Don those sequins, check your spray tan, and prepare your most fab-u-lous snacks: Strictly Come Dancing is back! The ballroom favourite kicked off its Season 21 with a launch show on Saturday night in which the 2023 celebrities – including former Come Dancing host Angela Rippon, Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy, comedian Les Dennis, EastEnders actor Nigel Harman, and tennis pundit Annabel Croft – were paired up with their professional partners.
Returning judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood took to the floor in a special performance with the pro dancers, Jessie Ware performed her single Free Yourself, and the show gave a lovely tribute to Strictly’s original head judge Len Goodman, who sadly passed away in April. The competition begins in earnest next Saturday at 6:15pm on BBC One.
Here is the launch show as it happened.
The celebrities take to the floor
...in a disco number. Huh? Honestly no one really covers themselves in glory here, but Kadi has fun with it, Croft braves a big lift and spin, Scanlon and Leach have rhythm, Thomas does not, Rippon is stiff but elegant, Harmon quietly confident, Brazier adorably lost, Dennis breaks out the dad dancing, and Williams is the clear standout already.
Les Dennis gets Nancy Xu
Scanlon’s in the garden, Kanda’s in the radio booth, Dennis is the comedy club in Liverpool where he first performed aged 17.
Dennis is paired with Nancy Xu – these two should be pure chaos. Kanda gets a thrilled Gorka Marquez (they could go far), and Scanlon gets Carlos Gu (ditto)
Marquez reveals that their first dance is the waltz. Raver Kanda screams in horror. Winkleman is visibly delighted by all of these dismayed reactions. She also congratulates Marquez on his new baby (with former Strictly contestant Gemma Atkinson).
Scanlon, confusingly, compares the gorgeous Gu with her nan.
Dennis shares that Xu brought him “a lovely chilli sauce yesterday”. If nothing else, we’re getting a lot of snack tips from this cast. He’s also trying (without much success thus far) to teach Xu to speak Scouse.
Meet Les Dennis and the final celebs
Presenter Angela Scanlon opens with a nervy joke about dropping out. She also brings up her Irish dancing experience: it won’t be helpful, she claims, because she was taught to hold herself like an ironing board.
Nikita Kanda, host of the BBC Asian Network’s Breakfast Show, aims to “bring the spice” to Strictly.
Les Dennis lists some of his many credits – Russ Abbott Show, Family Fortunes, Corrie – and gets well ahead of the “Our survey says” gag.
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In the studio, Scanlon’s slow-motion nervous breakdown continues. She describes her nation’s dual pastimes as “Irish dancing and mass”, and says she’s collecting souvenirs for daughter Ruby. Daly gives her a creepy first one, in a sparkly box: the shorn arm from her one-sleeved launch show dress. Well, at least it’s not Gwyneth Paltrow’s head.
Kanda is keen on clubbing. Intrigued to see how that translates to foxtrot.
Dennis recalls accidentally posting his Strictly playlist on social media. Whoops.
A slightly awkward transition from that sombre moment to Jessie Ware performing her disco bop Free Yourself. (I rather expected a dance tribute to Goodman as well – heartfelt as those sentiments were, it felt slightly perfunctory.)
Anyhow, it’s certainly not Ware’s fault, and she’s on good form in a purple feathery gown (she and Ballas must share a stylist). There’s funky dance accompaniment from the pros, including a magnificently permed Nadiya Bychkova. She might not have a celeb partner this year, but she does have ALL THE HAIR.
A beautiful collection of reminiscences from Strictly’s judges, presenters and dancers about former head judge Len Goodman, who passed away in April. “He was a true gentleman,” says Daly. “He was perfect in every way,” adds Winkleman.
Hauer sums it up beautifully: “He was a father figure to all of us.”
We get some classic Goodman judging clips – “Mango of a tango”, “Floating across the floor like butter on a hot crumpet”, “Pickle me walnuts”, “Yum yum pig’s bum”, “Spank me gently with a wet chamois”, and of course that “Seh-ven!”.
