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 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 September, but was postponed out of respect following the

death of Queen Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death wa ...

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, whilst

Rylan Clark Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...

and

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.'' In May 2022, the BBC announced that

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 ...

, Motsi Mabuse,

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 ...

and

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 ...

would return to the judging panel. It was also confirmed that

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 ...

, who had been absent from the two previous series due to travel restrictions resulting from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, would be permanently leaving the show. In August 2022, the BBC confirmed that the show would return to the

Blackpool 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 tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...

for the first time since the seventeenth series. It was also announced that there would be a special themed week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the BBC, with the couples dancing to "a theme tune from an iconic BBC programme or in tribute to one of the BBC's most loved services". The series was won by

Hamza Yassin Hamza Ahmed Yassin (born 22 February 1990) is a Sudanese-British wildlife cameraman and presenter, known for his role as Ranger Hamza on the children's television channel CBeebies and his work on shows such as ''Countryfile'' and '' Animal Par ...

, who became the first winner born outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and his professional partner

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 ...

. Runners-up were

Fleur East Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and radio presenter on Hits Radio. She competed on the second series of the televised singing competition ''The X Factor'' in 2005 as a member of the girl group Addicti ...

and

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 Septemb ...

Molly Rainford Molly Anne Rainford (born 22 November 2000) is an English singer, actress and television presenter. She was a finalist on the sixth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2012 and was one of the presenters on '' Friday Download'' between 2014 a ...

and

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 Septemb ...

, and

Helen Skelton Helen Elizabeth Skelton (born 19 July 1983) is an English television presenter and Actor, actress. She co-presented the BBC children's programme ''Blue Peter'' from 2008 until 2013, and since 2014 has been a presenter on ''Countryfile''. She als ...

and

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 ...

. Both Coppola and Gu were in their first season as professionals on the program, and this was Przystał's first season paired with a celebrity.

Professional dancers

On 22 February 2022, it was announced that

Oti Mabuse Otlile "Oti" Mabuse (born 8 August 1990) is a South African talent show judge, presenter, dancer and Latin dance champion currently based in the United Kingdom. She is best known for being a professional dancer on the British television series ' ...

was to leave the series after seven years, and on 28 March 2022, that Aljaž Škorjanec would be leaving the series after nine years. Three days after Škorjanec's departure, 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 joine ...

Nadiya Bychkova Nadiya Bychkova ( uk, Надія Бичкова) (born 24 August 1989) is a Ukrainian ballroom and Latin American dancer who is a multiple-time Slovenian Ballroom and Latin Champion and two-time World and European Champion in ‘10’ Dance. In 20 ...

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 ...

, Amy Dowden,

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 '' Stric ...

, 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 ...

, Cameron Lombard,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 beg ...

would be returning to the series. In July 2022, the BBC announced that four new professional dancers would be joining the sixteen remaining returning pros. These are: European cup winner Vito Coppola who was also a professional dancer on the Italian version of the show in 2021, Chinese National Champion

, former Under 21 British National Champion Lauren Oakley and Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas.

received a celebrity partner for the first time, as did new professionals

and

, while Neil Jones,

, Cameron Lombard and other new professionals Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas did not receive a partner.

Couples

On 4 August 2022, the first two celebrities announced to be participating in the series were

Will Mellor William Mellor (born 3 April 1976) is an English actor, singer and model. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in ''Hollyoaks'', Gaz Wilkinson in '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'', Warren Stamp in EastEnders, DC Spike Tanne ...

and

Kym Marsh Kimberley Gail Ratcliff (''née'' Marsh, previously Ryder and Lomas; born 13 June 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and singer. In 2001, she won a place in the band Hear'Say as a result of appearing on the reality television ser ...

. Celebrity contestants continued to be revealed until 13 August 2022, when the full line-up was announced. During the week 8 results show on 13 November, after initially being announced as one of the bottom two couples,

Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. He spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal, making 672 ...

and

withdrew from the competition due to Adams sustaining a hamstring injury during their original performance, making it the first time in the show's history a contestant had to withdraw during the show's broadcast.

Scoring chart

Average chart

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

Highest and lowest scoring performances of the series

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

Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances

Weekly scores and songs

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

, Motsi Mabuse,

''.

Launch show

*Musical guests:

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

—"All She Wanna Do"

Week 1

;Running order

Week 2

*Musical guests:

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

—" She's the One" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Matt & Nadiya *Mabuse: Matt & Nadiya *Du Beke: Matt & Nadiya *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Kaye & Kai''

Week 3: Movie Week

*Musical guest:

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 ...

—"

Mad About the Boy "Mad About the Boy" is a popular song with words and music by actor and playwright Noël Coward. It was introduced in the 1932 revue ''Words and Music (musical), Words and Music'' by Joyce Barbour, Steffi Duna, Norah Howard and Doris Hare. The ...

" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Fleur & Vito *Mabuse: Fleur & Vito *Du Beke: Fleur & Vito *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Richie & Giovanni''

Week 4

*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", ...

—" Dance All Over Me" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Kym & Graziano *Mabuse: Kym & Graziano *Du Beke: Kym & Graziano *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Kym & Graziano''

Week 5: Celebrating BBC 100 Week

*Musical guest:

Becky Hill Rebecca Claire Hill (born 14 February 1994) is a British singer from Bewdley, England. She rose to prominence after appearing on the first series of the then BBC (now ITV) talent contest ''The Voice UK'', auditioning with John Legend's "Ordin ...

