The glitz and glamour of Strictly is fast approaching.
As is tradition, the contestants for this year’s series have now been confirmed, courtesy of the BBC. Alongside this news, the release date was also confirmed, and was in line with rumours.
Here’s everything we know so far about series 23 of Strictly Come Dancing.
When is Strictly coming back?
The BBC has now confirmed that Strictly Come Dancing will return on Saturday, 20 September 2025 , with the launch show.
After the pre-recorded launch show, the live competition will air every Saturday through to December. The final episode will air on Saturday, 20 December 2025 .
We also have release date predictions for Bake Off and Celebrity Race Across the World .
Who are the Strictly contestants and professionals?
All the contestants for the show have now been confirmed:
- Olympic sprinter and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey aka Nitro
- TV personality and broadcaster Dani Dyer
- Actress and Doctor Who star Alex Kingston
- Former footballer and manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
- Actress and EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal
- YouTuber and podcaster George Clarke
- Drag performer and presenter La Voix
- Former England rugby union player Chris Robshaw
- Disability model and author Ellie Goldstein
- Former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner
- TV presenter and podcaster Vicky Pattison
- Former Neighbours star Stefan Dennis
- Presenter and writer Ross King
- Former footballer and pundit Karen Carney
- Game of Thrones star and DJ Kristian Nairn
The pairings won’t be announced until the launch.
The professional dancers returning for 2025 are Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon are two new dancers joining the series, and both have appeared on Dancing with the Stars – the American and Australian versions, respectively.
Who are the Strictly 2025 presenters and judges?
Once again, Tess Daley and Claudia Winkelman are returning to host the main show. Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke are all back on the judging panel.
Janette Manrara and Fleur East will return to host the It Takes Two spin-off show, which interviews pairings and goes behind the scenes into the production, costumes and training for the competition.
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2024?
Last year, comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell made history when they lifted the glitterball trophy, as Chris was the first blind contestant to compete on the show. The pair inspired viewers at home, proving that anything is possible – all with good humour.
McCausland faced competition from Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, and Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec.
How to watch Strictly Come Dancing from abroad
As always, Strictly will be shown on BBC One. You can watch on your TV as the episode airs, or on BBC iPlayer 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 .
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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