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 nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, and the live shows beginning on 25 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

Rylan Clark-Neal 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 ninth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2012, in ...

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

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 ...

, who replaced

Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster and presenter. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows for the BBC, and in 2024 was confirmed as the second-highest paid BBC presenter after G ...

. In June 2021, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 ...

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. Anton Du Beke, who served as a guest judge in the previous series, joined the panel in place of

Bruno Tonioli Bruno Tonioli (; born 25 November 1955) is a British-Italian television personality, choreographer and dancer. He has judged on the British television talent shows ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (2004–2019), ''DanceX'' (2007) and ''Britain's Got Ta ...

, 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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 no Blackpool Tower Ballroom special. For 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 about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

, 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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. 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. ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' actress

Rose Ayling-Ellis Rose Lucinda Ayling-Ellis (born 17 November 1994) is an English actress, television presenter and writer of children's books. Deaf since birth, she is a British Sign Language user. On television, she is best known for her role as Frankie Lew ...

and

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 ...

were announced as the winners on 18 December, while

John Whaite John Robert Whaite (born 23 May 1989) is an English baker who won the The Great British Bake Off (series 3), third series of ''The Great British Bake Off'' in 2012. He works as a chef, television presenter, and author. Early life John Whaite w ...

and

Johannes Radebe Johannes Radebe (born 27 April 1987) is a South African dancer and choreographer. Early life Radebe was born in Zamdela, Sasolburg, Orange Free State, South Africa. His father, who worked for Coca-Cola, separated from Radebe's mother while he wa ...

— the first male same-sex couple to compete on the programme — finished in second place.

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.

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

, while Du Beke would replace

on the judging panel. In July 2021, the BBC announced that four new professional dancers would be joining the cast: Italian Latin and Ballroom Champion Nikita Kuzmin, who was also a professional dancer on the German version of the show in 2020; 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 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'' ...

, 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 perfo ...

'' in 2020; and World Junior Latin American Champion

Kai Widdrington Kai Widdrington (born 23 August 1995) is an English dancer and choreographer. In 2010, he was the Junior World Latin American champion. In 2012, he reached the final of the sixth series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Between 2017 and 2020, he was ...

, who was also a former professional on the Irish version of ''Dancing with the Stars''.

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 ...

received a celebrity partner for the first time since the sixteenth series, while

Nadiya Bychkova Nadiya Bychkova (; born 24 August 1989) is a Ukrainian Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin American dancer who is a multiple-time Slovenian Ballroom and Latin Champion and two-time World and European Champion in '10' Dance. In 2017, ...

and Neil Jones received a celebrity partner for the first time since the seventeenth series. Nancy Xu received a celebrity partner for the first time, as did Nikita Kuzmin and Kai Widdrington, while Luba Mushtuk, Cameron Lombard, and Jowita Przystał did not receive a partner.

Couples

This series featured fifteen celebrity contestants. On 4 August 2021, the first three celebrities participating were announced:

Tom Fletcher Thomas Michael Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) is an English musician, composer, author and vlogger. He is one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of British pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder. In his 20-year ca ...

AJ Odudu Onatejiro "AJ" Odudu (born 12 February 1988) is a British television presenter. She co-presents the ITV2 reality shows '' Big Brother'' (since 2023) and ''Celebrity Big Brother'' (since 2024) alongside Will Best, and previously the spin-off sh ...

, and

Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...

. The following day, it was announced that

would be paired as part of the first male same-sex couple in ''

'' history. Celebrity contestants continued to be revealed until 13 August 2021, when the full line-up was announced.

was also the first deaf contestant to appear on the programme. On 13 October, it was announced that Robert Webb 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.

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 (). Color key: ;Notes

Average chart

This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 40-point scale.

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''.

Week 1

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

Week 2

Musical guests: *

Tom Grennan Thomas Grennan (born 8 June 1995) is an English singer and songwriter from Bedford. Grennan found fame as the guest vocalist on Chase & Status's "All Goes Wrong" in 2016. His debut album, ''Lighting Matches'', was released in July 2018. The a ...

