Strictly Come Dancing 2026: Josh Widdicombe, the Full Line-Up, Pro Pairings, Scores and Viewing Figures

Who is in the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 line-up?

Fifteen celebrities are competing in series 24. Here they are with their professional partners and what they are known for, following Wikipedia's series 24 page and cross-checked against several launch-week reports.

• Bethany Antonia (House of the Dragon actress) with Nancy Xu
• Cach Mercer (Love Island winner) with Maddie Ingoldsby
• Chris Appleton (celebrity hairstylist) with Amy Dowden
• Dani Dyer (television personality) with Nikita Kuzmin
• Delta Goodrem (Australian singer-songwriter and actress) with Kai Widdrington
• Graeme Hall (trainer from Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly) with Lauren Oakley
• Jaime Winstone (film and television actress) with Carlos Gu
• John Nellis (social media personality) with Katya Jones
• Lacey Turner (EastEnders actress) with Vito Coppola
• Lawrence Robb (Emmerdale actor) with Jowita Przystal
• Melanie Walters (Gavin and Stacey actress) with Aljaz Skorjanec
• Dame Sarah Storey (Paralympic cyclist and swimmer) with Julian Caillon
• Shaun Wright-Phillips (England footballer and pundit) with Alexis Warr
• Tabby Stoecker (Olympic skeleton racer) with Mark Karmalita
• Will Best (television and radio presenter) with Dianne Buswell

Two storylines run through the list. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu are this year's same-sex pairing, and Nancy is returning after sitting out the 2025 series. And Dani Dyer is back with Nikita Kuzmin after withdrawing from last year's show with an injury (Wikipedia's series 23 page records that she fractured her ankle and that Amber Davies replaced her).

The professional line-up has changed as well. Five professionals left after series 23: Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Gorka Marquez. Five new professionals joined 14 returning ones: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita. The judging panel is unchanged: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.

Who are the new Strictly presenters, and why did Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman leave?

For over two decades the Saturday night team was Tess Daly and, since 2014, Claudia Winkleman. Wikipedia says Daly co-presented from 2004 to 2025, first alongside Bruce Forsyth and later with Winkleman, and that on October 23, 2025 the two announced they would leave at the end of the 2025 series and its Christmas special. I did not find a stated reason in the material I read, so I will not guess at one.

The replacement is a trio, the first regular three-presenter team in the show's history:

• Emma Willis is a broadcaster born in Birmingham who fronted Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother from 2013 to 2018, has co-presented The Voice UK since 2014, and hosted The Circle before co-hosting Netflix's Love Is Blind: UK.
• Josh Widdicombe is a comedian and presenter known for The Last Leg, for winning the first series of Taskmaster, and for co-hosting the Parenting Hell podcast.
• Johannes Radebe is a South African dancer and choreographer who joined the Strictly professional line-up in 2018, and who with chef John Whaite in series 19 formed the first male same-sex pairing in the UK version.

Reports say the BBC's content officer Kate Phillips highlighted the trio's chemistry, and executive producer Sarah James said their "magic was undeniable the moment they came together." Before the launch, Willis said on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast that "There's no like for like, so no one's kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it's all very kind of open," and Widdicombe joked that the approach would be "like Total Football," with the three "moving everywhere." Willis also said there would definitely be no backstage roving reporter, settling a rumour. Meanwhile, Ellie Taylor has taken over presenting the spin-off show It Takes Two.

Who is Josh Widdicombe, and why is he on Strictly?

Josh Widdicombe was born on April 8, 1983 in Hammersmith, London, grew up in Devon and studied at the University of Manchester, per Wikipedia. His television career runs through The Last Leg (which he has appeared on since 2012), the BBC Three sitcom Josh (2015 to 2017), the panel show Hypothetical with James Acaster (2019 to 2022) and the football nostalgia show Quickly Kevin, Will He Score?. He won the first series of Taskmaster in 2015 and the Champion of Champions special in 2017.

The route to Strictly, though, was a penguin costume. In the 2024 Christmas special he danced a Charleston with professional Karen Hauer to "Let It Snow," both dressed as penguins, and that routine is widely cited as the reason producers noticed him. IBTimes reported that Anton Du Beke awarded it a perfect score. When the news broke, Widdicombe's own reaction was characteristically self-deprecating: "Dancing the Charleston dressed as a penguin for the 2024 Christmas Special of Strictly remains my career high point, so I am giddy with excitement, honoured, and a little overawed to be given the chance to step into the biggest shoes in television." Wikipedia dates the BBC's announcement of the three hosts to May 2026.

