Strictly Come Dancing series 23
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Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twenty-third series with a launch show on 20 September 2025 on BBC One, with live shows beginning from 27 September.[1][2] Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, whilst Janette Manrara and Fleur East returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.[3] Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke returned to the judging panel.[4][5] It was the last series to be presented by Daly and Winkleman, who announced their departures on 23 October 2025.[6][7]
| Strictly Come Dancing | |
|---|---|
| Series 23 | |
| Presented by | Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman |
| Judges | Shirley Ballas Anton Du Beke Motsi Mabuse Craig Revel Horwood |
| Celebrity winner | Karen Carney |
| Professional winner | Carlos Gu |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 20 September – 20 December 2025 |
| Series chronology | |
The series concluded on 20 December 2025, when footballer Karen Carney and her partner Carlos Gu were announced as the winners, with Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, and George Clarke and Alexis Warr finishing as the runners-up.[8]
Format
The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. After all the couples have danced they are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the highest ranked couple receiving a number of points equal to the number of couples dancing that week e.g. 7 points where there are seven couples dancing. When there are no tied scores the lowest scored couple will receive one point. However, in the event of a tie where two or more couples obtain the same judges score, the couple below those in the tie will be awarded one point below the points awarded to each of the tied couples. So, for example, if two couples obtain the same rank and obtain 7 points each, the couple immediately below them will be awarded 6 points. When couples are ranked equally by the judges the scoring of all other couples underneath will follow in the same descending order. Should there be any tied scores the lowest scored couple will therefore receive more than one point from the judges scores. The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; The couple with the most votes receiving the most points. Again in the unlikely event of a tie in the public vote the points are awarded in the same way as the points from the judges score.[9]
The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave.[9] For the first time in the show's history, the casting vote was not made solely by the head judge in the dance-off and was instead rotated, with a different judge making the decision each week.[10]
Professional dancers
In April 2025, the BBC announced that all the professional dancers from the previous series; Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola; would be returning to this series.[11] On 27 July, the BBC announced that two new professional dancers, Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon, would join the series.[12] Warr won the seventeenth season of So You Think You Can Dance and was a troupe member on the American version of Dancing with the Stars.[12] Caillon appeared as a professional dancer on three series of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.[12]
During the launch show, Julian Caillon and Alexis Warr received a celebrity partner for the first time, while Neil Jones, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Nancy Xu did not receive a partner. The rest of the pros were paired to a celebrity.[13][14]
Couples
