and her partner Michael Danilczuk have represented Polan ...

, who won ''

The Greatest Dancer ''The Greatest Dancer'' is a British dance competition television series created by Simon Cowell and produced by Syco Entertainment. The first BBC programme created by Cowell, ''The Greatest Dancer'' sees previously undiscovered dance acts perf ...

'' in 2020; and World Junior Latin American Champion Kai Widdrington, who was also a ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'' finalist in 2012 and former professional and two-time finalist on the Irish version of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

''.

Graziano Di Prima Graziano Di Prima (born 7 May 1994) is an Italian dancer and choreographer. Career Di Prima was born in Sicily. He toured with Burn the Floor, UK in 2021 alongside other professional dancers and the Strictly Come Dancing the Professionals Live ...

received a celebrity partner for the first time since the sixteenth series whilst

Nadiya Bychkova Nadiya Bychkova ( uk, Надія Бичкова) (born 24 August 1989) is a Ukrainian ballroom and Latin American dancer who is a multiple-time Slovenian Ballroom and Latin Champion and two-time World and European Champion in ‘10’ Dance. In 2 ...

and Neil Jones received a celebrity partner for the first time since the seventeenth series.

Nancy Xu Nancy Xu YouJie (; born 30 July 1991) is a Chinese dancer and choreographer. She is best known for being a professional dancer on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' since 2019. Early and personal life Xu was born on 30 July 1991 in Hunan, China. She bega ...

received a celebrity partner for the first time, as did new professionals Nikita Kuzmin and Kai Widdrington, while

Luba Mushtuk Luba Mushtuk (Russian: Люба Муштук; born 14 November 1989) is a Russian dancer and choreographer. Early life Mushtuk was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Career Mushtuk was four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and is a ...

and other new professionals Cameron Lombard and Jowita Przystał did not receive a partner.

Couples

On 4 August 2021, the first three celebrities participating in the series were revealed to be

Tom Fletcher Thomas Michael Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, composer, author and vlogger. He is one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of English pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder ...

Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell. Webb and Mitchell both starred in the Channel 4 sitco ...

and

. The following day, it was announced that

would feature in the first all-male same-sex couple, after

Nicola Adams Nicola Virginia Adams (born 26 October 1982) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2017 to 2019. She retired List of undefeated boxing world champions, with an undefeated record and held the WBO female flyweight title in 201 ...

and

Katya Jones Katya Jones (born Ekaterina Andreevna Sokolova; rus, Екатерина Андреевна Соколова; 12 May 1989) is a Russians, Russian dancer and choreographer. She is best-known for being a professional dancer in the competition show ...

became the first all-female couple the previous series. Celebrity contestants continued to be revealed until 13 August 2021, when the full line-up was announced. On 13 October it was announced that

had been advised to withdraw from the competition due to health problems. On 17 December, the day before the final, it was announced that

had withdrawn from the competition after suffering ligament damage in her right ankle, making this the first series to have two withdrawals. It was also the first series since

series 7 Series 7 may refer to: *The seventh season of any of many shows or series; see and * Series 7 exam, officially the General Securities Representative Exam, the most comprehensive financial securities exam offered by the FINRA *'' Series 7: The Cont ...

to only feature two finalists.

Scoring chart

Average chart

Highest and lowest scoring performances of the series

The highest and lowest performances in each dance according to the judges' scale are as follows. *

is the only celebrity not to land on this list.

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

The highest and lowest performances for each couple are listed.

Weekly scores and songs

''Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

, Motsi Mabuse,

''.

Launch show

*Musical guest:

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer. She has attained charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", "Ciao Adios", "Friends", "2002 ...

—"

Kiss My (Uh-Oh) "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)" is a song by English singer Anne-Marie and British girl group Little Mix. It was released by Asylum Records, as the fourth single from Anne-Marie's second studio-album ''Therapy'' (2021). It was written by Anne Marie, Taylor U ...

Week 1

;Running order

Week 2

*Musical guests:

Tom Grennan Thomas Grennan (born 8 June 1995) is an English singer and songwriter from Bedford and is based in London. Grennan found fame as the guest vocalist on Chase & Status's " All Goes Wrong" in 2016. His debut album, '' Lighting Matches'', was rele ...

—" Something Better";

Griff Griff may refer to: People * Griff (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Griff (singer), stage name of English singer and songwriter Sarah Faith Griffiths (born 2001) * Nickname of Guy Griffiths (1915–1999), British Second ...

—"One Night" ;Running order Due to testing positive for COVID-19, Tom & Amy were unable to perform. Under the rules of the show, they were given a bye to the following week. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Katie & Gorka *Mabuse: Katie & Gorka *Du Beke: Nina & Neil *Ballas: Katie & Gorka

Week 3: Movie Week

*Musical guest:

Ben Platt Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of ''The Sound of Music'' (2006) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (201 ...

—" You Will Be Found" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Judi & Graziano *Mabuse: Judi & Graziano *Du Beke: Katie & Gorka *Ballas: Judi & Graziano

Week 4

*Musical guest:

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporari ...

—"

Starlight Starlight is the light emitted by stars. It typically refers to visible electromagnetic radiation from stars other than the Sun, observable from Earth at night, although a component of starlight is observable from Earth during daytime. Sunl ...

