Series 14 of Strictly Come Dancing starts at 9pm Friday 23 Septembercontinuing on Saturday 24 September. The dancers will be split into two groups and will perform on either night. There will be no public vote until the following week. The couples will have had three weeks of training to get in shape and nail their first routine.
Dodgy sci-fi themed opening sequence aside, the launch of this year’s celebrity dance contest was as joyful and energetic as ever – a triumph of wall-to-wall smiles, sparkles and enthusiastic shimmying. Will things be so upbeat for the first show, however, as the live shows start and we see how three weeks of training have tested our hopefuls? Given The X Factor’s inexorable ratings fluctuations, the only competition Strictly really has these days is itself and whether or not the latest line-up of stars can conjure a series to match past glories.
So far, the prospects look good. There are enough big personalities and potential talent (if not all household names) to give us a corking competition. Delightfully catty Judge Rinder, fabulous Lesley Joseph and game former MP Ed Balls should all be good value. Gymnast Claudia Fragapane, singers Will Young and Louise Redknapp, meanwhile, hint at some serious dancing chops.
Tonight sees six contestants enter the ballroom with their professional partners for the first time, with the remaining nine dancing tomorrow evening. No one gets eliminated this week, however, so the pairs can find their feet as they begin their bid for the glitterball.
The Strictly 2016 line-up announcement as it happened
The Strictly launch show, when the celebrity and professional pairings will be revealed, was broadcast on Saturday 3 September. But who will lift the glitterball trophy from the hands of last year’s winner Jay McGuiness?
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