On 11 August 2025, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was announced as the first contestant to be competing in the series on Newsround.[15] Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were subsequently confirmed later that evening on The One Show.[16] The celebrities continued to be revealed until 15 August 2025, when the full line-up was announced.[17] Game of Thrones actor and DJ Kristian Nairn was initially announced as the final celebrity to be competing in the series, however on 21 August 2025, he withdrew from the competition due to health reasons.[18] Former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope was subsequently announced as his replacement on The One Show later that evening.[19][20] On 23 September 2025, Love Island winner and actress Dani Dyer, who was initially announced as a contestant and was paired up with Nikita Kuzmin during the launch show, was announced to be withdrawing from the series after fracturing her ankle during training,[21][22] Love Island winner and West End actress Amber Davies was announced as her replacement on 26 September, and began training with Kuzmin ahead of the first live show the following evening.[23][24]
| Celebrity | Notability | Professional partner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Skinner | The Apprentice contestant & businessman | Amy Dowden | Eliminated 1st on 5 October 2025 |
| Ross King | Television presenter | Jowita Przystał | Eliminated 2nd on 12 October 2025 |
| Chris Robshaw | England rugby player | Nadiya Bychkova | Eliminated 3rd on 19 October 2025 |
| Stefan Dennis | Neighbours actor & singer | Dianne Buswell | Withdrew on 20 October 2025 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Netherlands footballer & manager | Lauren Oakley | Eliminated 4th on 26 October 2025 |
| Ellie Goldstein | Model & Malory Towers actress | Vito Coppola | Eliminated 5th on 2 November 2025 |
| Harry Aikines-Aryeetey | Olympic sprinter & Gladiators star | Karen Hauer | Eliminated 6th on 9 November 2025 |
| Vicky Pattison | Television personality | Kai Widdrington | Eliminated 7th on 16 November 2025 |
| La Voix | Drag queen & RuPaul's Drag Race UK finalist | Aljaž Škorjanec | Withdrew on 22 November 2025 |
| Alex Kingston | Stage & screen actress | Johannes Radebe | Eliminated 8th on 30 November 2025 |
| Lewis Cope | Emmerdale actor | Katya Jones | Eliminated 9th on 7 December 2025 |
| Balvinder Sopal | EastEnders actress | Julian Caillon | Eliminated 10th on 14 December 2025 |
| Amber Davies | Love Island winner & West End actress | Nikita Kuzmin | Runners-up on 20 December 2025 |
| George Clarke | Social media personality & podcaster | Alexis Warr | |
| Karen Carney | England footballer & pundit | Carlos Gu | Winners on 20 December 2025 |
Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
| Couple | Pl. | Week | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1+2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9+10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |||
| Karen & Carlos | 1st | 31† | 20 | 51 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 38 | 35 | 31 | 39 | 40+1=41 | 80 | 34‡ | 39+39=78† | 40+37+40=117‡ | |
| Amber & Nikita | 2nd | 27 | 29 | 56† | 35 | 33 | 33 | 35 | 38 | 38† | 36 | 40+4=44† | 80 | 40† | 37+40=77 | 39+39+40=118† | |
| George & Alexis | 24 | 30 | 54 | 31 | 30 | 27‡ | 29 | 34 | 29 | 39 | 34+2=36 | 75 | 35 | 35+37=72 | 39+39+39=117‡ | ||
| Balvinder & Julian | 4th | 17 | 30 | 47 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 34 | 27‡ | 33‡ | 28+5=33 | 66 | 35 | 35+35=70‡ | ||
| Lewis & Katya | 5th | 28 | 27 | 55 | 37† | 34 | 34† | 40† | 35 | 37 | 40† | 36+6=42 | 82† | 35 | |||
| Alex & Johannes | 6th | 21 | 31† | 52 | 30 | 36† | 32 | 35 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 23+3=26‡ | 61‡ | ||||
| La Voix & Aljaž | 7th | 24 | 19 | 43 | 28 | 14‡ | 28 | 35 | 29‡ | 33 | |||||||
| Vicky & Kai | 8th | 23 | 24 | 47 | 25 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 39† | 27‡ | |||||||
| Harry & Karen | 9th | 19 | 26 | 45 | 32 | 26 | 30 | 26‡ | 30 | ||||||||
| Ellie & Vito | 10th | 17 | 23 | 40 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 27 | |||||||||
| Jimmy & Lauren | 11th | 27 | 25 | 52 | 28 | 29 | 30 | ||||||||||
| Stefan & Dianne | 12th | 22 | 17 | 39 | 26 | ||||||||||||
| Chris & Nadiya | 13th | 14 | 16 | 30 | 22 | 24 | |||||||||||
| Ross & Jowita | 14th | 10‡ | 15 | 25‡ | 19‡ | ||||||||||||
| Thomas & Amy | 15th | 16 | 13‡ | 29 | |||||||||||||
Average chart
This table only counts for dances scored on a 40-points scale. The extra points for the Instant Dance are not included.
