After months of casting reveals, format speculation and rumours of big changes, Strictly Come Dancing made its big return last night, ushering in a brand new era.
The 2026 series kicked off with a launch show on BBC One on Saturday (19 September) night and with its longtime hosts gone, the big question was whether Strictly has kept its sparkle.
New presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe took to the ballroom floor with a freshened-up format and while we’ll need to wait until the first live show next week to get a proper feel for Strictly 2.0, the trio are certainly off to a good start.
Willis seemed to play the biggest role out of the three in the opening show, although that isn’t a huge surprise at this stage; the broadcaster has the most experience presenting on live TV out of the three.
With plenty of hosting ahead of them, Willis, Widdicombe and Radebe will surely find their feet in this new dynamic over the coming weeks – particularly with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s distinct studio roles being scrapped for an “evenly distributed” presenting format.
We were given a taste of how that will work in the launch episode, which saw each of the Class of 2026 celebrities paired up with their professional partners. Here’s how everything went on the night – and our initial thoughts on the revamp.
Key Points
- Strictly 2026: a mini review of the night
- This year's Strictly couples revealed
- Emma Willis labelled 'perfect' as hosts make debut
- Same-sex couple unveiled as fans given first look at bookies' favourite
- Watch: Chaotic new 'pairing dance' format
- Meet the new professional dancers
Strictly 2026: a mini review of the night
Saturday 19 September 2026 21:21 , Rachel McGrathThat was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?
Given that tonight’s show was pre-recorded, it didn’t really give us a proper picture of how the new hosts will do. But I feel like they’re off to a good start! Emma Willis is undoubtedly doing the heavy lifting, but that makes sense as she is the presenter with the most experience.
At times, when the three of them were all together, it did feel a little crowded - but there is more than enough presenting to go around, so hopefully they manage to divvy up the jobs correctly.
And the pairings, as usual, seem very well matched. I think I’m most excited to see Nancy and Bethany as this year’s same-sex pairing, and I love Lacey and Vito already.
This year's Strictly pairs revealed
Saturday 19 September 2026 21:06 , Rachel McGrathHere’s the full list...
• Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
• Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
• Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden
• Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin
• Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington
• Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley
• Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu
• John Nellis and Katya Jones
• Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
• Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał
• Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec
• Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon
• Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr
• Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita
• Will Best and Dianne Buswell.
Who is Maddie Ingoldsby?
Saturday 19 September 2026 21:03 , Rachel McGrathCach is with Maddie Ingoldsby - one of the five new pros in the ballroom this year.
Hailing from Bournemouth, the 21-year-old is a former child star who has appeared in the West End production of Annie.
Maddie has technically already made a Strictly debut of sorts too, as she popped up on It Takes Two last year, before going on to appear in a group dance in the Christmas special.
When it comes to dance accolades, Maddie has plenty: she's the UK National Ballroom Champion and an eight-time Amateur 10-Dance World Champion, and has previously been crowned World Rising Star and Under 21 World Ballroom Champion. Not bad, eh?
We have our final five pairs!
Saturday 19 September 2026 21:02 , Rachel McGrathThey are:
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
- Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden
- Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley
- Will Best and Dianne Buswell
- John Nellis and Katya Jones.
Will and Dianne are a brilliant pairing. In our interview, Will said the professional he'd been paired with was the one who'd made him "cry with laughter" during the chemistry tests, and I reckon they'll have a lot of fun in the training room.
Chris and Amy: Also love. Amy had both a short and tough time on the show last year, having been paired with Tom 'Bosh' Skinner. I really hope I'm not jinxing it but surely she'll make it past the first dance-off this time around.
And if you don't know who Graeme 'The Dogfather' Hall is, then shame on you: He's a staple in my household. Not kidding. Graeme is best known for Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, which is basically Supernanny for dogs. Don't knock it until you've watched it, ok?
I do have to say, as much as I love the guy, Graeme has early exit written all over him... Who knows though! He might surprise us. Stranger things have happened...
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:47 , Rachel McGrathWe’re onto the final bit of launch show business now as we have just five celebrities left to be paired up.
