Strictly Come Dancing has launched its 24th series with a transformed presenting team and fresh energy, as celebrities discovered their professional dance partners for the first time during the launch broadcast on 19 September 2026.
The show drew an average audience of 5.3 million viewers with a 49.2% overnight share, representing a 7% increase compared to the previous year's launch. According to reports on the launch figures, the episode peaked at 5.8 million viewers, and the programme remained among the most-watched content on the BBC's streaming service throughout Sunday.
Broadcaster Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and former Strictly professional Johannes Radebe made their presenting debuts, succeeding Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who departed the show last year. The BBC confirmed this marks the first time the show has featured a three-person presenting line-up.
Fifteen celebrities stepped onto the ballroom floor for the first time, including actress Melanie Walters, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, EastEnders star Lacey Turner, and reality television personality Dani Dyer, who returns after withdrawing from the previous series due to a fractured ankle.
How were the pairings revealed?
The celebrity and professional dancer pairings were unveiled through an innovative format featuring three specially choreographed dance routines. The reveal functioned as a musical chairs sequence, with contestants switching partners as the music played until it paused and a couple was formally announced to the studio audience.
The complete list of pairings for the 2026 series is as follows: Lacey Turner with Vito Coppola, Dani Dyer with Nikita Kuzmin, Chris Appleton with Amy Dowden, Delta Goodrem with Kai Widdrington, Cach Mercer with Maddie Ingoldsby, Will Best with Dianne Buswell, Dame Sarah Storey with Julian Caillon, Jaime Winstone with Carlos Gu, Bethany Antonia with Nancy Xu, Shaun Wright-Phillips with Alexis Warr, Graeme Hall with Lauren Oakley, Lawrence Robb with Jowita Przystał, Tabby Stoecker with Mark Karmalita, John Nellis with Katya Jones, and Melanie Walters with Aljaž Škorjanec.
What made some pairings particularly significant?
Dani Dyer expressed her delight at being reunited with Nikita Kuzmin, stating
I'm just over the Moon. I'm so, so happy, while Kuzmin revealed he had
tears of joyin his eyes upon learning of their partnership.
Bethany Antonia and professional Nancy Xu became the third all-female couple to compete in the show's history. Antonia disclosed that watching boxer Nicola Adams and Katya Jones perform together during Strictly's 2020 series had been instrumental in her personal journey, saying
watching boxer Nicola Adams and Katya Jones performing together in Strictly's 2020 series had been a big part of my coming out journey.
Reigning champion Karen Carney made a special appearance, recreating the Jive that established her as a frontrunner during her winning series. Dressed in the same diamante-encrusted football shirt, she performed alongside her professional partner Carlos Gu. Following the routine, Carney told Willis
I absolutely feel like I'm at home, paying tribute to her dance partner's contribution to her victory.
Who are the new professional dancers?
Five new professional dancers joined the Strictly cast for the 2026 series: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita, representing the UK, Canada, Italy, South Africa and Ukraine respectively. The newcomers made a striking entrance during the launch show, performing an energetic routine that began atop an enormous encaged disco ball.
How did the new presenting team perform?
Willis described presenting Strictly as a
genuine honour. Radebe, drawing on his experience as a former professional dancer on the show, complimented Widdicombe by saying
Josh, you've got moves. Widdicombe acknowledged the magnitude of the role, noting it was
a little bit overwhelmingbut that he was
delightedto be there.
Critical reception of the three-presenter format proved mixed. Reviewers questioned whether the trio represented an improvement over the long-established partnership of Daly and Winkleman. Writing in the Independent, critics Rachel McGrath and Lauren Morris acknowledged that while
at times, when the three of them were all together, it did feel a little crowded, they concluded the team was
certainly off to a good start. They noted that Willis appeared to be undertaking the majority of the presenting duties, which they characterised as appropriate given her extensive experience in broadcasting.
Michael Hogan, writing in 's live blog, observed that Willis
seemed completely at home and smoothly steered the ship, while describing Radebe as
a legendwhose understanding of the competition from a professional perspective would prove valuable. However, he suggested that Widdicombe's
loud laughing into his mic might need to be turned down, though he ultimately deemed it
a promising start.
Emine Saner, writing for , characterised the presenting approach as combining
can't-quite-believe-we-got-the-gig humility combined with superfan credentials, which is absolutely the right note. She noted that
the presenters look terrified and some of the celebs are hard to identify, but Strictly remains a rare refuge of joy.
Telegraph critic Anita Singh expressed reservations about Widdicombe's inclusion, asking
Why has the BBC hired jokeless Josh?However, she revised her initial concerns about Radebe's transition from dancing to presenting, finding him
so at home in the studio, and so genuine in his interactions with the celebrities and professionals. She characterised Willis as
great, a pro who could do this job in her sleep.
Sasha Morris of the Express offered a more critical assessment, declaring that
Strictly's new Tess and Claudia are total car crash. She described Widdicombe as looking
like a deer in headlights and was completely out of his depth from start to finish, and noted that both male presenters appeared
wide-eyed, nodding and smiling as if they were being held hostage, while charismatic Emma showed them up, moving seamlessly from one position to the next. Morris suggested that
having three presenters seemed unnecessary, too, as if the bosses didn't feel they could trust Josh or Johannes to hold a role on their own.
How did the judges feature in the launch?
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke took a more limited role during the launch show compared to regular episodes. Nevertheless, Revel Horwood maintained his reputation for acerbic commentary, directing a critique at broadcaster Will Best's hip movement, declaring
Call in the paramedics darling, dislocation - my goodness.
What were the viewing figures?
Saturday's launch episode attracted 200,000 more viewers at its peak than the previous year's opening show. The BBC noted that overnight figures did not represent the complete picture of viewership, as substantial numbers of audiences accessed the programme through catch-up viewing. According to BBC publicity materials, the previous series had averaged 7.8 million viewers on 28-day BARB data, with 8.6 million watching the Grand Final, establishing Strictly as the broadcaster's biggest entertainment title for viewer hours.
What happens next?
The first live show of the 2026 series is scheduled for the following Saturday, 26 September, at 18:15 on BBC One. This will mark the first occasion the new presenting team must manage the show in real time without the safety net of pre-recording. According to the BBC programme schedule, subsequent episodes will continue weekly. Within thirteen weeks, the reigning champion Karen Carney will be required to surrender her glitterball trophy to a new victor.
Key Facts:
- The launch episode achieved an average audience of 5.3 million with a 49.2% overnight share, up 7% year-on-year
- Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe form the first three-person presenting line-up in the show's history
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu represent the third all-female pairing to compete on Strictly
- Five new professional dancers from five different countries joined the cast for 2026
- The first live show airs on 26 September 2026 at 18:15 on BBC One