| Couple | Rank by average |
Total points |
Number of dances |
Total average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber & Nikita | 1st | 579 | 16 | 36.2 |
| Lewis & Katya | 2nd | 383 | 11 | 34.8 |
| Karen & Carlos | 3rd | 543 | 16 | 33.9 |
| George & Alexis | 4th | 531 | 33.2 | |
| Alex & Johannes | 5th | 308 | 10 | 30.8 |
| Balvinder & Julian | 6th | 384 | 13 | 29.5 |
| Vicky & Kai | 7th | 231 | 8 | 28.9 |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 8th | 139 | 5 | 27.8 |
| Harry & Karen | 9th | 189 | 7 | 27.0 |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 10th | 210 | 8 | 26.3 |
| Ellie & Vito | 11th | 153 | 6 | 25.5 |
| Stefan & Dianne | 12th | 65 | 3 | 21.7 |
| Chris & Nadiya | 13th | 76 | 4 | 19.0 |
| Ross & Jowita | 14th | 44 | 3 | 14.7 |
| Thomas & Amy | 15th | 29 | 2 | 14.5 |
Weekly scores
Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke.
Launch show
Week 1
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. There was no elimination this week; all scores carried over to the following week.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[26] | Dance[27] | Music[27][28] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris & Nadiya | 14 (3, 4, 3, 4) | Samba | "Unbelievable" — EMF |
| Alex & Johannes | 21 (4, 6, 5, 6) | Viennese waltz | "Cry Me a River" — Michael Bublé |
| Harry & Karen | 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "Push It" — Salt-N-Pepa |
| Stefan & Dianne | 22 (4, 6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Neighbours Theme" — Barry Crocker |
| Ellie & Vito | 17 (4, 4, 4, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "Yes, And?" — Ariana Grande |
| Lewis & Katya | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Get Ready" — The Temptations |
| Ross & Jowita | 10 (2, 3, 2, 3) | Cha-cha-cha | "California Gurls" — Katy Perry |
| George & Alexis | 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) | American Smooth | "Stargazing" — Myles Smith |
| Vicky & Kai | 23 (5, 6, 6, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Best of My Love" — Ella Eyre |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | Quickstep | "Chelsea Dagger" — The Fratellis |
| Balvinder & Julian | 17 (4, 4, 4, 5) | Samba | "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" — KC and the Sunshine Band |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) | American Smooth | "Pink Pony Club" — Chappell Roan |
| Thomas & Amy | 16 (2, 4, 5, 5) | Paso doble | "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" — Hotei |
| Amber & Nikita | 27 (7, 7, 7, 6) | Waltz | "When We Were Young" — Adele |
| Karen & Carlos | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | Jive | "One Way or Another" — Blondie |
Week 2
- Musical guest: Zara Larsson — "Midnight Sun"[29]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[29]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[30] | Dance[31] | Music[31] | Result[32] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Voix & Aljaž | 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) | Jive | "Objection (Tango)" — Shakira | Safe |
| Karen & Carlos | 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) | Tango | "Training Season" — Dua Lipa | Safe |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 25 (6, 6, 6, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" — Santa Esmeralda | Safe |
| Lewis & Katya | 27 (7, 7, 6, 7) | Viennese waltz | "Lose Control" — Teddy Swims | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | Samba | "La Bamba" — Connie Francis | Safe |
| Ellie & Vito | 23 (5, 6, 6, 6) | Waltz | "Your Song" — Ellie Goulding | Safe |
| Thomas & Amy | 13 (2, 3, 4, 4) | Salsa | "Bonkers" — Dizzee Rascal & Armand van Helden | Eliminated |
| Harry & Karen | 26 (6, 7, 6, 7) | Quickstep | "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" — The Blues Brothers | Safe |
| Ross & Jowita | 15 (2, 4, 4, 5) | Waltz | "Sunshine on Leith" — The Proclaimers | Safe |
| Amber & Nikita | 29 (8, 7, 7, 7) | Samba | "Bam Bam" — Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Rein Me In" — Sam Fender & Olivia Dean | Safe |
| Chris & Nadiya | 16 (3, 4, 4, 5) | Viennese waltz | "Die with a Smile" — Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars | Bottom two |
| Stefan & Dianne | 17 (4, 4, 4, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "Give It Up" — KC and the Sunshine Band | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "Game of Survival" — Ruelle | Safe |
| Balvinder & Julian | 30 (7, 8, 8, 7) | Charleston | "Been Like This" — Meghan Trainor & T-Pain | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[29]
- Ballas: Chris & Nadiya
- Du Beke: Chris & Nadiya
- Horwood: Chris & Nadiya
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Chris & Nadiya.
