'' Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its sixteenth series with a launch show on 8 September 2018 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 network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

, and the first live show on 22 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

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 & ...

returned to host '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' on BBC Two.

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 adaptatio ...

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 ...

Darcey Bussell Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell, (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle; 27 April 1969) is an English retired ballerina and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Trained at the Arts Educational Sc ...

and

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 ...

returned as judges. On 20 October, actor

Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles as Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ...

stood in as a guest judge to cover for Tonioli. In this series, three new dance styles were introduced (

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 and street/commercial) as part of a new category called "couple's choice", giving a total of 18 dance styles in the competition. The winners were

Stacey Dooley Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 when she appeared as a participant on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made socia ...

and Kevin Clifton, becoming the seventh pair of winners to have never achieved a perfect score. Runners-up

Ashley Roberts Ashley Allyn Roberts (born September 14, 1981) is an American singer, dancer, and media personality. She is a member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls. Roberts released her debut solo studio album, ''Butterfly Ef ...

and

Faye Tozer Faye Louise Tozer (born 14 November 1975) is an English singer, dancer, and actress, best known as a member of British pop group Steps. Career Music Steps are a pop group that have had a series of charted singles between 1997 and 2020. Their ...

matched

Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television and radio presenter and actress. She won the twelfth series of BBC’s ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2014 and presented '' The X Factor'' and later ''Love Is ...

's record in 2014 of scoring perfect 40s for all three dances in the final. Roberts also set a record of achieving the most 40s during a series, with five. Roberts also matched Alexandra Burke’s record of the most 10s during the series, with 32. Tozer also set the record of most consecutive ‘10’ scoring dances, with 11. The series was Bussell's last series as a judge, with Motsi Mabuse later announced as her replacement. It was also the last series to feature

Pasha Kovalev Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (russian: Па́вел "Па́ша" Ковалёв) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer. Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2001, moved to the United States with his professional dance par ...

as a professional.

Professional dancers

On 30 May 2018, the list of professionals returning for the sixteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who did not return included

Series 1 The IBM Series/1 is a 16-bit minicomputer, introduced in 1976, that in many respects competed with other minicomputers of the time, such as the PDP-11 from Digital Equipment Corporation and similar offerings from Data General and HP. The Seri ...

winner

Brendan Cole Brendan Cole (born 23 April 1976) is a New Zealand ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. He is most famous for appearing as a professional dancer on the BBC One show, ''Strictly Come Dancing''. From 2005 to 2009, he was a j ...

and Chloe Hewitt.

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 ...

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 scho ...

and

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 al ...

replaced them. As in the last two series, Neil Jones did not have a celebrity partner. Mushtuk and Radebe also did not have celebrity partners, however, Di Prima did.

Couples

On 13 August 2018, the first three celebrities announced to be participating in the series were

Katie Piper Kate Elizabeth Sutton (née Piper; born 12 October 1983) is an English writer, activist, television presenter and model from Andover, Hampshire. In March 2008, she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice, causing major da ...

and

Danny John-Jules Daniel John-Jules (born 16 September 1960) is a British actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for playing Milton Wordsworth in The Story Makers and ''Red Dwarf'', Barrington which are both children's series. Also he played in ''Maid Maria ...

. Celebrity reveals continued across that month, before concluding on 21 August on '' Good Morning Britain''.

Scoring chart

Average scores table

This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 40-points scale. The extra points from the Lindy-Hop-a-Thon in Week 10 have been omitted.

Highest and lowest scoring performances of the series

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

Vick Hope Victoria Nwayawu Nwosu-Hope (born 25 September 1989) is a British TV and radio presenter, journalist and published author. Vick hosts three shows a week across BBC Radio 1 "Going Home with Vick and Jordan", "Life Hacks" and "Official Chart: F ...

are the only celebrities not to land on this list

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Weekly scores and songs

''Unless indicated otherwise, individual judge's scores in the charts below (given in round brackets) are listed in this order from left to right:

''.

Launch show

*Musical guests: Nile Rodgers & Chic feat.

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 re ...

& Stefflon Don—"Sober"

Week 1

;Running order

Week 2

*Musical guest:

George Ezra George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, '' Did You Hear the Rain?'' (2013) and '' Cassy O (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, "Budapest", ...

