I have to admit it. Every autumn when the Strictly titles roll, something in me still lights up like a kid promised a bag of sweets. There we all are, slumped on the sofa after Sunday lunch, grandparents muttering about the old days while the kids cheer for whoever has the sparkliest costume. That peculiar British magic of sequins, sweat and sheer bloody-minded discipline has kept families glued together for nearly a quarter of a century now. And the announcement that dropped last week suggests the show knows exactly why we keep coming back.
The BBC confirmed Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer this autumn, with the launch show expected in September 2026. For the first time the programme will be fronted by three presenters: Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe. Johannes swapping his dancing shoes for the hosting gig feels like a neat bit of continuity. The judging panel remains reassuringly familiar with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all returning to deliver their particular brands of praise and polite savagery.
The first wave of celebrity contestants was unveiled on 17 July, and it's a pleasingly mixed bag. Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best and Dame Sarah Storey will all be lacing up their dancing shoes. Some are household names from EastEnders and reality television, others bring Olympic pedigree or international stage experience. What they share is that slightly wide-eyed look of people who have just realised quite how much hard work lies ahead.
Lacey Turner sounded genuinely thrilled. "I am so excited to be making my way to the dance floor this year to be a part of Strictly Come Dancing." Dani Dyer, no stranger to the spotlight, kept it simple: "I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September." Delta Goodrem, the Australian star who has conquered just about every other performance arena, confessed this was one stage that had always eluded her. "I have been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career - from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I have never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor." Chris Appleton, coming home to the UK for the experience, admitted he was "thrilled" to be joining.
A quiet celebration of effort and tradition
There's something quietly old-fashioned about the whole enterprise that I rather like. No grand lectures, no awkward attempts to be all things to all people. Just celebrities paired with proper dancers, learning the difference between a waltz and a cha-cha through blisters, tears and the occasional burst of unexpected grace. The returning professionals read like a roll call of familiar faces: Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington and the rest. New professionals will be named nearer the time, which gives us all something to look forward to over the summer.
In an age when so much entertainment seems designed to divide us by age, politics or taste, Strictly still manages the neat trick of uniting grannies and teenagers in the same living room. You don't have to approve of every costume or every celebrity choice to recognise that the show has become part of the cultural furniture. It celebrates discipline, partnership, the willingness to look a bit daft in pursuit of something better. Those are not fashionable virtues these days, but they wear rather well under the studio lights.