Week 3: Movie Week
- Musical guest: Lang Lang — "Reflection" (from Mulan)[33]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to famous film songs. Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[33]
Stage and screen star Cynthia Erivo mentored the couples and provided comments alongside the judges, but did not score the routines.[34]
Stefan and Dianne, who were due to dance a Waltz to "It Is You (I Have Loved)" from the movie Shrek, announced that they would be unable to perform on the live show due to illness. Under the rules of the show, they were granted a bye to the following week.[35]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[36] | Dance[37] | Music[37] | Film[37] | Result[38] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber & Nikita | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | American Smooth | "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" | The Sound of Music | Safe |
| Chris & Nadiya | 22 (4, 6, 6, 6) | Paso doble | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Thor: Love and Thunder | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 31 (6, 8, 9, 8) | Couple's choice | "Soda Pop" | KPop Demon Hunters | Safe |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Waltz | "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" | Mary Poppins | Safe |
| Ross & Jowita | 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) | Paso doble | "Thunderbirds Theme" | Thunderbirds | Eliminated |
| Balvinder & Julian | 26 (7, 7, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Swing Time | Bottom two |
| Karen & Carlos | 25 (4, 7, 7, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "She's a Lady" | Miss Congeniality | Safe |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 28 (7, 7, 6, 8) | Rumba | "No Time to Die" | No Time to Die | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 25 (5, 7, 6, 7) | Charleston | "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" | The Great Gatsby | Safe |
| Ellie & Vito | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | Samba | "Dance the Night" | Barbie | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "Suddenly I See" | The Devil Wears Prada | Safe |
| Harry & Karen | 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) | Salsa | "I Always Wanted a Brother" | Mufasa: The Lion King | Safe |
| Lewis & Katya | 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) | Paso doble | "The Plaza of Execution" | The Mask of Zorro | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[33]
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 4
- Musical guest: Leigh-Anne Pinnock — "Been a Minute"[39]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[39]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[40] | Dance[41] | Music[41] | Result[42] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen & Carlos | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | Quickstep | "Marvellous Party" — Beverley Knight | Safe |
| Harry & Karen | 26 (6, 7, 6, 7) | Rumba | "It Must Have Been Love" — Roxette | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 29 (7, 7, 7, 8) | Samba | "La Isla Bonita" — Madonna | Safe |
| Stefan & Dianne | 26 (5, 7, 7, 7) | Charleston | "Dance Monkey" — Tones and I | Safe |
| Lewis & Katya | 34 (8, 9, 9, 8) | Foxtrot | "L-O-V-E" — Nat King Cole | Safe |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 29 (6, 8, 7, 8) | Couple's choice | "Rock It" — Merchant / "Follow the Leader" — The Soca Boys | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Tango | "Viva la Vida" — Coldplay | Safe |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 14 (3, 4, 2, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" — Pat Benatar | Safe |
| Balvinder & Julian | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Paso doble | "Diablo Rojo" — Rodrigo y Gabriela | Bottom two |
| Alex & Johannes | 36 (8, 9, 10, 9) | Rumba | "Fast Car" — Tracy Chapman | Safe |
| Chris & Nadiya | 24 (4, 6, 7, 7) | Salsa | "María" — Ricky Martin | Eliminated |
| Amber & Nikita | 33 (8, 9, 8, 8) | Argentine tango | "Angel of My Dreams" — JADE | Safe |
| Ellie & Vito | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | Couple's choice | "Golden" — Huntr/x | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[39]
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Chris & Nadiya
- Du Beke: Chris & Nadiya
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
Week 5: Icons Week
- Musical guest: Rachel Zegler — "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"[43]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song by a popular musical icon, with the celebrity appearing in the guise of their icon. Anton Du Beke had the casting vote this week.[43]