They are: Cach Mercer, Chris Appleton, Graeme Hall, John Nellis and Will Best.
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:42 , Rachel McGrathAwww, last year’s champ Karen is back!
They’re performing their Jive one more time, which is the first dance they ever performed together.
They then did the routine again in last year’s final (which feels like a lifetime ago?)...
Watch: This year's same-sex couple revealed in pairing dance
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:38 , Rachel McGrathThe second of tonight’s three pairing dances revealed this year’s same-sex couple - and gave us a look at bookies’ favourite Lawrence Robb in action.
Who is Mark Karmalita?
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:31 , Rachel McGrathTabby has been paired with Mark, one of the new pros.
Aged 23, Mark is a Latin champion, having twice been named National Latin Champion in his native Canada, as well as an Empire Dance US Latin Rising Star Champion.
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:31 , Rachel McGrathAnd there we have it! The next five pairs are...
- Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr
- Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita
- Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał
- Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu.
I am very excited for Bethany and Nancy.
Nancy hasn't had a celebrity partner since the 2024 series so it's lovely to see her in the spotlight again. And she’s such an amazing choreographer - I cannot wait to see what she pulls out of the bag for Bethany.
Emmerdale star Lawrence is one to watch too. He’s the bookies’ favourite.
As for Shaun - he’s good vibes, isn’t he? I interviewed Will Best the morning after this launch episode was filmed and he could not stop talking about how fun Shaun is to watch.
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:24 , Rachel McGrathOk, Bethany is going to be in a same-sex couple! That’s very exciting.
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:16 , Rachel McGrathWe’re onto the next five celebrities being paired.
Next up it’s Tabby Stoecker, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Lawrence Robb, Delta Goodrem and Bethany Antonia.
The first group was all female, whereas this one is mixed… could that suggest we’re about to get a same-sex pair?
Watch: First five pairs revealed
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:13 , Rachel McGrathIf you’re not tuning in to the show as well as following along here, then don’t worry: We can also bring you clips of the key moments.
Here’s that first pairings dance, which saw Dani reunite with Nikita...
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:12 , Rachel McGrathThe new pros are getting to make a very dramatic entrance...
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:09 , Rachel McGrath Now it’s time to introduce the five new Strictly pros!
Here’s what we know about them...
Who are the five new Strictly professionals? Meet the dancers joining the ballroom
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:05 , Rachel McGrathAnd now the pairs are chatting to Josh and Jojo in the Clauditorium, if we can still call it that.
I think I like this way of doing things?!
Vito has already promised to cook for Lacey, as well as teaching her to dance. Which means she’s already a winner, tbh.
We have our first five Strictly 2026 pairs!
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:02 , Rachel McGrathThey are:
- Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
- Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu
- Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec
- Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon
- Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin.
There’s plenty there to be excited about! Dani and Nikita is no surprise, as they were paired together last year before the Love Islander was forced to pull out due to injury.
Lacey and Vito… I’m here for it. They’re surely early favourites to make the final.
The pressures on for Jaime - she’s paired with Carlos Gu, who lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Karen Carney last year.
First pairing dance underway...
Saturday 19 September 2026 20:00 , Rachel McGrathOk, this is quite fun! And it’s nice to get a sneaky peek at the celebs’ dancing skills.
Jaime looks great and Sarah Storey is really giving it her all, I love that for her.
Early verdicts are in for the hosts...
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:57 , Rachel McGrathWe have 13 weeks to go and tonight’s episode isn’t really a proper taste of things, as it’s not live.
But that hasn’t stopped fans from giving their verdicts on how the new presenting trio is doing so far...
Well I think they're doing a pretty good job so far #Emma clearly stands out as the professional though #Strictly
— SUZI 🖤 (@RebelDiamond_) September 19, 2026
Emma really is holding the presenter duties together #strictly
— Deb (@dmoly) September 19, 2026
Emma Willis is PERFECT for #Strictly but I'm yet to be convinced by Johannes and Josh...
— This and Tatt (@thisandtatt) September 19, 2026
Half an hour in, I’m absolutely fine with Emma & Josh but I’m so confused why Jojo, arguably one of the best pro’s, has taken on this role when it’s not his forte?