Ahead of the first live show he told interviewers he was "terrified," while praising his co-hosts: "Emma and Johannes are just so generous, sweet and funny, they make working on Strictly feel even more exciting and joyous to me." After the first live show, Willis said, "Week one, done. I've never had so much fun! What a way to kick things off."

What happened on the Strictly 2026 launch show?

The launch show aired on September 19, 2026 and was pre-recorded, which is the usual pattern for the opening night. Its big idea was a change to how the pairings were revealed. Instead of the traditional backstage introductions, the show used what reports called a "speed dancing" or "speed-dating" format: celebrities rotated between professionals across a series of choreographed routines before the final partnerships were announced, so that part of the behind-the-scenes chemistry process appeared in the programme itself.

The rest of the evening was familiar in shape. The judging panel and professionals opened the show with a routine, the reigning champions Karen Carney and Carlos Gu performed their winning Jive, and the show closed with the sign-off "keep dancing," which, one report noted, had been the subject of speculation about whether it would survive with multiple presenters. It did. The show ended at 21:24, and the first competitive live show followed on September 26. Reactions to the new format were mixed in the coverage I saw, which is normal for any change to a much-loved show, and I would rather judge it by what the dancing did than by launch-night commentary.

What were the scores in the first live show?

The first live show aired on Saturday, September 26, ran for 150 minutes, and featured all 15 couples dancing for the first time with judges' scores. There was no public vote and no elimination. Here is the leaderboard, with the dance and score for each couple.

1. John Nellis and Katya Jones: Foxtrot to "Ordinary" by Alex Warren, 31 (7, 8, 8, 8)
2. Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington: Samba to "Baiana" by Barbatuques, 29 (7, 8, 7, 7)
3. Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola: Cha-cha-cha to "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, 27 (7, 6, 7, 7)
4. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu: Quickstep to "Stop This Flame" by Celeste, 26 (6, 7, 6, 7)
5. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley: Cha-cha-cha to "Hound Dog" from Smokey Joe's Cafe, 24 (6, 6, 6, 6)
6. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita: Jive to "Animal" by Katseye, 22 (4, 6, 5, 7)
7. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: Samba to "Lush Life" by Zara Larsson, 22 (6, 5, 5, 6)
8. Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu: Tango to "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer, 21 (5, 5, 5, 6)
9. Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal: Paso doble to "Aperture" by Harry Styles, 20 (4, 5, 5, 6)
10. Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby: Quickstep to "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars, 20 (3, 6, 5, 6)
11. Will Best and Dianne Buswell: Samba to "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams, 18 (4, 5, 4, 5)
12. Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden: Tango to "No Roots" by Alice Merton, 16 (3, 4, 4, 5)
13. Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon: Quickstep to "C'est Magnifique" by Kay Starr, 15 (3, 4, 4, 4)
14. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr: Cha-cha-cha to "Lil Boo Thang" by Paul Russell, 15 (2, 4, 4, 5)
15. Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec: Cha-cha-cha to "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee, 15 (2, 4, 4, 5)

Two notes on the data. Wikipedia's series 24 page labels this scoring table as the launch show, but the BBC's own timeline, and every report I read, place the scored dances on September 26, with the September 19 episode as the pre-recorded launch. I have followed the reports. Second, one outlet listed Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola on 26, while Wikipedia and two others give 27 (7, 6, 7, 7); I have used 27.

Couple by couple: what did each pairing show us?

I will take these in leaderboard order. Where judges' comments are reported, I quote them; where they are not, my comments are my own reading of the scores and are labelled that way.

John Nellis and Katya Jones, 31. The night's best score, for a foxtrot. Craig Revel Horwood called it "classy, elegant and graceful," Shirley Ballas said Nellis was "very, very special," and several outlets reported that Motsi Mabuse called it "the best dance of the night." A social media personality opening a series on 31 with a foxtrot, a dance that punishes any lack of poise, is a big statement. It is also a lot of pressure to carry into week 2, and in my view a very high opening score raises the bar for everything after.

Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington, 29. A samba to "Baiana," which the pair took to second place. Craig told her, "Wow, darling. You are one to watch. End of." One report quoted Anton Du Beke calling it "the best of the night," which suggests the top of the panel was split between the two leaders. Goodrem is a singer-songwriter and actress from Australia, and her Movie Week plan, reported by TV Guide, is an American Smooth to "I'll Never Love Again" from A Star Is Born, a song she has an obvious way into.

Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, 27. A cha-cha-cha to "How Will I Know" with the most consistent scores in the top three (7, 6, 7, 7). Coppola is not new to this position. He won series 21 with Ellie Leach, according to the winners list on Wikipedia, and his celebrity this year is an EastEnders star. On my reading of the numbers, this looks like a pair to watch.

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, 26. A quickstep to "Stop This Flame." Craig told her it was "the first bit of good dancing we've seen all night," which is the kind of remark that gets quoted for a week. Her scores of 6, 7, 6, 7 were the most even of anyone in the top four. As the series' same-sex pairing, and as an actress from House of the Dragon, she also arrives with a story, but the dancing has already made its own case.

Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, 24. A cha-cha-cha to "Hound Dog," and four straight sixes. Hall is best known as the trainer from Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. In my opinion, four identical scores is a sign of a competent, likeable performance that the panel could find nothing to argue about, and the next step is finding a dance that lets him stand out.

Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, 22. A jive to KATSEYE's "Animal," with scores of 4, 6, 5 and 7. A three-point gap between the lowest and highest marks suggests one judge saw a lot more in it than another. An Olympic skeleton racer paired with a new professional is a story I will watch with interest, and it is a nice coincidence that the song is by KATSEYE, the same group that was musical guest on SNL's season premiere this week.

Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, 22. A samba to "Lush Life." Dyer returned after withdrawing last year with an ankle injury, and told reporters she was "so happy" to finally perform. It was an emotional comeback rather than a statement score, which is fair.

Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, 21. A tango to "I Feel Love." The tango is one of the harder dances to score in early weeks, and 21 (5, 5, 5, 6) gives room to grow. Gu is the reigning champion's partner from last year (he won series 23 with Karen Carney).

Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal, 20. A paso doble to "Aperture." Przystal is a series winner (2022, with Hamza Yassin), per Wikipedia, and the paso is a dramatic dance to open with. The scores ran from 4 to 6, which suggests there is a lot of room to improve.

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby, 20. A quickstep to Bruno Mars's "I Just Might." The judges' feedback was the most detailed of the night. Craig said, "The whole point of this is that you're learning a new genre of dance. So I'm finding it really difficult to actually judge that." Motsi told him, "you need to learn the rules, you need to learn the ballroom rules so that you can break them," and Shirley agreed, calling him "gifted." It is a note about technique rather than effort, and it is a kind of feedback that can be fixed quickly.

Will Best and Dianne Buswell, 18. A samba to Robbie Williams's "Rock DJ," and the couple chosen to open the live show's dancing after the judges' routine. Buswell won series 22 with Chris McCausland in 2024. A score of 18 is a modest start but not a worrying one for a presenter with a long broadcasting career.

Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden, 16. A tango to "No Roots." Appleton is a celebrity hairstylist, and his Movie Week dance is reported to be a cha-cha to the Baywatch theme. That is a strong comic premise and a chance to reset.

Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, 15. A quickstep to "C'est Magnifique." Storey is a Paralympic cyclist and swimmer, and Caillon and Balvinder Sopal, his partner last year, hold the show's record for dance-off victories, having been saved by the judges five times (per Wikipedia).

Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, 15. A cha-cha-cha to "Lil Boo Thang." Warr was a co-runner-up in 2025 with George Clarke. A first-week score of 15 leaves plenty of room to climb.

Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, 15. A cha-cha-cha to "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." Skorjanec won series 11 with Abbey Clancy in 2013. Walters is best known from Gavin and Stacey.

How many people watched Strictly 2026, and is it down on last year?

The headline figures, as reported by the BBC and repeated by PinkNews, AOL and others, are these. The pre-recorded launch show on September 19 averaged 5.3 million viewers with a peak of 5.8 million and a 49.2% share of the overnight audience. The first live show on September 26 averaged 4.8 million across its two and a half hours, peaking at 5 million, and it was the most-watched programme of the night. That is down from the 6.2 million average that the equivalent show drew in 2025, a fall of roughly 1.4 million. The BBC's own comment was that "overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world," and the Saturday episode was reported to be at the top of the iPlayer chart.