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell were forced to withdraw from the competition on 20 October as Dennis had torn his calf muscle during their performance the previous Saturday.[44] Dennis was due to dance as Jon Bon Jovi to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".[42]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[45] | Dance[46] | Music[46] | Result[47] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Katya | 34 (9, 9, 8, 8) | Quickstep | "Ring of Fire" — Johnny Cash | Safe |
| Karen & Carlos | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Think Twice" — Celine Dion | Safe |
| Ellie & Vito | 28 (6, 8, 7, 7) | Salsa | "Wannabe", "Who Do You Think You Are" & "Spice Up Your Life" — Spice Girls (Emma Bunton) | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 32 (7, 8, 8, 9) | Foxtrot | "Here You Come Again" — Dolly Parton | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 27 (6, 7, 6, 8) | Jive | "As It Was" — Harry Styles | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 33 (8, 8, 8, 9) | Couple's choice | "Fight for This Love" — Cheryl | Safe |
| Balvinder & Julian | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Quickstep | "Texas Hold 'Em" — Beyoncé | Safe |
| Harry & Karen | 30 (6, 9, 7, 8) | Argentine tango | "Caught Up" — Usher | Safe |
| Amber & Nikita | 33 (8, 8, 8, 9) | Cha-cha-cha | "Break Free" — Ariana Grande | Bottom two |
| Jimmy & Lauren | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | American Smooth | "Purple Rain" — Prince | Eliminated |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 28 (6, 7, 7, 8) | Salsa | "Strong Enough" — Cher | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[43]
- Horwood: Amber & Nikita
- Mabuse: Amber & Nikita
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 6: Halloween Week
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to Halloween themes. Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[48]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[49] | Dance[50] | Music[50] | Result[51] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicky & Kai | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | American Smooth | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" — Bonnie Tyler | Safe |
| Ellie & Vito | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | Tango | "Abracadabra" — Lady Gaga | Eliminated |
| George & Alexis | 29 (6, 7, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Apple" — Charli XCX | Safe |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Paso doble | "The 5th" — Ludwig van Beethoven | Safe |
| Lewis & Katya | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Couple's choice | "Creep" — Radiohead | Safe |
| Balvinder & Julian | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Stay" — Shakespears Sister | Bottom two |
| Harry & Karen | 26 (6, 7, 6, 7) | American Smooth | "Mystical Magical" — Benson Boone | Safe |
| Karen & Carlos | 38 (9, 10, 9, 10) | Argentine tango | "Red Right Hand" — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Salsa | "Horny" — Mousse T. vs. Hot 'n' Juicy | Safe |
| Amber & Nikita | 35 (9, 9, 8, 9) | Viennese waltz | "I See Red" — Everybody Loves an Outlaw | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[48]
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 7
- Musical guest: James Morrison — "Fight Another Day"[52]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[52]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[53] | Dance[54] | Music[54] | Result[55] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Katya | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Cha-cha-cha | "I Like It Like That" — Pete Rodriguez | Safe |
| Karen & Carlos | 35 (8, 10, 8, 9) | Charleston | "Upside Down" — Diana Ross / "Think" — Aretha Franklin | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Paso doble | "Amparito Roca" — Jaime Teixidor | Safe |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 29 (6, 8, 7, 8) | Foxtrot | "Make Your Own Kind of Music" — Cass Elliot | Bottom two |
| Balvinder & Julian | 34 (7, 9, 9, 9) | Couple's choice | "Sapphire" — Ed Sheeran feat. Arijit Singh | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 34 (8, 8, 9, 9) | Viennese waltz | "Somebody to Love" — Queen | Safe |
| Amber & Nikita | 38 (9, 10, 9, 10) | Salsa | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" — Sylvester | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Tango | "The Fate of Ophelia" — Taylor Swift | Safe |
| Harry & Karen | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Samba | "Samba" — Gloria Estefan | Eliminated |
- Judges' votes to save[52]
- Ballas: La Voix & Aljaž
- Du Beke: La Voix & Aljaž
- Horwood: La Voix & Aljaž
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save La Voix & Aljaž.
