It’s set to be a fab-u-lous evening of entertainment with all 15 couples due to hit the dance floor for the first time, welcomed back to the ballroom by new hosting trio Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Rabede, who mostly won over fans with their new format when they made their debut last week.
Over on the judging panel Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will deliver their verdicts – but not before they join the hosts and Strictly professionals for a group number set to an orchestral rendition of “Joy” by RAYE.
Nancy Xu and Bethany Antonia are the only same-sex pairing this year, and tonight they will be dancing the Quickstep to “Stop This Flame” by Celeste. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin will take on the Samba to Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” while Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters tries her hand at the Cha Cha with Aljaž Škorjanec.
Judges clash over Lawrence Robb’s Paso DobleEmmerdale’s Lawrence Robb brought the drama with his Paso (I can’t imagine he gets the chance to wear much eyeliner on the ITV soap but I personally need to see more of it).
His feedback from the judges varied significantly though, with one of his moves being hailed as competition level before Craig Revel Horwood described his style as “stompy” (ouch). Motsi and Shirley certainly didn’t agree, with the pair talking over him.
Lawrence received 20 from the judges though which is good going at this stage!
Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal (BBC)Lauren Morris26 September 2026 19:11
Strictly’s new hosts seem to establish their rolesWhile Strictly’s trio of presenters previously said that they wouldn’t have set roles, so far we’ve seen Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis take on Tess’s dancefloor-based role while Johannes Radebe has been up in the Clauditorium. That may change over the course of the show but so far it seems to be working!
Strictly (BBC)Lauren Morris26 September 2026 19:01
Dame Sarah Storey received 15 as her first score from the judges. It’s the lowest so far, but as we’re just three celebs in, that could all change!
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:54
Dame Sarah Storey trips up in the quickstep The quickstep proved to be a bit too quick for Dame Sarah at points, with the Paralympic athlete slipping up a few times throughout her number. It’s a really tough dance to be given for week one though and the judges haven’t been too harsh considering.
Anton said that if Dame Sarah works on a few elements of her form, she’ll “be the most formidable of ballroom dancers”, while Motsi noted that she could definitely “feel the nerves” from her but that she definitely found her inner “showgirl”.
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:53
And that’s 22 for Tabby and Mark (including the first seven of the competition from Anton)!
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:44
Olympic athlete Tabby Stoecker just received quite the compliment from Anton Du Beke for her electric jive, with the judge comparing her to last year’s winner Karen Carney.
It hasn’t all been positive though, with Craig Revel Horwood – unsurprisingly – bringing Tabby and partner Mark Karmalita back down to Earth with some criticism (”I think you were too upright”). Despite a slight slip-up at the end, it seems Tabby has a lot of promise!
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:44
That’s a total of 18 from the judges for Will’s week one Samba. Not too shabby!
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:35
Will Best kicks off Strictly with the first dance of 2026What a way to start the show! Will definitely did Robbie proud with that Samba to “Rock DJ”.
He truly committed to it and seemed to land most of the steps. If he can get his facial expressions under control (he flipped between ecstasy and confusion throughout), then he’s one to watch for sure. That was a lot of fun!
Will Best (BBC)Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:33
The costume team have not held back for week one. We have Will Best in a leather get-up that barely covers his nipples, Tabby Stoecker in full leopard print and Jaime Winstone head-to-toe in white fur. I’m here for it!
Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:25
Yet another excellent dance number from this year’s pros to open the show – and it was lovely to see Johannes Radebe back on the dancefloor, if even for a second!
(PA)Lauren Morris26 September 2026 18:21