— " 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 Secon ...

— "One Night" After

and

Amy Dowden Amy Dowden (born 10 August 1990) is a Welsh professional ballroom and Latin American dancer from Caerphilly, Wales, best known for her appearances on the BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Dowden joined the series in 2017, and i ...

tested positive for

, they were unable to perform on the live show. Under the rules of the show, he was granted a bye to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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 and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt (producer), Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and ...

— "

You Will Be Found "You Will Be Found" is the Act 1 finale of the 2015 musical ''Dear Evan Hansen'', which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. Synopsis The song begins during the Kickoff Assembly ...

" ''(from

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important rol ...

)'' Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Judi & Graziano *Mabuse: Judi & Graziano *Du Beke: Katie & Gorka *Ballas: Judi & Graziano

Week 4

Musical guest:

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

— "

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. Sunlig ...

" After

Ugo Monye Ugochukwu Chiedozie Monye (born 13 April 1983) is an English former rugby union player who is now a sports pundit. Monye played 14 times for , 241 times for his only club Harlequins and twice for the British & Irish Lions on their 2009 tour ...

sustained a back injury, he was unable to perform on the live show. Under the rules of the show, he was granted a bye to the following week. Additionally,

and

Dianne Buswell Dianne Claire Buswell (born 6 May 1989) is an Australian professional dancer who is best known for her appearances on the British television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. After competing on ''Dancing with the Stars'' in Australia, she joined t ...

withdrew from the competition earlier in the week due to Webb's ill health. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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 an English singer. He 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, to great commercial success. In to ...

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

— " Who You Are" After

Judi Love Judi Love (born Judy Veronica Thomas; 4 June 1980) is an English stand-up comedian and presenter. She is a regular panellist on the ITV talk show ''Loose Women''. In 2020, Love appeared on the first all-black panel in the show's 25-year history, ...

tested positive for

, she was unable to perform on the live show. 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: 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 musician. 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''. Ear ...

— "Dry Bones" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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 Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...

— "

Superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...

— " Goodbye My Lover" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke.'' Musical guests: Max Harwood &

The Feeling The Feeling are an English rock/ pop band from Horsham, Sussex. Following a limited release of their first single " Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release " Sewn" in Fe ...

— " Out of the Darkness (A Place Where We Belong)" ''(from

Everybody's Talking About Jamie ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' is a Musical theatre, stage musical centred around a coming-of-age story, with score by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentar ...

)'' On 15 November, it was announced that

had tested positive for

and was self-isolating following the latest government guidelines. On 19 November, it was announced that

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

would replace him on the judging panel for the week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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: Craig Revel Horwood, Cynthia Erivo, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke.'' Musical guests:

Years & Years Years & Years were an English electropop band formed in London in 2010. The band rose to fame after their single "King" (2015) topped the UK Singles Chart and entered the top ten hit in thirteen other regions. It was preceded by the release o ...

— "Sweet Talker" On 26 November, it was announced that

had come into contact with someone who had tested positive for

. While Mabuse was doubly vaccinated, which would have allowed an exemption from the self-isolation guidelines, the British government did not recognise her vaccines, so she could not travel back from Germany.

returned to the judging panel for the week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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 (initialism for Jack the Lad Swing) are a British boy band consisting of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill; Williams formed the band. They initially signed with Tracklacers production company New Tr ...

— "Postcard" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;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

Each couple performed two routines, and are listed in the order they performed. ;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"

and

withdrew from the final after Odudu suffered ligament damage in her right ankle. Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their favourite dance of the season, and their showdance routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week: *Weeks 1–11: 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 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 Gilmorehill Guardian'', then ...

'' said that "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'' 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 September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' 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 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 ...

. All ratings are provided by BARB.

References

External links

* {{Strictly Come Dancing 2021 British television seasons Series19