Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' returned for its twenty-first series with a launch show on 16 September 2023 on

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

, with live shows beginning on 23 September.

Tess Daly Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English television presenter and former model. Since 2004, she has co-presented the BBC One dancing competition show '' Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Helen Elizabeth Daly was born o ...

and

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She has been nominated three times for the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance for co-presenting the BBC One dancing compet ...

returned as hosts, while

Janette Manrara Janette Manrara Škorjanec (born November 16, 1983) is an American singer, choreographer and professional dancer, and television presenter. She is best known for her appearances on the US series '' So You Think You Can Dance'' and British dance re ...

returned to host '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'', alongside

Fleur East Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer, songwriter, rapper and presenter. East competed on the second series of ''The X Factor'' in 2005 as part of the girl group Addictiv Ladies but was unsuccessful. In 2012, she signed with ...

, who was announced as the new co-host after

Rylan Clark Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), commonly known as Rylan Clark, is an English broadcaster and television personality. He came to prominence as a contestant on the The X Factor (British series 9), ninth series of the television talent s ...

's departure in April 2023. In April 2023, the BBC announced that

Shirley Ballas Shirley Annette Ballas (née Rich, formerly Stopford; born 6 September 1960) is an English dancer and television personality. She specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the n ...

, Anton Du Beke,

Motsi Mabuse Motshegetsi "Motsi" Mabuse (born 11 April 1981) is a South African dancer who lives in Germany. She is known for appearing on the German dance competition '' Let's Dance'', originally as a professional dancer, and later as a judge on the show, a ...

, and

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 a jud ...

would return to the judging panel. Actress

Ellie Leach Ellie Louise Leach (born 15 March 2001) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Faye Windass on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' between 2011 and 2023. Following her exit from the soap, she won the twenty-first series ...

and her partner Vito Coppola were announced as the winners on 16 December, while Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin, and

Bobby Brazier Bobby Jack Brazier (born 2 June 2003) is an English actor and model. Present in the public eye from birth due to the popularity of his mother, Jade Goody, he was frequently featured in the media throughout the formative years of his life until ...

and Dianne Buswell were the runners-up.

Format

The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points. The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with

, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote if needed.

Professional dancers

In April 2023, the BBC announced that Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Vito Coppola,

Graziano Di Prima Graziano Di Prima (born 7 May 1994) is an Italian dancer and choreography (dance), choreographer. Between 2018 and 2023, Di Prima was a professional dancer on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Career Di Prima was born in Sicily. He toured wi ...

, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu,

Karen Hauer Karen Hauer (formerly Clifton; born 20 April 1982) is a Venezuelan-American professional Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, best known for her appearances on the British television series ''Strictly Come Dancing''. She is currently ...

Katya Jones Katya Jones (born Ekaterina Andreevna Sokolova; ; 12 May 1989) is a Russians, Russian dancer and choreographer. She is best known for being a professional dancer in the competition show ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which she won in 2017 with her ...

, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin,

Gorka Márquez Gorka Márquez (; born 4 September 1990) is a Spanish professional dancer, best known for appearing on the British dance show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Márquez began dancing at the age of 12, and in 2010 he represented Spain at the ...

, Luba Mushtuk, Lauren Oakley,

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 ...

Jowita Przystał Jowita Maria Przystał (born 22 August 1994) is a Polish ballroom dancer. She is known for appearing and winning both ''The Greatest Dancer'' in 2020 and ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2022. She has been a professional on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' ...

, Johannes Radebe, Michelle Tsiakkas, Kai Widdrington, and Nancy Xu would be returning to the series. The only professional dancer who did not return was Cameron Lombard, who had been part of the professional group routines since the nineteenth series. In May 2023, Dowden announced she had been diagnosed with grade III

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

and underwent a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...

, but added she was "determined" to get back on the dance floor and that she was hoping to take part in the series if she was able to. Despite her initial plans to return for the series, Dowden confirmed in July that she had been diagnosed with "another type of cancer" and would be unable to partner a celebrity due to undergoing

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. During the launch show, Lauren Oakley received a celebrity partner for the first time, while Neil Jones, Nadiya Bychkova, and Michelle Tsiakkas did not receive a partner. The rest of the pros were paired to a celebrity, including Luba Mushtuk, who did not have a celebrity partner for the last two series.