There are three things I would keep in mind before reading anything into the dip.

First, competition. The first live show went up against England versus Spain on ITV1, according to PinkNews, which is precisely the type of fixture that pulls a big audience.

Second, the measure. The figures above are overnight numbers, which count people watching on the night and do not include catch-up viewing in the following days. The 2025 numbers I found on Wikipedia are consolidated, which is a different and generally higher measure: the 2025 launch show at 6.55 million, the series average excluding the launch at 7.40 million, and the final on December 20, 2025 at 8.49 million, which ranked as the number one programme on UK television that week. One outlet described this year's launch as a 7% increase on the previous year's launch, which does not fit neatly with the consolidated 2025 figure, and I suspect the two are counting different things. If you see a headline that says the show is up or down, check whether it is comparing like with like.

Third, timing. It is one live show. The figures for Movie Week and beyond will say far more about how audiences are responding to the new team than the first Saturday can.

How does Strictly scoring and voting work?

Strictly's rules look complicated to newcomers but follow a simple logic, and this year's structure has one feature worth explaining because it affects the first two weeks.

The judges' scores. Each of the four judges (Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke) gives each dance a mark out of 10, so the maximum for a couple in a week is 40. That is what the leaderboard shows.

The public vote and how it is combined. Wikipedia explains the combining method this way: the judges' scores rank the couples, and the public vote produces a separate ranking, and both rankings are turned into points. With ten contestants left, for example, the judges' favourite would receive ten points, the second favourite nine and so on, and the same applies to the viewers' ranking, with the lowest-ranked couple receiving one point. The two point totals are added together, and the two couples with the lowest combined total go into the dance-off. On series 24's page, public votes serve as the tiebreaker when totals are level.

The dance-off. The bottom two couples dance again, and the judges decide who stays. Wikipedia says that if three judges agree on one couple, that couple is saved without the head judge's vote counting, and that when the judges split two to two the casting vote decides. Since series 23 the casting vote has rotated between the judges rather than always belonging to the head judge.

How the public votes. Wikipedia describes voting as by telephone, but a viewer guide I read says phone voting has been discontinued in the UK and that the only route is online through a BBC account, with viewers receiving three votes to spread across couples and voting opening once all couples have danced and staying open for about 25 minutes. Because those two sources disagree, I would check the BBC's official voting page before relying on either.

Why there was no elimination yet. In week 1 the judges' scores were recorded but there was no public vote. Culture Cues reported that all 15 couples were safely through to their second dances and that the week 1 scores will be combined with week 2's judging before anyone faces elimination. The first public vote is therefore on Saturday, October 3, after Movie Week, and the first elimination is revealed on Sunday, October 4. Wikipedia notes that the Sunday results show is pre-recorded on Saturday night after the vote closes.

What is next for Strictly? The schedule and how to watch

Strictly airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Week 2 is Movie Week, which TV Guide lists for Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6:15 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. on BBC One. The results show and the first elimination follow on Sunday, October 4. A new companion show, Strictly: Lights Up, hosted by Abi Clarke and Tyler West, is set to debut on BBC iPlayer straight after the October 4 results show, per Culture Cues. Wikipedia's episode table runs to Week 13, ending on December 19, 2026.

For Movie Week, four couples' plans were reported at the time of writing: - Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington: an American Smooth to "I'll Never Love Again" from A Star Is Born - Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden: a cha-cha to the Baywatch theme - Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu: a cha-cha to "Oh, Pretty Woman" from Pretty Woman - Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: a dance to Beauty and the Beast

On the rest of the calendar, Wikipedia lists Halloween Week, Blackpool Week and Musicals Week among the recurring themed weeks, but it places Movie Week at week 3 in its general description, whereas this year's schedule has it in week 2, so I would not assume the other themed weeks fall on their usual numbers. I could not verify how to watch outside the UK, so I have left that out.

Who are the five new professional dancers?

Five professionals joined the line-up for series 24, according to AOL's profile of them, and one of them, Maddie Ingoldsby, and another, Mark Karmalita, are already partnered with celebrities.