—" Shotgun" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Lee & Nadiya *Bussell: Lee & Nadiya *Tonioli: Lee & Nadiya *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Lee & Nadiya''

Week 3: Movie Week

*Musical guest:

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

—"

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. It sees Bond suspended from MI6 as he pursues t ...

" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Charles & Karen *Bussell: Charles & Karen *Tonioli: Charles & Karen *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Lee & Nadiya''

Week 4

* Musical guests:

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...

—" Larger than Life"/"

I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

"/"

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, written and produced by Denniz Pop and Max Martin. It was released as the first single from the band's second international studio album ''Backstreet's Back'' in ...

" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Charles & Karen *Bussell: Charles & Karen *Tonioli: Charles & Karen *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Charles & Karen''

Week 5

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

''. *Musical guest:

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer and actress. Her debut studio album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?,'' was released in 2009 and was certified double platinum in the UK. The album spawned the sin ...

—"Loyal" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Vick & Graziano *Bussell: Seann & Katya *Ribeiro: Seann & Katya *Ballas: Seann & Katya

Week 6: Halloween Week

*Musical guest:

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...

—"

Let You Love Me "Let You Love Me" is a song by British singer Rita Ora from her second studio album, ''Phoenix'' (2018). The song was written by Ora, Ilsey Juber, Noonie Bao, Linus Wiklund, Fred Gibson and Finn Keane, and produced by the last two. It was releas ...

" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Graeme & Oti *Bussell: Graeme & Oti *Tonioli: Graeme & Oti *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Graeme & Oti''

Week 7

*Musical guests: The Kingdom Choir— Aretha Franklin medley;

Jess Glynne Jessica Hannah Glynne (born 20 October 1989) is an English singer and songwriter. After signing with Atlantic Records, she rose to prominence in 2014 as a featured artist on the singles "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and " My Love" by Route 94, bo ...

—"Thursday" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Dr. Ranj & Janette *Bussell: Charles & Karen *Tonioli: Charles & Karen *Ballas: Charles & Karen

Week 8

*Musical guests: RAF Spitfires Choir—" Rise Up"; Andrea and Matteo Bocelli—" Fall on Me" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Danny & Amy *Bussell: Graeme & Oti *Tonioli: Graeme & Oti *Ballas: Graeme & Oti

Week 9: Blackpool Week

*Musical guests: Gloria Estefan—" Dr. Beat"/" Conga"/" Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"/" 1–2–3"/" Get on Your Feet medley";

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 ...

—"Out of Our Heads" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Graeme & Oti *Bussell: Graeme & Oti *Tonioli: Graeme & Oti *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Graeme & Oti''

Week 10

*Musical guest: Rod Stewart— "Farewell" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha *Bussell: Ashley & Pasha *Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha''

Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-final)

*Musical guests: Trevor Dion Nicholas—" The Rhythm of Life";

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

—"

We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album ''News of the World'' (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.

" ; Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha *Bussell: Ashley & Pasha *Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha''

Week 12: Semi-final

*Musical guests: Little Mix—" Woman Like Me" ;Running order ''For the Dance Off, Ashley & Pasha chose to dance their American Smooth, while Lauren & AJ chose to dance their Tango.'' ;Judges' votes to save *Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha *Bussell: Ashley & Pasha *Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha''

Week 13: Final

*Musical guest:

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

—" Such a Night" ;Running order

Dance chart

: Highest scoring dance : Lowest scoring dance *Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Quickstep, Samba, Tango, Viennese Waltz or Waltz *Week 2: One unlearned dance (introducing American Smooth, Charleston, Paso Doble and Salsa) *Week 3 (Movie Week): One unlearned dance *Week 4: One unlearned dance (introducing Rumba) *Week 5: One unlearned dance (introducing Contemporary and Street/Commercial) *Week 6 (Halloween Week): One unlearned dance (introducing Theatre/Jazz) *Week 7: One unlearned dance (introducing Argentine Tango) *Week 8: One unlearned dance *Week 9 (Blackpool Week): One unlearned dance *Week 10: One unlearned dance and Lindy Hop-a-thon *Week 11 (Musicals Week): One unlearned dance *Week 12 (Semi-final): Two unlearned dances *Week 13 (Final): Judges' choice, showdance and couple's favourite dance

Viewership

Weekly ratings for each show on

. All ratings are provided by BARB.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strictly Come Dancing (series 16) 2018 British television seasons Series 16