The glitz and glamour of Strictly is finally back on our TV screens.
September’s launch show revealed all the pairings for this year’s competition and gave viewers a sneak preview of the dance abilities with the infamous group performance. However, the show has made headlines for other reasons, with several former contestants reporting negative experiences with partners and producers alike.
Since then, two professional dancers have been let go, and an investigation remains ongoing. If you’d like to know what’s in store for Strictly 2024, we have everything you need to know.
When is the first live Strictly show?
The launch show aired last weekend, and the first week of the live competition will air this Saturday, 21 September 2024 at 7pm BST.
Watch the first group dance below:
Who are the Strictly contestants and professional partners?
Here are all the paring taking part in Strictly 2024:
- Comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
- Singer and presenter JB Gill and Amy Dowden
- Broadcaster and opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
- Singer and actress Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
- Media medic Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
- Model and TV personality Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
- TV personality Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
- Actor and singer Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
- Actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
- Actor Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
- Olympian Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
- Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas/Fire and Johannes Radebe
- TV presenter Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
- Footballer and broadcaster Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
- Olympian and TV presenter Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Aljaž is back on the show after a two-year break – he is the husband of Janette Manrara and won the competition in 2013 with Abbey Clancey. Amy Dowden has also made a triumphant return after being cleared of cancer.
Two dancers missing from the line-up are Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima. Both former professionals have left the show following allegations of abusive behavior and bullying from former partners.
The BBC has an ongoing investigation looking back at training footage.
Who are the Strictly 2024 presenters and judges?
Once again, Tess Daley and Claudia Winkelman are returning to host the main show. Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke are all back on the judging panel.
Janette Manrara and Fleur East will return to host the It Takes Two spin-off show, which interviews pairings and goes behind the scenes into the production, costumes and training for the competition.
It’s not been confirmed if the official Strictly podcast will return, which has previously been presented by Joe Sugg and Kim Winston, who give more insights and gossip into the competition for audio listeners.
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2023?
EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier and Bad Education actor Layton Williams put up a good fight for the glitterball trophy. But in the end, Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach won the title with her partner Vito Coppola.
They scored a maximum 40 points for their American Smooth routine. However, they had a major error with the final lift in their showdance. Nonetheless, it did not stop the 22-year-old from claiming victory in the youngest-ever final of the show.
How to watch Strictly Come Dancing from abroad
As always, Strictly will be shown on BBC One. You can watch on your TV as the episode airs, or on BBC iPlayer on most internet-connected devices, whether that’s a laptop, tablet or phone, or perhaps a media streamer or games console.
You’ll also be able to watch it on BBC iPlayer if you missed the episode and want to catch up. If you’re outside of the UK, there are ways to watch BBC iPlayer abroad such as using a VPN (virtual private network) like NordVPN. Find out more about how to do that here.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.