Since the inception of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, several special editions of the show have been transmitted by the BBC each year. These have included seasonal specials, charity specials, and variations of the Strictly Come Dancing format.
The Christmas Specials of Strictly Come Dancing have been aired each year since 2004. Between 2004 and 2009, the specials feature celebrities from the current and past series. Between 2010 and 2013 and 2021 onwards, the specials featured celebrities who were unable to compete in the main series due to time constrictions. From 2014 to 2019, the specials again featured contestants from previous series. With their professional dance partners, the celebrities perform their chosen Ballroom or Latin dance which is scored by the judges. The winning couple is then chosen by a studio audience vote.
The first Christmas special was broadcast live on 22 December 2004, featuring top couples from both of the first two series (with the exception of Christopher Parker and Julian Clary, who were not able to appear). The special was won by Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett.
As well as winning the 2005 series, Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova won this Christmas Special after receiving the full 40 marks from the judges.
2006
The 2006 Christmas special featured stars from the third and fourth series of Strictly going head to head to perform their highest-scoring dances. The theme of the special was black and white, with all the dancers dressed in white gowns, black dresses and top hats and tails.
It was a pre-recorded show shown on Christmas Day on BBC One.
After the combined scores of the judges' marks and the votes of the studio audience, Colin Jackson and Erin Boag won the competition after getting the full 40 marks from the judges, with Zoë Ball and Ian Waite as runners up. The final places of the bottom four couples were not announced — they were eliminated from the competition in random order.
2007
The 2007 Christmas special featured the top four couples from series five (Alesha Dixon, Matt Di Angelo, Gethin Jones and Letitia Dean), as well as Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash (champions of series three and four respectively). The winner was series three champion Darren Gough, who received a perfect 40 for his American Smooth and had the highest score overall when the judges' scores were combined with the studio audience vote. Series five semi-finalist Gethin Jones, who also received a perfect 40 for his waltz, was runner-up. The final placing of the bottom four couples was not announced.
Darren Gough won his third Strictly trophy after winning series 3 and two Christmas specials — he and Jill Halfpenny are the only contestants on Strictly to do this.
Due to four couples coming top of the leaderboard with 39 points, head judge Len Goodman was given the casting vote to break the tie. Therefore, points from the judges were awarded as follows before the audience vote: Alesha — 6, Jill — 5, Rachel — 4, Kelly — 3, Tom — 2, Lisa — 1. After the audience vote, Halfpenny was named the 2008 Christmas Champion with Brook in second place, meaning that Halfpenny joined Darren Gough in having won two Christmas specials, and her partner Darren Bennett equalled his professional partner and wife Lilia Kopylova's two Christmas special victories.
The 2010 Christmas Special aired on 25 December 2010. That special, instead of having celebrities from previous years, had five new celebrities who didn't have time to do the full show.
The full lineup of the 2011 Christmas special, once again featuring five new celebrities who could not commit to the full series, was announced on 23 November 2011.[3]
The full lineup of the 2012 Christmas special, featuring six new celebrities who could not commit to the full series, was announced on 28 November 2012.[4]
A musical interlude was provided by the popular singer Rod Stewart.[5]
As a new addition to the Christmas specials, a "Strictly Allstar" group of seven previous contestants from the show returned for a group dance, and appearances from Ann Widdecombe and Russell Grant were also in the programme.
Helen Skelton would reappear as part of the main series in Series 20.
JB Gill would reappear as part of the main series in Series 22.
2013
Winner
The full lineup of the 2013 Christmas special, featuring six new celebrities who could not commit to the full series, was announced on 25 November 2013.[6]
Matt Goss would reappear as part of the main series in Series 20.
2014
Winner
The full lineup of the 2014 Christmas special, featuring six returning contestants in a change to recent tradition, was announced on 13 November 2014.
Most of the celebrities were given new partners, with the exception of Lisa Riley, who was reunited with her original dance partner, Robin Windsor.[7] This year's special had a pantomime theme, with each couple, as well as the judges, dressed as characters from a different classic pantomime.
The full lineup of the 2015 Christmas special, featuring six returning contestants, was announced on 19 November 2015. This year's special, like the previous year, had a panto theme.[8]
The celebrity lineup of the 2016 Christmas special, featuring six returning contestants, was announced on 7 November 2016.[9] The professional dancers taking part were revealed on 11 November 2016.[10] Each routine had a Christmas movie theme. This year marked the first time a contestant who wasn't one of the final three on Strictly won the Christmas special.
