When is Strictly coming back?

Strictly 2021 doesn’t yet have an air date, but we can take an educated guess for when it will release. 

Before the pandemic, Strictly used to air in September. However, last year it kicked off on the 24 October, and ran for nine episodes rather than the usual 13. 

Head judge Shirley Ballas stated on a that she’s heard that the crew are looking to go back to the usual 13 episode slot now that they’re “getting used to the COVID thing”. 

If that is the case, then we could see Strictly return in September 2021, likely with the launch show where the partners couple up. 

Who are the Strictly contestants?

The BBC hasn’t yet confirmed the official Strictly contestants thus far, but as usual there’s a whole lot of rumours circulating about who it could be. 

Reality star and luxury estate agent Christine Quinn from Selling Sunset has visited the UK for an unknown project in September, which many suspect to be Strictly. 

Ski Jumper Eddie the Eagle has reportedly been asked for previous seasons, but is often booked up with other events. Perhaps this is the year that the stars align?

Radio DJ Maya Jama has been linked to the show, as has former footballer and pundit Rio Ferdinand. Of course all of this is speculation, and we’ll likely hear more in the coming weeks. 

Who are the Strictly professionals?

There’s some fan favourites returning to the dance floor this year, as well as some new faces. The returning pros are:

• Aljaž Škorjanec
• Amy Dowden
• Dianne Buswell
• Giovanni Pernice
• Gorka Marquez
• Graziano Di Prima
• Johannes Radebe
• Karen Hauer
• Katya Jones
• Luba Mushtuk
• Nadiya Bychkova
• Nancy Xu
• Neil Jones
• Oti Mabuse

Joining them will be Kai Widdrington, a World Junior Latin American Champion and a finalist on Britain’s Got Talent. Pro from Let’s Dance Germany and sixth-time champion in Italy Nikita Kuzmin is taking to the floor, as is Polish champion Cameron Lombard. 

Winner of The Greatest Dancer Jowita Przystal has already performed on the Strictly dancefloor, and will also be the only new female professional joining the Strictly family. 

Fans of the show may be sad to hear that long-time pros Anton Du Beke and Janette Manrara will not be competing this year. However, that’s because they’ve moved into other roles for the show. Speaking of which…

Who are the Strictly 2021 judges?

Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood will all be back on the judging panel – but sadly Bruno Tonioli will not be back this time due to uncertainty around travel and his commitments to judging on the US show, Dancing With The Stars.

Instead, long-standing pro Anton Du Beke will take over. Anton did actually guest judge for a few episodes last season when Motsi could not due to self-isolating, so has had a taste for the job. 

Bruno did state that this more of a ‘filling in’ type of role, which hints that it’s not a permanent thing. We may see the Italian back on the panel in 2022 – restrictions depending of course. 

Who are the Strictly presenters?

Once again, Tess Daley and Claudia Winkelman will be returning to host the main show. However, the accompanying weekday series It Takes Two will be getting a shake-up. 

Long-time host Zoe Ball has stepped down as the host, and will be replaced by professional dancer, Janette Manrara. She will co-present the series with Rylan Clark-Neal.

Whilst we haven’t had any confirmation on the official Strictly podcast, we assume that Joe Sugg and Kim Winston will be back to give more insights and gossip into the competition for audio listeners. 

Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2020?

Comedian and musician Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse managed to snag the glitterball trophy, fending off fierce competition in the finale from EastEnders actress Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez, Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer, and musician HRVY and Janette Manrara.

This win marks two Strictly firsts: the oldest competition winner thus far, and the first pro to win two years running – Oti also lifted the glitterball trophy with Kelvin Fletcher in 2019. 

How to watch outside of the UK

As always, Strictly will be shown on BBC One. You can watch on your TV as the episode airs, or on 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.