— Hannah (@HannahF_24) September 19, 2026
(But Tess & Claudia… I miss you) #strictly
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:53 , Rachel McGrathEmma is a natural as expected. It’s going to take a while to get used to seeing Johannes hosting. I’m sorry but Josh just looks awkward in this new presenter line up 🤷♂️🤷♂️#Strictly
— Simy (@Simy_78) September 19, 2026
This interview segment is fine... but get us to the pairings already!
Dani Dyer is so far amazing with the one-liners.
Recalling when she was laying bed in tears after being forced to quit last year, she said: “I told my mum, I’ve got nothing to live for... She said, ‘you have three kids, come on!”
The Dyers always deliver, don’t they?
How tonight's show will work
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:46 , Rachel McGrathAfter a few years of introducing the celebrities to their pro partners in prerecorded VTs, the Class of 2026 stars are about to find out who they're paired with via "three specially choreographed routines".
This should speed things up a little, as each routine is going to contain five partner reveals.
The first five being paired up are Lacey Turner, Melanie Walters, Jaime Winstone, Dame Sarah Storey and Dani Dyer.
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:42 , Rachel McGrathOk, we’re onto the first (of many) VTs. This one is of the celebs being “Strictly-fied”, which I would love to experience one day.
Shameless beg: BBC people, if you’re reading this, can I have the makeover please?
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:38 , Rachel McGrathAnd now it’s the moment the celebs will have been both SO excited for and dreading - descending the Strictly stairs for the first time.
At least for their first go, it’s pre-recorded. That’s got to help at least a little bit with the nerves.
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:36 , Rachel McGrathAnd here are our new hosts!
“Never in a million years did I think I’d get to dance with Strictly professionals,” Emma said.
“And I never thought it would be the three of us standing in this spot,” Johannes added.
Josh said: “It’s a little bit overwhelming to be here but we are so excited.”
Me too, Josh, me too. (I am obviously on the sofa watching at home and not hosting, but still...)
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:33 , Rachel McGrath“This is Strictly Come Dancing,” Emma Willis declared at the end of the routine.
And now, we’re in the studio proper. Oh it’s good to be back, isn’t it?
This year’s launch show, pre-recorded earlier this month, will see our 15 celebrities paired up with their professional partners.
It feels extra special this year too, as we’re also getting our first look at the new hosts (that’s Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe, of course) in action.
Here we go...
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:32 , Rachel McGrathThis is a lovely, jazzy intro, isn’t it?
This ensemble dance is giving us a flavour of what’s to come in the next two hours.
So far, I’ve spotted the new professionals, a couple of judges and a peek at Johannes, who is swapping dancing for hosting. And now the new hosts are making their big intro!
'Strictly' makes big change to theme weeks
Saturday 19 September 2026 19:00 , Lauren MorrisJohannes Radebe revealed to The Independent that Strictly’s themed weeks will be arriving a lot sooner than expected – with Movie Week being moved to Week 2.
“What that means, for someone who loves the show, is that everybody then gets an opportunity to be a part of a themed week before they’re eliminated,” he said.
“The professionals are going to eat it up. I can’t wait to see their creative process and what they’re going to come up with their partners.”
Which 'Strictly' pros are returning for 2026?
Saturday 19 September 2026 18:30 , Lauren MorrisStrictly fans will see 14 familiar faces strut back into the ballroom during tonight’s show, including:
- Dianne Buswell
- Julian Caillon
- Amy Dowden
- Katya Jones
- Neil Jones
- Nikita Kuzmin
- Jowita Przystał
- Aljaž Škorjanec
- Alexis Warr
- Kai Widdrington
- Nancy Xu
- Carlos Gu
- Lauren Oakley
- Vito Coppola
They’ll be joined by five new professional dancers.
Meet the new 'Strictly' pros
Saturday 19 September 2026 17:30 , Lauren MorrisThe ‘Strictly’ revamp doesn’t stop with new hosts and format changes – its cast of professional dancers has also faced a major shake-up.