• Aleksandra Isaeva (Ukraine) is a top-21 ranked Latin dancer with top-10 placements at European and Dutch championships.
• Cristian Priori (Italy) is Isaeva's dance partner, a four-time Italian Latin champion who has spent eight years in the world's top 24.
• Lethabo Monametsi (South Africa) won the Dance Yo Dumo competition, has performed alongside Diana Ross and Hans Zimmer, and holds a law degree.
• Maddie Ingoldsby (UK, from Bournemouth) is a 21-year-old UK National Ballroom champion and eight-time Amateur 10-Dance World Champion, and has prior Strictly experience. She is partnered with Cach Mercer.
• Mark Karmalita (Canada) is a two-time Canadian national Latin champion. He is partnered with Tabby Stoecker.

The professionals who left are Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Gorka Marquez. Johannes Radebe, of course, has moved from the dance floor to the presenting desk.

How does series 24 compare with the show's history?

Strictly Come Dancing debuted on BBC One on May 15, 2004. Its title combines the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom with the long-running Come Dancing, and in 2010 Guinness World Records called it the world's most successful reality television format. The format has been exported as Dancing with the Stars to some 60 countries. By the end of series 23 it had produced 490 episodes. Craig Revel Horwood is the only judge who has been with the show since the start and, according to Wikipedia, has missed only one episode in its history.

The show has always evolved. The dance-off was introduced in series 5. The first same-sex couple, Nicola Adams and Katya Jones, appeared in series 18 in 2020, and John Whaite and Johannes Radebe became the first all-male pairing in series 19 in 2021 and finished as runners-up. Oti Mabuse became the first professional to win in consecutive years, in 2019 and 2020. The casting vote began rotating among the judges in series 23.

Here is a snapshot of recent winners, from Wikipedia's list: - 2019: Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse - 2020: Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse - 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice - 2022: Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal - 2023: Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola - 2024: Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell - 2025: Karen Carney and Carlos Gu

The winners' list shows something that matters for this year's pairings: several of the professionals now partnered with celebrities are past winners. Coppola (2023), Przystal (2022), Buswell (2024), Gu (2025), Skorjanec (2013 with Abbey Clancy) and Jones (2017 with Joe McFadden) have all lifted the glitterball. That is a lot of experience across the 15 couples, which is exactly why the early scoreboard is a poor predictor of the final.

What is genuinely new in series 24 is the presenting structure. Three presenters at once is a first, the logo was changed for the first time since series 8 (per Wikipedia), and the launch show reworked the pairing reveal. The stability lies in the panel, the format and the scoring. It feels like a show renewing its front of house while keeping its foundations intact.

Which couple should you root for? A mood-based guide

Because this site is about matching mood to viewing, here is how I would choose a favourite from the first live show. These picks are built from the scores and reported comments, and they are my suggestions, not predictions.

If you want elegance and craft, follow John Nellis and Katya Jones. A 31 for a foxtrot, praised by the judges as classy, elegant and graceful, is the show's clearest example of a celebrity who looks at home in a ballroom.

If you want a star turn, follow Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington. Craig's "You are one to watch" is high praise, and her Movie Week plan is a nice fit for a singer.

If you want warmth and a comeback, follow Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin. Her return after last year's injury was the most emotional storyline of the launch, and she was happy simply to be dancing.

If you want a story about technique versus instinct, follow Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby. The judges' notes about learning the rules before breaking them are the sort of feedback that either produces a breakthrough or a stubborn standoff, and both are watchable.

If you want drama, follow Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal. A paso doble is a dramatic dance to open with, and the scores have a lot of room to rise.

If you want quiet consistency, follow Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley. Four sixes suggest a couple the judges have no complaints about.

If you want a comic turn, watch Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden's Baywatch cha-cha in Movie Week.

If you liked this, what should you try next?

If Josh Widdicombe's arrival is what drew you in, the obvious next watch is the 2024 Christmas special Charleston, the penguin routine that started it all. If you are interested in the show's history of firsts, the series 19 run of John Whaite and Johannes Radebe, who finished as runners-up with an average score of 35.8, is worth revisiting, particularly now that Radebe is presenting. Series 22, won by Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, and series 23, won by Karen Carney and Carlos Gu with a final that drew 8.49 million viewers, are the two most recent finals to catch up on. And from October 4, the new iPlayer companion, Strictly: Lights Up, and the long-running It Takes Two, now presented by Ellie Taylor, are the places to go for behind-the-scenes talk.

