It’s back! Strictly Come Dancing has waltzed on to our screens for – can you believe
it – its 19th series.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman return to host the nation’s favourite dance
competition. A new bunch of famous faces will grace the Strictly ballroom – let’s
hope they’re more Kelvin Fletcher and Stacey Dooley than John Sergeant. We still
can’t forget THAT paso doble drag.
But how long will Strictly be on for this year? And who’s dusted off their dancing
shoes to compete for the Glitterball? Here’s everything you need to know…
When is Strictly Come Dancing 2021 on and
how can I watch it?
Strictly Come Dancing 2021 launched on Saturday 18th September. The celebrities
and their professional partners then took to the ballroom for the first time on 25th
September.
You can now watch all the glitz and glamour of the iconic show every week until the
finale. There will be 13 weeks of dazzling entertainment, with the series set to finish
on Saturday 18th December.
Unfortunately, the show won’t rock up in Blackpool once again this year. But
executive producer Sarah James has suggested it will stop at the famous Tower
Ballroom again in the future – let’s hope so!
All episodes will air on BBC One on Saturday evenings. You can then tune in to see
the results show on the same channel on Sunday evenings.
Who are the celebrities on Strictly 2021?
Strictly Come Dancing is all about the celebrities, right? We love to watch on as they
jive, waltz and foxtrot for our entertainment on a Saturday night.
There’s been some fantastic contestants down the years. From the sublime, such as
performances from the likes of Joe McFadden and Ore Oduba, to the ridiculous –
we’re looking at you, Ann Widdecombe.
2021 looks to be another fantastic line-up. It really is a who’s who from the worlds of
TV, Music and Sport.
| Celebrity | Best known for |
| Adam Peaty | 5x Olympic swimming medallist |
| AJ Odudu | Host of Big Brother’s Bit on the Side |
| Dan Walker | Host of BBC Breakfast and Football Focus |
| Greg Wise | TV and film star, married to Emma Thompson |
| John Whaite | Winner of Great British Bake Off 2012 |
| Judi Love | Comedian and panellist on Loose Women |
| Katie McGlynn | Played Sinead Tinker in Coronation Street |
| Nina Wadia | Played Zainab Masood in EastEnders |
| Rhys Stephenson | CBBC presenter |
| Robert Webb | Played Jeremy Usborne in Peep Show |
| Rose Ayling-Ellis | Plays Frankie Lewis in EastEnders |
| Sara Davies | Businesswoman who appears on Dragon’s Den |
| Tilly Ramsay | TV chef and daughter of Gordon Ramsay |
| Tom Fletcher | Singer in McFly |
| Ugo Monye | Rugby Union player who won 14 caps for England |
Who are the Strictly professionals 2021?
No series of Strictly would be complete without the fantastic professional dancers. Many pros from previous years are back in 2021, including some fan favourites. South African superstar Oti Mabuse will make her final appearance after a six-year run. There’s also returns for the ever-popular Aljaž Škorjanec and red-haired Aussie Dianne Buswell.
There’s a couple of fresh new faces thrown into the mix too. Britain’s Got Talent finalist Kai Widdrington will be strutting his stuff in the Strictly ballroom this year, as will the youthful Nikita Kuzmin.
The full list:
- Aljaž Škorjanec
- Amy Dowden
- Dianne Buswell
- Giovanni Pernice
- Gorka Marquez
- Graziano Di Prima
- Johannes Radebe
- Kai Widdrington
- Karen Hauer
- Katya Jones
- Nadiya Bychkova
- Nancy Xu
- Neil Jones
- Nikita Kuzmin
- Oti Mabuse
Strictly 2021 Judges
All three of last year’s judges – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas – are back on the panel in 2021. There’s still no Bruno Tonioli though. The energetic Italian is busy judging another dance competition in the USA.
But don’t panic. The producers have come up with the perfect replacement for Bruno – Anton du Beke. The 55-year-old has been a mainstay of the show and has had some memorable moments, including a second-place finish in 2019 with Emma Barton. After his guest judge appearance in 2020, we think he’ll be – to quote Craig – fabulous darling.
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2020?
Remember the 2020 edition of the show? Wow – what a surprise that was! Quirky comedian Bill Bailey of Black Books and Buzzcocks fame danced his way to the Glitterball with partner Oti Mabuse.
A 66/1 outsider ahead of the launch, Craig Revel Horwood even admitted he thought the comic “would be the Ann Widdicombe of the series”. But some sensational routines saw him beat early favourites Maisie Smith and HRVY. Who could forget his stupendous Couple’s Choice to the Sugarhill Gang classic Rapper’s Delight?
