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Don’t phone in, it’s just for fun
Remember, there’s no voting tonight. And when it does return for next week’s inaugural live show, you’ll only be able to vote online.
The phone vote has been scrapped, a move which has been criticised for disenfranchising older viewers who prefer to call in. However, Strictly is just falling in line with the likes of Eurovision and Sports Personality Of The Year, which have also gone online-only.
A mere 15 minutes to wait…
Arrivals, departures and baby bumps among pros
There’s been some reshuffling of the professional troupe in the off-season. Gorka “The Corker” Márquez is off to judge the Spanish version of Strictly, so will only appear in this launch show and then towards the end of the series. He won’t get a celebrity partner and neither will Luba Mushtuk, Nancy Xu (sob) nor Ginger Neil.
We’ll meet two new pros in America’s Alexis Warr and Australia’s Julian Caillon, who’ll both get a big introduction tonight.
And congratulations to reigning pro champ Dianne Buswell, who announced last weekend that she’s expecting a baby son with partner Joe Sugg, making her the first pregnant professional ever to compete on Strictly. Aww.
Not long until the glittery clapperboard comes down…
Not all bad news
All the bad press didn’t dent Strictly’s popularity at the recent viewer-voted National Television Awards. The show picked up the Best Talent Show prize for an impressive 10th year in a row. This followed spring’s BAFTA for Most Memorable TV Moment. That Strictly trophy cabinet continues to fill up.
It’s just 20 minutes until glittery curtain-up…
Another summer of Strictly scandal
It’s not been as bad as last year’s Great Unpleasantness (aka The Bullying Inquiry That Must Not Be Mentioned) but it’s certainly not been an ideal build-up to Strictly’s comeback. Wynne Evans and Jamie Borthwick were both relieved of their BBC duties after being caught making unsavoury comments and an ableist slur respectively.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into reports of on-set cocaine use and also arrested a former Strictly star on suspicion of rape and non-consensual intimate image abuse. Even longtime co-host Tess Daly hadn’t escaped criticism, with complaints about her cashing in on her profile with lucrative commercial deals.
To make matters worse, one of this season’s celebrity contestants, Apprentice alumnus Thomas Skinner, has been attracting lurid tabloid coverage for marital infidelity. He promptly caused a kerfuffle at a Strictly press day when he grabbed a journalist’s phone and stormed out.
All a bit grim and grubby. Such tawdry tales tend to hit Strictly hard, since they undermine its inclusive, supportive, wholesome, family-friendly image. Why aren’t we allowed nice things? Can the show itself shrug off the negativity and restore our faith again?
It’s half-an-hour until the clock strikes sequins…
Dust off your dancing shoes for Strictly 2025!
Strictly is back! And almost as importantly, it’s our first sequin-spangled liveblog of the year. Good evening all and welcome to the 23rd series of Strictly Come Dancing. I’m Michael, your cyber dance partner from now until Christmas. I hope you’ll join me for another life-affirming, jazzhand-waving autumn of escapist entertainment.
Tonight’s pre-recorded launch show sees our 15 eager new celebrities paired up with their professionals partners. This is followed by our first opportunity to assess their hoofing potential as everyone hits the Elstree Studios floor for ye olde traditional curtain-raising group number. It promises to be the usual chaotic crowd scene of dad-dancing, disco moves and comedy gurning at the camera.
It’s been another turbulent lead-in to this year’s series, with the show attracting negative headlines and being tainted by more scandal. More on that shortly. Tonight is our first chance to see if the BBC ballroom behemoth can keep its sparkle.
It’s showtime at 6.40pm on BBC One. I’ll be liveblogging from 6.10pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reader reaction and medium-spiced snark. So dig your dancing shoes out of the cupboard where you stuffed them nine long months ago and I’ll see you on the sofa. Strictly season has quickstepped into view. Yes, it’s all freewheeling from here until Christmas.
I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan (I stubbornly refuse to call it X), contact me on Bluesky or Threads @michaelhogan100, email me [email protected] and the comments section below is back open for ballroom badinage. I’ll cha-cha slide down there every now and again to wave hello and gauge your reaction to the show, so please do share your thoughts.
Are we all ready to rumba again? My typing fingers are limbered up and Len’s Lens has been respectfully polished. Nearly time to staaaaaart pro-celebrity pairing!