The celebrities taking part in the 2019 Christmas special was announced on 5 November.[13] Their Professional Partners were announced the following week.[14]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no competition was able to take place. Instead, a countdown of the top 25 most memorable dances in Strictly history took place; the 25 dances were selected by a panel before being ranked by the public vote. 2015 champions Jay McGuinness and Aliona Vilani's Week 3 Jive was voted the most memorable dance, with Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse's 2016 Samba finishing second. The Top 25 dances are as follows:
The full lineup competing in the 2021 Christmas special was announced on 26 November 2021, featuring six new celebrities for the first time since 2013.[16] The episode was aired on 25 December, with Anne-Marie and Graziano Di Prima as winners.[17]
The full lineup competing in the 2022 Christmas special was announced on 17 November 2022.[19] The episode was aired on 25 December, with Alexandra Mardell and Kai Widdrington as winners.[20]
Josh Widdicombe was announced as the first celebrity competing in the 2024 Christmas Special on 11 November 2024 on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.[25] The following day, Tayce was announced as the second contestant.[26] She is the first drag artist to appear on the show. [27] Celebrities continued to be revealed throughout the following week before the line-up was concluded on 21 November 2024. Vogue Williams was originally partnered with Carlos Gu, however was re-partnered with Gorka Márquez, after the former was forced to withdraw due to injury.[28]
A Strictly Come Dancing one-off special for Sport Relief was broadcast on 14 March 2008, with Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman judging. Five former Strictly contestants related to sport partnered a new celebrity.[29] Jade Johnson and Kara Tointon were contestants on the main show in 2009 and 2010, with Johnson leaving after an injury, and Tointon winning the 2010 title. Their partners on their series were Ian Waite and Artem Chigvintsev.
Strictly Come Dancing did a footballers special for Sport Relief, which aired on 23 March 2018. The special was presented by Ore Oduba, and the judges were Horwood, Bussell, and Tonioli; however, no scores were given. The contestants were Alex Scott, Chris Kamara and David Ginola. Alex Scott, the winner of this special, was later a quarter-finalist in Series 17.
The dancers performed alongside Alesha Dixon singing "The Boy Does Nothing" at the start of the show and also Ricky Whittle was seen backstage, supporting the Hollyoaks cast who performed and Alesha told him to go back to rehearsals. The presenters and judges did not appear in this unlike the previous year when judges rated Terry's performance.
The judges were Horwood, Bussell, Goodman and Tonioli. There were two teams, each consisting of two children and two of the show's professional dancers. Team Glitter's pros were Natalie Lowe and Anton Du Beke; Team Sparkle's pros were Aliona Vilani and Tristan MacManus. Team Glitter took home the trophy.
It was announced on 28 October that four current EastEnders actors would take part in the 2019 special. The lineup included Louisa Lytton, who had previously reached the quarter-finals of the main show in 2006, and was won by Maisie Smith, who would go on to reach the final of the main show in Series 18.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, no competition was able to take place. Instead, the special featured a compilation of clips of members of the public and the cast of the current series of the show, dancing to the song "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon. At the end of the compilation, all three judges were each seen giving a score of 10.
2024
On Friday 15 November, the children's character Bluey was joined by several Strictly professionals, to perform a jive to "Land Of 1000 Dances", which included simplified, easy-to-follow along dance moves, such as the Floss and the Mashed Potato. Neil Jones, whom danced in the dance said: “Many stars have taken to the ballroom over the years but this is next level! I can’t think of any other better occasion for us to say G’day to Bluey than for Children in Need! It’s going to be Fab-Blue-Lous!”[34]
Strictly Ice Dancing was identical to the ITV format Dancing on Ice, although details of Dancing on Ice were revealed before Strictly Ice Dancing was commissioned.
Strictly African Dancing (2005)
A further one-off special was broadcast on BBC One on 9 July 2005 as part of the BBC's Africa Lives season.[35] It featured six celebrities of African descent performing traditional African dances with a professional troupe. The contestants were Tunde Baiyewu, Tupele Dorgu, Robbie Earle, Antonia Okonma, Louis Emerick, and Tessa Sanderson.[36] The programme was presented by Natasha Kaplinsky and Martin Offiah, and the winner was Robbie Earle. Professional dancers Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, who have appeared on Strictly Come Dancing since the second series, also appeared on this special to perform a traditional African Samba.
The London cast of the musical The Lion King, led by South-African actress Brown Lindiwe Mkhize, took part in this broadcast. The company performed the trademark song "Circle of Life".