" ;Running order Due to a back injury sustained by Ugo, Ugo & Oti were unable to perform. Under the rules of the show, they were given a bye to the following week. Robert & Dianne withdrew from the competition earlier in the week, due to ill health. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Judi & Graziano *Mabuse: Judi & Graziano *Du Beke: Judi & Graziano *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Greg & Karen''

Week 5

*Musical guests:

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has rel ...

MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vangua ...

—" Who You Are" ;Running order Due to Judi testing positive for COVID-19, Judi & Graziano were unable to perform. Under the rules of the show, they were given a bye to the following week. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Rhys & Nancy *Mabuse: Rhys & Nancy *Du Beke: Rhys & Nancy *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Rhys & Nancy''

Week 6: Halloween Week

*Musical guest:

Gregory Porter Gregory Porter (born November 4, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He has twice won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album: first in 2014 for '' Liquid Spirit'' and then again in 2017 for '' Take Me to the Alley''. Early ...

—"Dry Bones" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Adam & Katya *Mabuse: Adam & Katya *Du Beke: Adam & Katya *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Adam & Katya''

Week 7

*Musical guest:

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprin ...

—"

Superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Tilly & Nikita *Mabuse: Tilly & Nikita *Du Beke: Tilly & Nikita *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Adam & Katya''

Week 8

*Musical guest:

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After ...

—" Goodbye My Lover" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Tilly & Nikita *Mabuse: Tilly & Nikita *Du Beke: Tilly & Nikita *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Tilly & Nikita''

Week 9: Musicals Week

''Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

, Motsi Mabuse,

.'' *Musical guests:

Max Harwood Max William James Harwood (born 12 September 1997) is an English actor. He debuted in the titular role of the film ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' (2021), an adaptation of the stage musical based on a true story. He was named a 2021 Brit to ...

The Feeling ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

—" Out of the Darkness (A Place Where We Belong)" ;Running order On 15 November it was announced Craig Revel Horwood had tested positive for COVID-19, was self-isolating following the latest government guidelines and would therefore miss week 9 of the competition. On 19 November, it was announced

would replace him on the judging panel for that week. ;Judges' votes to save *Erivo: Rhys & Nancy *Mabuse: Rhys & Nancy *Du Beke: Rhys & Nancy *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Tom & Amy''

Week 10

''Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:

.'' *Musical guest:

Years & Years Years & Years is the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander. Originally formed as a band in 2010, Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, mixing R&B and 1990s house elements. The band's debut studio album, ''Communion'', ...

—"Sweet Talker" ;Running order On 26 November it was announced Motsi Mabuse had come into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. Whilst Mabuse was double vaccinated (which would mean exemption from the self-isolation guidelines), the UK government did not recognise her vaccines so would not be able to travel back from Germany. It was announced that Cynthia Erivo would return to the judging panel, replacing Mabuse for that week. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Rhys & Nancy *Erivo: Rhys & Nancy *Du Beke: Rhys & Nancy *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Rhys & Nancy''

Week 11: Quarter-Final

*Musical guest:

JLS JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boy band, boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production ...

—"Postcard" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: AJ & Kai *Mabuse: AJ & Kai *Du Beke: AJ & Kai *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save AJ & Kai''

Week 12: Semi-Final

''For the Dance Off, Rhys & Nancy chose to dance their Samba, while John & Johannes chose to dance their Jive.'' ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: John & Johannes *Mabuse: John & Johannes *Du Beke: John & Johannes *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save John & Johannes''

Week 13: Final

*Musical guest:

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

—" Bad Habits" ;Running order AJ & Kai withdrew from the final, after AJ suffered ligament damage in her right ankle.

Dance chart

: Highest scoring dance : Lowest scoring dance : Not performed due to illness or injury : Couple withdrew that week *Week 1: American Smooth, Cha-Cha-Cha, Jive, Quickstep, Samba, Tango, Viennese Waltz or Waltz *Week 2: One unlearned dance (introducing Charleston, Couple's Choice, Foxtrot, Paso Doble & Salsa) *Week 3: (Movie Week) One unlearned dance (introducing Rumba) *Week 4: One unlearned dance (introducing Argentine Tango) *Week 5: One unlearned dance *Week 6: (Halloween Week) One unlearned dance *Weeks 7 & 8: One unlearned dance *Week 9: (Musicals Week) One unlearned dance *Weeks 10 & 11: One unlearned dance *Week 12 (Semi-Final): Two unlearned dances *Week 13 (Final): Judges' choice, Favourite dance & Showdance

Reception

Series 19 received positive reviews from fans and critics. Lottie Townend of ''

Glasgow University Guardian ''The Glasgow Guardian'' is the Student publication, student newspaper of the University of Glasgow. Founded in 1932 as ''The Gilmorehill Globe'', the newspaper has undergone four name changes in its existence. First changed to ''The Gilmorehi ...

'' said it "the series provided a place of escape and comfort from the difficulties of the outside world. You become personally invested in each contestant’s journey, root for their success and feel the warmth through their shared love for dance". Jane Rackham of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' was positive towards this season's unpredictability writing "This must be the most unpredictable series of Strictly ever. And not only because several participants had to miss a show after testing positive for Covid".

Ratings

Weekly ratings for each show on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

. All ratings are provided by BARB.

References

External links

* {{Strictly Come Dancing 2021 British television seasons Series19