We’ve said goodbye to five pros over the course of the year, including the longest serving female dancer Karen Hauer. Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Gorka Marquez were also announced to be leaving.
They’ve been replaced by five new faces: Ukrainian dancer Aleksandra Isaeva, British ballroom champion Maddie Ingoldsby, Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita, South African dancer Lethabo Monametsi and Italian Latin champion Cristian Priori.
Everything we know about the new 'Strictly' format
Saturday 19 September 2026 16:30 , Lauren MorrisStrictly fans have spent months speculating over how the show will look after the BBC teased incoming format changes – so here’s everything we know so far.
We already know that we’re getting three hosts this time, however they’ve revealed that their roles aren’t as set in stone as Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s were on the show.
“It’s going to be like Total Football,” Josh Widdicombe said on The Rest is Entertainment last week. “We’re going to be moving everywhere.”
Contrary to reports, there won’t be a backstage roving reporter role – with Radebe telling The Independent that the presenting will be evenly distributed between them all.
Strictly to show its mysterious partnering process for first time
Saturday 19 September 2026 15:30 , Lauren MorrisTonight, Strictly fans will be getting even more insight into the process that has given us pairings like Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden, Ed Balls and Katya Jones and John Sergeant and Kristina Rihanoff.
The show’s mysterious “speed-dating” set-up will be shown in this evening’s episode, host Emma Willis revealed while on The One Show on Thursday.
Willis revealed that this year, the couples would be “paired during a dance”, which she said was “something we have never done” on Strictly before.
Johannes Radebe: 'I was told I wouldn't amount to anything'
Saturday 19 September 2026 14:30 , Lauren MorrisJohannes Radebe’s star is fast rising ahead of his Strictly presenting debut tonight – however, the South African dancer has revealed that he had to deal with belittling doubters at the start of his career.
In an interview with The Independent, he revealed that he’s been told that he wouldn’t “amount to anything” in life.
“For a long time, I thought they were right. It took me until my thirties to realise they were wrong,” he said. “It took this country and being seen and appreciated and being championed the way I have in the past eight years for me to come to that realisation.”
You can read the full interview here.
From 'EastEnders' stars to dog trainers: the 'Strictly' 2026 cast
Saturday 19 September 2026 13:50 , Lauren MorrisBefore we meet the Strictly-fied cast in tonight’s launch, here’s a rundown of all the stars who are hoping to take home that coveted glitterball trophy:
- Melanie Walters – Gavin & Stacey actor
- Dani Dyer – reality star and presenter
- Delta Goodrem – singer and Eurovision contestant
- Chris Appleton – celebrity hairstylist
- Lacey Turner – EastEnders star
- Cach Mercer – Love Island winner
- Will Best – TV presenter
- Dame Sarah Storey – Paralympian cyclist
- Jaime Winstone – actor
- Bethany Antonia – House of the Dragon star
- Shaun Wright-Phillips – footballer
- Graeme Hall – dog trainer
- Lawrence Robb – Emmerdale star
- Tabby Stocker – Team GB skeleton athlete
- John Nellis – content creator
Who are Strictly's new presenters?
Saturday 19 September 2026 13:18 , Lauren MorrisWe may have lost two Strictly presenters but we’ve gained three – with Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe making their hosting debut on the show tonight.
Stand-up comedian Widdicombe has history with the show, having competed on the Christmas special in 2024. He previously said it was the “worst day of [his] career” so hopefully tonight will go differently!
Radebe was a professional dancer in the Strictly cast from 2018 until this year, with tonight marking the first time he’s ever tried out presenting.
Meanwhile, Willis is a pair of safe broadcasting hands. She’s hosted Big Brother, The Voice and Love is Blind UK among other shows.
What time is Strictly on tonight?
Saturday 19 September 2026 13:05 , Lauren MorrisStrictly 2.0 is hitting our screens tonight at 7:25pm on BBC One, with the launch show set to air for almost two hours.
Remember – it’s the BBC so there’ll be no ad breaks. It may be worth shifting those dinner plans back if you want to tune in live…