—"

Crazy What Love Can Do "Crazy What Love Can Do" is a collaborative single by French DJ David Guetta with British singers Becky Hill and Ella Henderson. It was released on 8 April 2022 through What a DJ and Warner UK. A house, pop and electronic dance song, "Crazy Wh ...

"/"

My Heart Goes (La Di Da) "My Heart Goes (La Di Da)" is a song by British singer-songwriter Becky Hill and German DJ Topic Topic, topics, TOPIC, topical, or topicality may refer to: Topic / Topics * Topić, a Slavic surname * ''Topics'' (Aristotle), a work by Ar ...

"/"

Remember Remember may refer to: Film and television * ''Remember?'', a 1939 film starring Robert Taylor and Greer Garson * ''Remember'' (1926 film), an American silent drama film * ''Remember'' (2015 film), a Canadian film by Atom Egoyan, starring Chris ...

" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Molly & Carlos *Mabuse: Molly & Carlos *Du Beke: Molly & Carlos *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Molly & Carlos''

Week 6: Halloween Week

*Musical guest: Rina Sawayama—" This Hell" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Fleur & Vito *Mabuse: Fleur & Vito *Du Beke: Fleur & Vito *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Fleur & Vito''

Week 7

*Musical guest:

Luke Evans Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979) is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, performing in many of London's West End productions such as ''Rent'', ''Miss Saigon'', and '' Piaf'' before making his film breakthrough in ...

—" Bridge over Troubled Water" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Molly & Carlos *Mabuse: Molly & Carlos *Du Beke: Molly & Carlos *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Molly & Carlos''

Week 8

*Musical guest:

Sheku Kanneh-Mason Sheku Kanneh-Mason (born 4 April 1999) is a British cellist who won the 2016 BBC Young Musician award. He was the first Black musician to win the competition since its launch in 1978. He played at the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle ...

Zak Abel Zak David Zilesnick (born 1 March 1995 in London), better known as Zak Abel, is an English-Moroccan singer, songwriter and musician. He has also been an English Cadet national table tennis champion. Early and personal life His father, who had ...

—"Same Boat" ;Running order Tony & Katya and Tyler & Dianne were announced as the bottom two couples. However, Tony had sustained a hamstring injury during his original performance and was unable to compete in the dance-off; he therefore withdrew from the competition.

Week 9: Blackpool Week

*Musical guest:

Sam Ryder Sam Ryder Robinson (born 25 June 1989) is a British singer, songwriter, producer, composer and social media personality. He rose to prominence in 2020, after posting music covers on TikTok, during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic ...

—"

You're The Voice "You're the Voice" is a song written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson, and recorded by the Australian singer John Farnham and released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album '' Whispering Jack''. "You're t ...

" and "All The Way Over" ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Molly & Carlos *Mabuse: Molly & Carlos *Du Beke: Tyler & Dianne *Ballas: Molly & Carlos

Week 10

*Musical guest:

Joel Corry Joel Corry (born 10 June 1989) is an English DJ, producer and television personality. He came to prominence in 2019 with the release of his single " Sorry", featuring vocals from Hayley May (who was not credited in the official music video), whi ...

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

—" Lionheart (Fearless)" ;Running order Due to Kym testing positive for COVID-19, Kym & Graziano were unable to perform, having been due to dance a Couple's Choice to " I Feel for You" by

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

. Under the rules of the show, they were given a bye to the following week. ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Fleur & Vito *Mabuse: Fleur & Vito *Du Beke: Fleur & Vito *Ballas: ''Did not vote, but would have voted to save Fleur & Vito''

Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-Final)

*Musical guest: ''

The Cher Show ''Cher'' was an American variety show that premiered on CBS in 1975, hosted by singer-actress Cher. The show had many famous musical guests. It followed a TV special featuring Elton John, Bette Midler, and Flip Wilson as guests. ''Cher'' pre ...

'' ;Running order ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Molly & Carlos *Mabuse: Molly & Carlos *Du Beke: Kym & Graziano *Ballas: Molly & Carlos

Week 12: Semi-Final

* Musical guest:

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi ( ; born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" topped the UK Singles Chart where ...

—"Pointless" ;Running order ''For the Dance Off, Fleur & Vito chose to dance their Charleston, while Will & Nancy chose to dance their Couple's Choice.'' ;Judges' votes to save *Horwood: Fleur & Vito *Mabuse: Fleur & Vito *Du Beke: Will & Nancy *Ballas: Fleur & Vito

Week 13: Final

*Musical guest:

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

—" My Love" ;Running order

Dance chart

: Highest scoring dance : Lowest scoring dance : Not performed due to illness or injury *Week 1: American Smooth, Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Quickstep, Samba or Tango *Week 2: One unlearned dance (introducing Charleston, Paso Doble, Salsa, Viennese Waltz & Waltz) *Week 3 (Movie Week): One unlearned dance (introducing Rumba) *Week 4: One unlearned dance (introducing Couple's Choice & Argentine Tango) *Week 5 (Celebrating BBC 100 Week): One unlearned dance *Week 6 (Halloween Week): One unlearned dance *Weeks 7 & 8: One unlearned dance *Week 9 (Blackpool Week): One unlearned dance *Week 10: One unlearned dance *Week 11 (Musicals Week): One unlearned dance *Week 12 (Semi Finals): Two unlearned dances *Week 13 (Finals): Judges' choice, showdance and couple's favourite dance

Ratings

Weekly ratings for each show 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 ...

. All ratings are provided by BARB.

References

External links

* {{Strictly Come Dancing 2022 British television seasons Strictly Come Dancing series