My honest take on Strictly 2026

First, the disclosure: I am writing this from the UK coverage, the BBC's numbers and Wikipedia's tables, not from a seat in the studio, and I want to be clear about which parts are reporting and which are opinion.

My main opinion is that the BBC made a sensible change. Replacing two presenters who had been the face of the show for over twenty years is a risky move, and the decision to add a third voice, and to make him a former professional dancer, was a smart way to avoid the trap of trying to copy the old dynamic. Emma Willis said it better than I can: there is "no like for like." I think that is the right attitude. The show does not need someone to be Tess or Claudia; it needs a team that finds its own rhythm, and one live show is far too soon to judge whether they have.

I find Josh Widdicombe an interesting choice for a reason that is easy to miss. He is a comedian with a long record of being funny about awkwardness, and he arrived at Strictly through a joke, a penguin Charleston. If the producers wanted a presenter who can admit that ballroom dancing is a bit ridiculous and still love it, they picked well. His own line about being "terrified" of the live show is exactly the honest nervousness that a live audience tends to warm to. A presenting team is a relationship, and relationships are built over weeks.

Second, the ratings. A drop from 6.2 million to 4.8 million on the first live show looks alarming in a headline, but it comes with three caveats I set out above: a big football match on the other channel, overnight rather than consolidated figures, and one episode of a 13-week run. I would not be surprised to see the numbers recover, and I would not be surprised if they do not. The honest answer is that it is too early. What I will say is that the BBC's claim that Strictly remained the most-watched programme of its night is a reminder that even a soft opening is still a big audience by any modern television standard.

Third, the dancing. The best thing about a first live show is that the numbers already tell stories. I love that Nellis opened on 31 with a foxtrot, because it breaks the assumption that a social media personality will be the comic relief. I love that three couples are tied on 15 at the bottom, because it means the public vote has real work to do. And I love that Cach Mercer got specific technical notes rather than a shrug, because it means the judges are treating him as a serious competitor. The panel, by all reports, is doing its job.

Fourth, and this is a mild reservation, I am still a little unsure about the launch show's "speed dancing" concept. The idea of revealing pairings through dance rather than a backstage chat is a smart way to bring the rehearsal-room chemistry on screen, and reports say it worked well enough. But it is hard to tell how much a viewer learns about a partnership from a few short routines, and I would be curious to see whether the format survives into next year.

Finally, a word about what I will be watching for. The first elimination will tell us how the public is responding, because there are no votes yet to muddy the picture. The three couples on 15 at the bottom have plenty of time, and the show has a long record of couples who started low and improved. I would not write anyone off after one dance. If I have one wish for the coming weeks, it is that the show lets the dancing lead and the new presenters settle in around it. That, after all, is what has kept it going since 2004.

Frequently asked questions

When did Strictly Come Dancing 2026 start? The pre-recorded launch show aired on Saturday, September 19, 2026 on BBC One, and the first live show followed on September 26.

Who are the Strictly 2026 presenters? Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, the first regular three-presenter team in the show's history. They replaced Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Who is Josh Widdicombe? An English comedian and presenter known for The Last Leg and for winning the first series of Taskmaster. He danced a penguin Charleston in the 2024 Strictly Christmas special.

Who are the judges on Strictly 2026? Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, the same panel as last year.

Who topped the leaderboard in the first live show? John Nellis and Katya Jones with 31 points for a foxtrot, ahead of Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington on 29 and Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola on 27.

Who is at the bottom of the leaderboard? Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, and Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, all tied on 15.

Was anyone eliminated in week 1? No. There was no public vote in week 1, and the scores carry over into week 2. The first elimination is on Sunday, October 4.

How many people watched the first live show? An average of 4.8 million, peaking at 5 million, down from 6.2 million for the equivalent 2025 show. It was still the most-watched programme of its night.

How does Strictly scoring work? Each of four judges scores out of 10 for a maximum of 40. Judges' and public rankings are converted to points and combined, and the bottom two couples face a dance-off decided by the judges.

Which couple is the same-sex pairing this year? Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, who scored 26 for a quickstep in the first live show.

Where can I watch Strictly Come Dancing 2026? On BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Week 2 is Movie Week on Saturday, October 3, from 6:15 p.m.

How much do you know about Strictly and the shows you love? Take the series quiz and find out.