Week 8
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[56]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[57] | Dance[58] | Music[58] | Result[59] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balvinder & Julian | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | American Smooth | "My Guy" — Mary Wells | Bottom two |
| Amber & Nikita | 38 (9, 10, 9, 10) | Paso doble | "Dream On" — Aerosmith | Safe |
| Alex & Johannes | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Waltz | "Weekend in New England" — Barry Manilow | Safe |
| Vicky & Kai | 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Sound of the Underground" — Girls Aloud | Eliminated |
| Karen & Carlos | 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) | American Smooth | "You Don't Own Me" — SAYGRACE | Safe |
| George & Alexis | 29 (6, 7, 8, 8) | Rumba | "Somewhere Only We Know" — Lily Allen | Safe |
| Lewis & Katya | 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) | Tango | "12 to 12" — Sombr | Safe |
| La Voix & Aljaž | 33 (7, 8, 9, 9) | Couple's choice | "Don't Rain on My Parade" — Barbra Streisand | Safe |
- Judges' votes to save[56]
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Balvinder & Julian
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 9: Blackpool Week
- Musical guests: Steps — "Summer of Love", "Last Thing on My Mind", "Better the Devil You Know" and "Tragedy"; Lewis Capaldi — "Something in the Heavens"[60]
- Special guests: Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac, Jay McGuiness and Layton Williams[60]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower in Blackpool, Lancashire.
La Voix, who was due to dance a Samba to "Love Is in the Air" by John Paul Young, was granted a bye to the following week due to an injury sustained in rehearsals.[61] However, during the live show on 22 November, it was revealed that La Voix was unable to continue in the competition due to her injury. As a result, there was no elimination this week and all scores and public votes were carried over to the following week.[62]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[63] | Dance[64] | Music[64] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Katya | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Charleston | "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" — Arctic Monkeys |
| Balvinder & Julian | 33 (8, 8, 8, 9) | Argentine tango | "The Logical Song" — Supertramp |
| Amber & Nikita | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Quickstep | "Reach" — S Club 7 |
| Karen & Carlos | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Paso doble | "O Fortuna" — Carmina Burana |
| Alex & Johannes | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Couple's choice | "History Repeating + Look At Me" — Propellerheads feat. Shirley Bassey + Geri Halliwell |
| George & Alexis | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Salsa | "Party Rock Anthem" — LMFAO / "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)" — Bob Sinclar / "Mr. Saxobeat" — Alexandra Stan |
Week 10
- Musical guest: Myles Smith — "Stay (If You Wanna Dance)"[65]
Each couple performed one unlearned and one instant dance.[66] Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[65]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[67] | Dance[68][69] | Music[68][69] | Result[70] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex & Johannes | 23 (4, 6, 6, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "Ring My Bell" — Anita Ward | Eliminated |
| 3 | Rumba | "Show Me Heaven" — Maria McKee | ||
| George & Alexis | 34 (8, 8, 9, 9) | Quickstep | "I Get a Kick Out of You" — Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| 2 | Tango | "When Doves Cry" — Prince | ||
| Lewis & Katya | 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) | Rumba | "Falling" — Harry Styles | Safe |
| 6 | Jive | "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" — Wham! | ||
| Balvinder & Julian | 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Right Back Where We Started From" — Maxine Nightingale | Bottom two |
| 5 | Paso doble | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" — The Animals | ||
| Karen & Carlos | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Couple's choice | "Born This Way" — Lady Gaga | Safe |
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "Beggin'" — The Four Seasons | ||
