Strictly 2026 guide: Line-up, new hosts and judges as ‘speed dancing’ twist revealed

It’s time to grab your dance shoes and douse yourself with glitter as Strictly Come Dancing is almost back on our screens.Read MoreThe BBC dance competition is back this month for its 24th series, the first in its history without longtime host Tess Daly after her departure alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman last year.The BBC dance competition is back this weekend for its 24th seriesBBCAlongside the new trio of hosts, there are also five new professional dancers gearing up to make their entrance onto the dance floor.Before the show kicks off tomorrow, here’s everything you need to know about the new hosts, dancers, line-up and more.Who are the new hosts?Emma WillisThe 50-year-old is a well-established presenter who became a household name hosting Channel 5’s Big Brother, as well as its spinoff Big Brother’s Bit on the Side.Born and raised in Birmingham, Willis tried her hand at modelling before getting her first big break presenting on MTV in 2002.Sharing the news back in May, Willis said that she's a ‘huge fan’ of the showPA ArchiveShe later moved on to presenting for a range of ITV shows, including Loose Women, This Morning and ITV2 spin-off series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! with her husband Matt, of Busted fame.Willis’ largest and potentially best known gig is her time spent in the Big Brother universe. First joining Big Mouth in 2005, she went on to present eight series of Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side, four series of the non-celebrity version, as well as landing the job of presenter for Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother between 2013 and 2018. Some of her other credentials on an already stacked CV include The Voice, The Circle and Girlfriends.She currently hosts Love Is Blind UK with her husband Matt, with whom she shares three childrenGettyShe currently hosts Love Is Blind UK with her husband Matt, with whom she shares three children.Josh Widdecombe He featured in the 2024 Strictly Christmas Special, which saw him dressed as a penguin, a moment he has described as a ‘career high point’GettyThe 43-year-old comedian is potentially best known for co-presenting satirical chat show The Last Leg, as well as his podcast Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett.Born in Hammersmith, London, in 1983, Widdicombe grew up in a rural area of Dartmoor, Devon. Before beginning his career in stand-up comedy, following his time performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he worked as a journalist for The Guardian.His first panel show appearance came in 2012 on Stand Up For The Week, before making his debut on Mock the Week later that same year.The 43-year-old comedian is potentially best known for co-presenting satirical chat show The Last LegGettyThe following year he made his first appearance on The Last Leg, a show he still hosts to this day, with his total number of seasons being 30.In 2015, he won the first-ever series of the hit comedy game show Taskmaster and returned to win the first Champion of Champions special in 2017.As well as hosting popular podcast Parenting Hell with Beckett, in which he discusses his experience raising two children, he also hosts pop culture podcast Archive of Pop Culture.The new hosts of Strictly Come DancingPAJohannes RadebeThe South African dancer has shown off his best moves on the BBC show for eight seasons, and now, it’s his time to switch his dancing shoes for a microphone.His interest in dance began at a young age, with the bright colourful costume piquing his interest. He later left home whilst a teenager to focus on his training.He first joined the Strictly universe in 2014Getty Radebe began his career as a dance teacher in Johannesburg, before spending seven years dancing on cruise ships. During his illustrious dancing career, the 39-year-old has won several major titles, including becoming a multiple-time South African Latin champion.He first joined the Strictly universe in 2014, in the South African edition, before going on to join the original iteration of the show in the UK.During his time on the show, he has danced with seven celebrities, his highest placement being 2nd with partner John Waite. The pair were the first male same-sex pairing in the history of the UK format. Alex Kingston and Johannes RadebePA MediaHis most recent was Alex Kingston in 2025, with whom he finished 6th.Who are the celebrity contestants?Trying their hand at the dance floor this year are 15 famous faces, whose professions range from acting to sports. The complete line-up is:Lacey Turner - EastEnders starDani Dyer - Love Island winner and daughter of actor Dany DyerDelta Goodrem - Australian singerChris Appleton - Celebrity hairstylistCach Mercer - Love Island winner and content creatorWill Best - PresenterDame Sarah Storey - Paralympic cyclist and swimmerJaime Winstone - Actor and daughter of Ray WinstoneBethany Antonia - House of the Dragon starShaun Wright-Phillips - Former footballer and punditGraeme Hall - Dogs Behaving Badly hostLawrence Robb - Emmerdale starTabby Stoecker - Skeleton racerJohn Nellis - YouTuberMelanie Walters - Gavin and Stacey starWho are the new dancers?Five new professional dancers will be making their Elstree debut on Saturday.Maddie Ingoldsby, Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi and Mark KarmalitaPAIt comes after the BBC confirmed that five long-serving professionals would be making their exit. Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas will not be returning for the upcoming season.Aleksandra IsaevaThe Ukrainian dancer is ranked in the world's top 21 Latin dancers, as well as reaching top 10 positions at both the European Latin championships in Blackpool and the Dutch open world Latin dance competition.She was also a finalist at the UK Dance Festival’s Latin Rising Star competition.Cristian PrioriAlso joining the cast is Christian Priori, who also happens to be Isaeva’s dance partner.Priori, born in Rome, is a four-time Italian Latin Champion who was ranked in the World’s top 24 Latin dancers for eight consecutive years.Lethabo MonametsiLethabo Monametsi fell in love with dance whilst watching the South African version on the show, and has since gone on to win TV dance competition Dance Yo Dumo as a member of the collective Urban Wave.She has also performed with the likes of singer Diana Ross and composer Hans Zimmer, as well as featuring on The Masked Singer South Africa.Maddie IngoldsbyFrom Bournemouth comes Maddie Ingoldsby, who is a UK National Ballroom champion.She began her career playing Annie in the West End, and has since gone on to become an eight-time Amateur 10-Dance World Champion.Mark KarmalitaRounding out the quintet of fresh faces in Mark Karmalita, who is a two-time national Latin champion in his native Canada.He is also a Canadian championship winner and finalist across multiple age groups. He was also previously ranked 10th in the World at the Under 21 Latin Dance Festival in Blackpool.Who is on the judging panel?The judging panel for the upcoming season remains unchanged:Strictly Come Dancing judges, from left, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke PA MediaCraig Revel Horwood Motsi Mabuse Anton Du Beke Head Judge Shirley Ballas The foursome will deliver their critiques (some harsher than others), provide technical analysis, and give the stars their all important scores.What has changed?It’s no secret that this season is going to look a little different, with all the hosting changes and dancing shake-ups - but will the format of the show itself change?Well, just days before the launch show drops, new host Emma Willis revealed that fans can expect a never-seen-before twist.During an appearance on The One Show on Thursday, September 17, Willis teased how “exciting” the first episode will be while appearing alongside her new co-hosts.The hosts and judges of Strictly Come Dancing PA“This is something that they’ve never done on the show before.“Everybody is paired during a dance,” she said.The celebrities will meet their professional partners for the first time on the dancefloor, rather than during a pre-recorded video, as the show returns to a format similar to how it operated before Covid.“There is much more movement. This is something that they have never done on the show before.“Everybody is paired during a dance, so we’ve got three groups of five, each group of five will have their own dance, and they’ll be paired like speed dancing, so you would with speed dating.This year’s launch show will see a new twist being implemented PA Media“So we’ll all be there, put a song on, learnt a routine together, all 10, 30 in total, music will start, they will dance, we will stand at the side and say ‘change partners!’ and they all have to change.“Then they’ll dance for maybe five seconds and we’ll say ‘change partners!’ and then they might dance for 30 seconds… ‘change partners!’“So they never know when that rotation is going to stop, until we stop it.”Whilst this is the first confirmation of a format change, the hosts have already hinted that other aspects of the show could be rejigged.Speaking on Magic Radio last month, the 50-year-old revealed that the beloved “keep dancing” moment could be abandoned.The hosts have hinted that the ‘keep dancing’ moment could be scrappedPA Media“That is difficult with three,” she said, referencing the catchphrase first coined by Bruce Forsyth. He and Daly would use it at the end of each show - a ritual that was passed on when Winkleman joined Daly as a co-host.“At the minute we’re having like loads of production days, and we’re playing with who’s with who and how it works. But I imagine we’ll need to have something.”Widdicombe has also said that while they would not “reinvent the show”, they would “be ourselves and our personalities will be there”.New spin-off showA new-spin off show is dropping the same day of the launch, giving us even more Strictly content to sink our teeth into.Titled Strictly Pro Dance Off, the new “interactive” series is geared towards families and children and will be broadcast on CBBC on Saturday mornings.Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell will host the new showPA ArchiveThe new series, which will consist of seven-minute episodes, will be hosted by Strictly veteran Dianne Buswell and is the first new spin-off of the UK franchise in 22 years.Each episode will feature three Strictly professionals; one will teach the other two a dance, who will then face off in a dance battle.The first episode, which will be shown on CBBC and BBC iPlayer at 9am, will feature Buswell giving a lesson on how to Jive to Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley, who will then battle it out in a dance-off.