The Weakest Link
2008
On 27 December 2008, a special episode of The Weakest Link was broadcast on BBC One featuring participants of Strictly Come Dancing. The game was won by series 6 celebrity Mark Foster, who beat professional dancer Anton du Beke in the final. Participants in order of elimination were:
On 11 September 2014, the BBC announced that a special non-celebrity version of the show would air for Comic Relief 2015.[37] It featured six inspirational heroes who underwent four weeks of training before performing live in the studio.
The series began airing on 25 February 2015 over four pre-recorded episodes, the first two episodes introduced the contestants, the third episode on 5 March followed their training and preparation for the show. The fourth episode on 11 March saw the couples take to the dance floor, with the winner decided via an online public vote and announced live on Red Nose Day 2015 on 13 March.[38]
Bruno Tonioli is a British-Italian television personality, choreographer and dancer. He has judged on the British television talent shows Strictly Come Dancing (2004–2019), DanceX (2007) and Britain's Got Talent (2023–present), and the American television talent shows Dancing with the Stars (2005–present) and Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (2008).
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fourth series on 7 October 2006. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to co-present the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman returned to present the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fifth series on 29 September 2007 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as co-presenters of the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman returned to present spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned to the judging panel.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its sixth series on 20 September 2008 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as co-presenters of the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman returned to present the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its seventh series on 18 September 2009 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as presenters of the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman presented the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. Series 5 winner Alesha Dixon joined the judging panel as a replacement for Arlene Phillips. Darcey Bussell served as a guest judge beginning with the quarterfinal.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its third series on 15 October 2005. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to co-present the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman returned to present the spin-off show, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges.
Strictly Come Dancing aired its first series on BBC One from 15 May 2004 to 3 July 2004. The series was presented by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. The judging panel consisted of Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its second series on 23 October 2004 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to present the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman presented a new spin-off show called Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Series 1 winner Natasha Kaplinsky filled in for Daly during the first five weeks due to Daly's maternity leave. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned to the judging panel.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its ninth series on 10 September 2011 with a launch show, with the live shows beginning on 30 September and 1 October 2011. The show was broadcast from Wembley Arena on 19 November with all proceeds going to the BBC charity, Children in Need. The finale took place in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower and was the first episode to air in 3D. It was shown on BBC HD and in cinemas around the country.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its tenth series and began with the launch show on 15 September 2012. The live shows began on 5 October. Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to present the main show on BBC One and Claudia Winkleman returned to present the results show with Daly. Zoe Ball returned to present the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli all returned and were joined on the judging panel by series 7 guest judge Darcey Bussell, who replaced Alesha Dixon.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its eleventh series beginning with a launch show on 7 September 2013, and the live shows beginning on 27 and 28 September 2013. Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned to co-present the main show on BBC One, with Claudia Winkleman presenting the results show alongside Daly. Zoe Ball returned as presenter of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli also returned as judges.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twelfth series beginning from 7 September 2014 with a launch show, and the live shows began on 26 and 27 September. Tess Daly returned to present the main show on BBC One alongside Claudia Winkleman, who was promoted to co-presenter in addition to the results show after Sir Bruce Forsyth departed the show after the eleventh series; however, Forsyth continued to host the Christmas and Children in Need specials. Zoe Ball returned as presenter of the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Judges Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli also returned.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its thirteenth series on BBC One with a launch show on 5 September 2015, and the live shows beginning on 25 September 2015. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned to present the launch show and the live shows while Zoe Ball returned to present Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli all returned as judges.
Gleb Savchenko is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and model, who is currently a professional dancer on the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars. He previously appeared on the UK, Australian, and Russian versions of the show.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fourteenth series with a launch show on 3 September on BBC One, while the live shows began on 23 September 2016. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. This was Goodman's final series as head judge.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fifteenth series in 2017 with a launch show on 9 September on BBC One, and live shows starting on 23 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its sixteenth series with a launch show on 8 September 2018 on BBC One, and the first live show on 22 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Shirley Ballas, Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. On 20 October, actor Alfonso Ribeiro stood in as a guest judge to cover for Tonioli.
Strictly Come Dancing Live! is a nationwide arena tour in the United Kingdom which was first staged in 2008 and has continued every year since. It is directed and co-choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its seventeenth series with a launch show on 7 September 2019 on BBC One, and the live shows beginning on 21 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two alongside new addition Rylan Clark.
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, and the live shows beginning on 25 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Rylan Clark-Neal returned to host Strictly: It Takes Two alongside new presenter Janette Manrara, who replaced Zoe Ball. In June 2021, the BBC announced that Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood would return to the judging panel. Anton Du Beke, who served as a guest judge in the previous series, joined the panel in place of Bruno Tonioli, who did not return for the second year in a row due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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