| Amber & Nikita | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Jive | "Proud Mary" — Tina Turner | Safe |
| 4 | Samba | "Whenever, Wherever" — Shakira | ||
- Judges' votes to save[65]
- Du Beke: Alex & Johannes
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Balvinder & Julian
Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-final)
- Musical guests: Tom Fletcher — "The Explorer and the Bear" (from Paddington: The Musical); The cast of Titanique[71]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to famous musicals songs. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[71]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[72] | Dance[73] | Music[73] | Musical[73] | Result[74] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George & Alexis | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Argentine tango | "The Point of No Return" | The Phantom of the Opera | Safe |
| Karen & Carlos | 34 (8, 8, 9, 9) | Samba | "The Rhythm of Life" | Sweet Charity | Safe |
| Balvinder & Julian | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Viennese waltz | "Never Enough" | The Greatest Showman | Safe |
| Amber & Nikita | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Charleston | "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" | Guys and Dolls | Bottom two |
| Lewis & Katya | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Salsa | "The Dance at the Gym" | West Side Story | Eliminated |
- Judges' votes to save[71]
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Amber & Nikita
- Horwood: Amber & Nikita
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 12: Semi-final
- Musical guests: Kylie Minogue — "XMAS"; James — "Sit Down"[75]
Each couple performed two unlearned dances. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[75]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[76] | Dance[77] | Music[77] | Result[78] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balvinder & Julian | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Salsa | "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" & "Get on Your Feet" — Gloria Estefan | Eliminated |
| 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Waltz | "At This Moment" — Michael Bublé | ||
| Amber & Nikita | 37 (9, 10, 9, 9) | Tango | "Higher" — Michael Bublé | Bottom two |
| 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Couple's choice | "Fly Me to the Moon" — RAYE | ||
| Karen & Carlos | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Waltz | "One Moment in Time" — Whitney Houston | Safe |
| 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Salsa | "Turn the Beat Around" — Vicki Sue Robinson | ||
| George & Alexis | 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) | Samba | "Volare" — Gipsy Kings | Safe |
| 37 (8, 9, 10, 10) | Charleston | "We No Speak Americano" — Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP |
- Judges' votes to save[75]
- Mabuse: Amber & Nikita
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Amber & Nikita
- Horwood: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 13: Final
- Musical guests: Five — "Everybody Get Up", "Got the Feelin'", "If Ya Gettin' Down" & "Keep On Movin'"[79]
Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their showdance routine, and their favourite dance of the series.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores[80] | Dance[81] | Music[81] | Result[79] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber & Nikita | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Paso doble | "Dream On" — Aerosmith | Runners-up |
| 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Showdance | "Rain on Me" — Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande | ||
| 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Jive | "Proud Mary" — Tina Turner | ||
| George & Alexis | 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Viennese waltz | "Somebody to Love" — Queen | |
| 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Showdance | "Human" — The Killers | ||
| 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) | Paso doble | "Game of Survival" — Ruelle | ||
| Karen & Carlos | 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Argentine tango | "Red Right Hand" — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Winners |
