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 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 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, p ...

, with live shows beginning on 23 September 2023.

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

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 ...

returned to host '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'', alongside Fleur East, who was announced as the new co-host after Rylan Clark's departure in April 2023. In April 2023, the BBC announced that Shirley Ballas,

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

, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood would return to the judging panel. Actress

Ellie Leach Ellie Louise Leach (born 15 March 2001) is an English actress who portrays the role of Faye Windass on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street.'' Early and personal life Leach was born in Bury, Greater Manchester and she has a younger sister, D ...

alongside

Vito Coppola ''Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its twentieth series with a launch show on 23 September 2022 on BBC One, with live shows beginning the following day on 24 September. The launch show was originally scheduled to be broadcast on 17 Septembe ...

were announced as the winners of the final which was held on 16 December.

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

Professional dancers

In April 2023, the BBC announced that

Dianne Buswell Dianne Claire Buswell (born 6 May 1989) is an Australian professional dancer. She 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 ...

, Nadiya Bychkova,

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 T ...

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 BBC series in 2017, an ...

Carlos Gu ''Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its twentieth series with a launch show on 23 September 2022 on BBC One, with live shows beginning the following day on 24 September. The launch show was originally scheduled to be broadcast on 17 Septembe ...

Karen Hauer Karen Hauer Wyn-Jones (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 ...

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

, Neil Jones,

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 Co ...

, Gorka Márquez,

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 ...

Lauren Oakley Lauren May Oakley (born 28 February 1991) is an English professional dancer and choreographer, best known for appearing as a professional on the BBC One television series ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Oakley was born on 28 February 19 ...

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 (201 ...

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 Pola ...

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 ...

Michelle Tsiakkas ''Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its twentieth series with a launch show on 23 September 2022 on BBC One, with live shows beginning the following day on 24 September. The launch show was originally scheduled to be broadcast on 17 Septembe ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

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 cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

and underwent a mastectomy, 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 to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

. 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 Amanda Jane Smith; 28 February 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Miss Mardle in ''Mr Selfridge'' and Mary Watson in '' Sherlock'', the BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stor ...

, Angela Rippon, and

Layton Williams Layton Williams (born 13 September 1994) is an English actor, singer, and dancer, best known for playing the role of Stephen Carmichael in the television series '' Bad Education''. His first job was at the age of twelve playing the title role i ...

. 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 Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor, best known for his role as Dennis Rickman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has worked mostly in theatre. He starred in the final series of '' Hotel Babylon ...

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: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas,

''.

Launch show

*Musical guest: Jessie Ware — " 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 — "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 — "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 recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

— "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 — "

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

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 — "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 pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recogni ...

— " On My Love" 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 and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

& Virginia Bocelli – "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

" 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 Krishnan & Lauren''

Week 9: Blackpool Week

Musical guests:

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

– "C'est La Vie" This week's episode was staged in the

Tower Ballroom 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 List of tallest buildings in the British Empire and the Commonwealth, tallest man m ...

at the Blackpool Tower in

Blackpool, Lancashire Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

. 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 (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

– "

Inner Smile "Inner Smile" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, originally released on their greatest hits album, '' The Greatest Hits'' (2000). Written by Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels and arranged by Texas, the song is based on Alexander's ...

" 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 ''The Time Traveler's Wife'' is the debut novel by American author Audrey Niffenegger, published in 2003. It is a love story about Henry, a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about Clare, his wife, an a ...

)'' Hours before the live performance was to begin,

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 – " This Life" ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Annabel & Johannes *Mabuse: Bobby & Dianne *Du Beke: Bobby & Dianne *Ballas: Bobby & Dianne

Week 13 (Final)

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.

References

External links

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