Couples

This series features fifteen celebrity contestants. On 4 August 2023, the first three celebrities announced as participants in the series were

Amanda Abbington Amanda Abbington (born ) is an English actress. In a career spanning over thirty years on stage and screen, her most prominent roles include Josie Mardle in ''Mr Selfridge'' (2013–2016) and Mary Morstan in '' Sherlock'' (2014–2017). Her ot ...

Angela Rippon Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944) is an English broadcaster, former newsreader, writer and journalist. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's ''BBC Nine O'Clock News, Nine ...

, and Layton Williams. Celebrity contestants continued to be revealed until 11 August 2023, when the full line-up was announced. On 23 October, it was announced that

had withdrawn from the competition after having missed the previous week. On 2 December, hours before the live episode was set to air, it was announced that Nigel Harman had been forced to withdraw from the competition due to a rib injury.

Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger (). ;Colour key: ;Notes

Average chart

Weekly scores

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

, Anton Du Beke''.

Launch show

*Musical guest:

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and produced the sing ...

— " Free Yourself"

Week 1

There was no elimination this week; all scores carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2

Musical guest:

Jorja Smith Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouT ...

— "Try Me" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Nikita & Gorka *Mabuse: Nikita & Gorka *Du Beke: Nikita & Gorka *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Nikita & Gorka''

Week 3: Movie Week

Musical guest:

Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter. Beer first gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers she posted on YouTube. In 2013, she released her debut single "Melo ...

— "Showed Me (How I Fell in Love with You)" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Zara & Graziano *Mabuse: Zara & Graziano *Du Beke: Zara & Graziano *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zara & Graziano''

Week 4

Musical guest:

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke ...

— "I'm on Fire" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Eddie & Karen *Mabuse: Eddie & Karen *Du Beke: Eddie & Karen *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Eddie & Karen''

Week 5

Musical guest:

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

— "

Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...

announced that she would be unable to perform on the live show for medical reasons. Under the rules of the show, she was granted a bye to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Zara & Graziano *Mabuse: Zara & Graziano *Du Beke: Zara & Graziano *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zara & Graziano''

Week 6: Halloween Week

Musical guest:

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

— "Forever and More" After having missed the previous week,

withdrew from the competition. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Adam & Luba *Mabuse: Adam & Luba *Du Beke: Adam & Luba *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Adam & Luba''

Week 7

Musical guest:

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and dancer. She first rose to prominence in 2008 after winning the Talang 2008, second season of ''Talang (Swedish TV show), Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got T ...

— "

On My Love "On My Love" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson and French DJ David Guetta. It was released as the third single from Larsson's fourth studio album, ''Venus'' (2024), on 15 September 2023 through Sommer House and Epic. It follows their first ...

" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Angela R. & Kai *Mabuse: Angela R. & Kai *Du Beke: Angela R. & Kai *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Angela R. & Kai''

Week 8

Musical guests:

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

& Virginia Bocelli – "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' (; , Modern ) is an interjection from the Hebrew language, used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Tanakh (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four times in the Christ ...

Week 9: Blackpool Week

Musical guests: Madness – "C'est La Vie" This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the

Blackpool Tower Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in P ...

in Blackpool, Lancashire. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Bobby & Dianne *Mabuse: Bobby & Dianne *Du Beke: Bobby & Dianne *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Bobby & Dianne''

Week 10

Musical guests:

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

– " Inner Smile" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Layton & Nikita *Mabuse: Layton & Nikita *Du Beke: Layton & Nikita *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Angela S. & Carlos''

Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-final)

Musical guest:

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

– "This Time" ''(from The Time Traveller's Wife)'' Hours before the live performance was to begin, Nigel Harman announced that he had to withdraw from the competition after sustaining an injury. As a result, there was no elimination this week and all scores carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 12 (Semi-final)

Musical guests:

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

– " This Life" Each couple performed two routines, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Annabel & Johannes *Mabuse: Bobby & Dianne *Du Beke: Bobby & Dianne *Ballas: Bobby & Dianne

Week 13 (Final)

Musical guest:

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

— " DJ Play a Christmas Song" Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their showdance routine, and their favourite dance of the series.

Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week: *Weeks 1–11: One unlearned dance *Week 12 (Semi-Finals): Two unlearned dances *Week 13 (Finals): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series

Ratings

Weekly ratings for each show on

. All ratings are provided by

BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...

References

External links

* {{Strictly Come Dancing Strictly Come Dancing series 2023 British television seasons