It's been a long time coming but the day is finally upon TV fans: Strictly Come Dancing is back! The legendary entertainment show returns for what is undoubtedly its biggest reinvention ever, as longtime hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are no longer with the show, having made the decision to bow out last year. And with that, new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe are the new hosts, leading a brand new series - and brand new era - for the show.
This year's line-up features plenty of familiar faces, including one who has returned to the dancefloor after being forced to pull out last year due to injury. It's going to be another big year for the show, for sure, as the contestants will be faced with a host of new ideas, theme weeks, and beginnings for the legendary BBC series.
Before all of that, however, here's what you need to know about when you can tune in.
Strictly start time tonight (and how long the launch show is)
Strictly Come Dancing will air on BBC One tonight, Saturday September 19, at 7:25 pm BST, while also being available to stream on BBC iPlayer. This is around the general time frame that the series usually begins with each and every year, but when the live shows begin next week it will slowly edge into earlier territory as all couples will be dancing on those. Tonight, however, it's all about the launch and pairing the couples up.
The episode will finish at 9:15 pm BST, meaning that it has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. As the launch show isn't airing live (it's pre-recorded and then edited to look like a live episode), there is no danger of it running over time. The episode is ready to go, so all that is left for the BBC to do is to go ahead and air it.
Strictly's new hosts take to the dancefloor
Perhaps the biggest change to Strictly Come Dancing this year are the new hosts. With Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepping away from the show last series, the BBC saw this as an opportunity to revamp the show - because you can't just replace Tess and Claudia, so you need to change the show entirely! And with that, the program is introducing three new hosts!
Emma Willis takes over as the primary Strictly host, adding yet another legendary British institution to her resume. She has made a career out of anchoring some of the most recognizable programs in UK TV history, leading Big Brother as well as spinoffs Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother's Bit On The Side. She was also a semi-regular presenter on This Morning, as well as co-host of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! NOW! And, in more recent years, she hosted The Voice, The Voice Kids, The Circle and Love Is Blind.
Josh Widdicombe is an actor and comedian who is expected to play more of a Claudia role, offering up the comedy relief while also being there for the couples after their dance in what will always be known as the Clauditorium. He has also been a staple of British TV this past decade, fronting the likes of The Last Leg, Fighting Talk, Insert Name Here, Mock The Week, and BBC Three sitcom Josh. Now, he too gets to add the legendary Strictly to his repertoire.
Johannes Radebe is already a Strictly favorite and now he gets to originate a new role on the series as a "roving reporter". JoJo has been a professional dancer on the series for years, having competed in iconic partnerships with the likes of Catherine Tyldesley, Caroline Quentin, John Whaite, Ellie Taylor, Annabel Croft, Montell Douglas, and Alex Kingston. His partnership with John was historic as the pair were the second ever same-sex couple, and the first to make it all the way to the Final - coming in second place.
Strictly Come Dancing 2026's full cast and line-up
A new series of Strictly brings with it a whole new cast of familiar faces. We have EastEnders and Emmerdale icons, sporting legends, reality TV stars, internet sensations and so many more. The star-power is there, but the launch show is all about finding out who they will be partnered up with. Needless to say, fans are excited to see that play out!
According to reports, the launch show will feature a brand new way of partnering, which will see the series go back to the original method of pairing the couples up in front of the studio audience (instead of the VTs / video packages that took center stage during the pandemic years). The big change, however, is that it is expected to take place as part of a high-energy dance in which the choice will be made
Before we get to that, however, let's meet the Strictly 2026 cast:
- Lacey Turner - Actress and EastEnders legend
- Lawrence Robb - Actor and Emmerdale veteran
- Dani Dyer - Reality TV star, author, broadcaster
- Delta Goodrem - singer, actress, entrepreneur
- Chris Appleton - Celebrity hair stylist
- Cach Mercer - Social media star and Love Island champion
- Will Best - Veteran TV and radio host
- Dame Sarah Storey - Legendary Paralympian
- Jaime Winstone - Legendary actress
- Bethany Antonia - Actress and House of the Dragon star
- Shaun Wright-Phillips - Legendary pundit and broadcaster
- Graeme 'The Dogfather' Hall - Dog trainer and Dog’s Behaving (Very) Badly host
- Tabby Stoecker - British skeleton racer and Olympic gold medallist
- John Nellis - Sports content creator
- Melanie Walters - Legendary actress
Oh yes, it goes without saying that we are in for one heck of a memorable launch show. The only thing more memorable for it will undoubtedly be the series itself.
Get those gladrags on folks, and keep dancing!
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