| 37 (8, 10, 9, 10) | Showdance | "Inner Smile" — Texas | ||
| 40 (10, 10, 10, 10) | Jive | "One Way or Another" — Blondie |
Dance chart
- Week 1–9: One unlearned dance
- Week 10: One unlearned dance and one instant dance (previously learned style)
- Week 11: One unlearned dance
- Week 12: Two unlearned dances
- Week 13 (Final): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series
| Couple | Week | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10[a] | 11 | 12 | 13 | |||||||
| Karen & Carlos | Jive | Tango | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Rumba | Argentine tango | Charleston | American Smooth | Paso doble | Couple's choice | Cha-cha-cha | Samba | Waltz | Salsa | Argentine tango | Showdance | Jive | ||
| Amber & Nikita | Waltz | Samba | American Smooth | Argentine tango | Cha-cha-cha | Viennese waltz | Salsa | Paso doble | Quickstep | Jive | Samba | Charleston | Tango | Couple's choice | Paso doble | Showdance | Jive | ||
| George & Alexis | American Smooth | Paso doble | Couple's choice | Tango | Jive | Cha-cha-cha | Viennese waltz | Rumba | Salsa | Quickstep | Tango | Argentine tango | Samba | Charleston | Viennese waltz | Showdance | Paso doble | ||
| Balvinder & Julian | Samba | Charleston | Foxtrot | Paso doble | Quickstep | Rumba | Couple's choice | American Smooth | Argentine tango | Jive | Paso doble | Viennese waltz | Salsa | Waltz | |||||
| Lewis & Katya | Jive | Viennese waltz | Paso doble | Foxtrot | Quickstep | Couple's choice | Cha-cha-cha | Tango | Charleston | Rumba | Jive | Salsa | |||||||
| Alex & Johannes | Viennese waltz | Samba | Quickstep | Rumba | Foxtrot | Salsa | Paso doble | Waltz | Couple's choice | Cha-cha-cha | Rumba | ||||||||
| La Voix & Aljaž | American Smooth | Jive | Waltz | Cha-cha-cha | Salsa | Paso doble | Foxtrot | Couple's choice | |||||||||||
| Vicky & Kai | Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot | Charleston | Samba | Couple's choice | American Smooth | Tango | Jive | |||||||||||
| Harry & Karen | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Salsa | Rumba | Argentine tango | American Smooth | Samba | ||||||||||||
| Ellie & Vito | Cha-cha-cha | Waltz | Samba | Couple's choice | Salsa | Tango | |||||||||||||
| Jimmy & Lauren | Quickstep | Cha-cha-cha | Rumba | Couple's choice | American Smooth | ||||||||||||||
| Stefan & Dianne | Foxtrot | Cha-cha-cha | Charleston | [b] | |||||||||||||||
| Chris & Nadiya | Samba | Viennese waltz | Paso doble | Salsa | |||||||||||||||
| Ross & Jowita | Cha-cha-cha | Waltz | Paso doble | ||||||||||||||||
| Thomas & Amy | Paso doble | Salsa | |||||||||||||||||
- The second listed dance is the couple's instant dance, revealed immediately prior to their performance.
- This couple withdrew from the competition without performing their planned dance.
Ratings
Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB.[82]
| Episode | Date | Official rating (millions) |
Weekly rank for BBC One |
Weekly rank for all UK TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch show | 20 September | 6.55 | 1 | 2 |
| Week 1 | 27 September | 7.69 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 2 | 4 October | 7.47 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 2 results | 5 October | 6.99 | 2 | 2 |
| Week 3 | 11 October | 7.61 | 3 | 3 |
| Week 3 results | 12 October | 6.68 | 4 | 5 |
| Week 4 | 18 October | 7.38 | 3 | 3 |
| Week 4 results | 19 October | 6.85 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 5 | 25 October | 7.53 | 3 | 3 |
| Week 5 results | 26 October | 6.98 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 6 | 1 November | 7.88 | 3 | 3 |
| Week 6 results | 2 November | 7.48 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 7 | 8 November | 7.42 | 2 | 2 |
| Week 7 results | 9 November | 7.05 | 3 | 3 |
| Week 8 | 15 November | 7.68 | 1 | 2 |
| Week 8 results | 16 November | 7.09 | 2 | 3 |
| Week 9 | 22 November | 8.00 | 1 | 7 |
| Week 9 results | 23 November | 7.03 | 2 | 9 |
| Week 10 | 29 November | 7.52 | 1 | 6 |
| Week 10 results | 30 November | 7.23 | 2 | 8 |
| Week 11 | 6 December | 7.23 | 2 | 7 |
| Week 11 results | 7 December | 7.44 | 1 | 5 |
| Week 12 | 13 December | 7.53 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 12 results | 14 December | 7.23 | 2 | 2 |
| Week 13 | 20 December | 8.49 | 1 | 1 |
| Series average (excl. launch show) |
2025 | 7.40 | N/a | N/a |