BBC One has announced the celebrity lineup for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing. The cast consists of 15 contestants, including Dame Sarah Storey, Dani Dyer, Lacey Turner, Delta Goodrem, and Will Best. Other participants include John Nellis, Lawrence Robb, Graeme Hall, Tabby Stoecker, Chris Appleton, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Bethany Antonia, Melanie Walters, Cach Mercer, and Jaime Winstone.
The presenting team for the new series comprises Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe. The judging panel remains unchanged, with Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke returning to their roles. The production introduces five new professional dancers to the floor. Reigning champion Karen Carney returns for a performance during the opening episode.
The series launches on Saturday 19 September at 7.25pm. The first episode features a group performance by the full cast and the pairing of the 15 celebrities with their professional partners. The programme will be broadcast on BBC One and made available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
The competition officially begins with the first set of scored routines on the following Saturday. This follows the standard autumn commissioning cycle for the BBC flagship entertainment slot. The series opens with a performance from the entire cast before the celebrity contestants are assigned to their professional partners. The show broadcasts from the ballroom on a weekly basis.