Du Beke praises his ability to give criticism to contestants in a nice way, while Revel Horwood looks back fondly on their judging spats. All part of the fun.
Back in the studio, there’s a quietly emotional standing ovation – and, likely, a few tears at home too.
Here is the launch show as it happened.
The celebrities take to the floor
...in a disco number. Huh? Honestly no one really covers themselves in glory here, but Kadi has fun with it, Croft braves a big lift and spin, Scanlon and Leach have rhythm, Thomas does not, Rippon is stiff but elegant, Harmon quietly confident, Brazier adorably lost, Dennis breaks out the dad dancing, and Williams is the clear standout already.
Les Dennis gets Nancy Xu
Scanlon’s in the garden, Kanda’s in the radio booth, Dennis is the comedy club in Liverpool where he first performed aged 17.
Dennis is paired with Nancy Xu – these two should be pure chaos. Kanda gets a thrilled Gorka Marquez (they could go far), and Scanlon gets Carlos Gu (ditto)
Marquez reveals that their first dance is the waltz. Raver Kanda screams in horror. Winkleman is visibly delighted by all of these dismayed reactions. She also congratulates Marquez on his new baby (with former Strictly contestant Gemma Atkinson).
Scanlon, confusingly, compares the gorgeous Gu with her nan.
Dennis shares that Xu brought him “a lovely chilli sauce yesterday”. If nothing else, we’re getting a lot of snack tips from this cast. He’s also trying (without much success thus far) to teach Xu to speak Scouse.
Meet Les Dennis and the final celebs
Presenter Angela Scanlon opens with a nervy joke about dropping out. She also brings up her Irish dancing experience: it won’t be helpful, she claims, because she was taught to hold herself like an ironing board.
Nikita Kanda, host of the BBC Asian Network’s Breakfast Show, aims to “bring the spice” to Strictly.
Les Dennis lists some of his many credits – Russ Abbott Show, Family Fortunes, Corrie – and gets well ahead of the “Our survey says” gag.
.png)
In the studio, Scanlon’s slow-motion nervous breakdown continues. She describes her nation’s dual pastimes as “Irish dancing and mass”, and says she’s collecting souvenirs for daughter Ruby. Daly gives her a creepy first one, in a sparkly box: the shorn arm from her one-sleeved launch show dress. Well, at least it’s not Gwyneth Paltrow’s head.
Kanda is keen on clubbing. Intrigued to see how that translates to foxtrot.
Dennis recalls accidentally posting his Strictly playlist on social media. Whoops.
A slightly awkward transition from that sombre moment to Jessie Ware performing her disco bop Free Yourself. (I rather expected a dance tribute to Goodman as well – heartfelt as those sentiments were, it felt slightly perfunctory.)
Anyhow, it’s certainly not Ware’s fault, and she’s on good form in a purple feathery gown (she and Ballas must share a stylist). There’s funky dance accompaniment from the pros, including a magnificently permed Nadiya Bychkova. She might not have a celeb partner this year, but she does have ALL THE HAIR.
A beautiful collection of reminiscences from Strictly’s judges, presenters and dancers about former head judge Len Goodman, who passed away in April. “He was a true gentleman,” says Daly. “He was perfect in every way,” adds Winkleman.
Hauer sums it up beautifully: “He was a father figure to all of us.”
We get some classic Goodman judging clips – “Mango of a tango”, “Floating across the floor like butter on a hot crumpet”, “Pickle me walnuts”, “Yum yum pig’s bum”, “Spank me gently with a wet chamois”, and of course that “Seh-ven!”.
Du Beke praises his ability to give criticism to contestants in a nice way, while Revel Horwood looks back fondly on their judging spats. All part of the fun.
Back in the studio, there’s a quietly emotional standing ovation – and, likely, a few tears at home too.
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