Saturday evenings are about to get a lot more glittery, when Strictly Come Dancing returns for a new season in 2023.
We met the 15 celebrities taking part this year during last weekend’s premiere show, when they were also partnered up with their pro partners, and Saturday night will be our first chance to see what they’re capable of as they make their live show debut.
Expect cha chas, tangos, jives, and even the occasional samba as everyone dons their sequins and struts their thing for the judges – but when does it all start tonight, and how can you watch it?
Here’s all you need to know…
What time is Strictly Come Dancing on tonight?
The first live episode of Strictly Come Dancing airs today at 6.15pm on BBC One.
Make sure you’re situated in and have all your snack and drink needs met before then, because the first episode of the series is even longer than a Hollywood blockbuster, running for two hours and 20 minutes.
It’s set to conclude at 8.35 p.m., just in time for the new season of Michael McIntye’s The Wheel – yet more indicator that fall has arrived.
If you miss it, you may watch it later on the BBC iPlayer.
Saturday night’s performance will include all 15 couples doing their first routines of the season, hence the lengthy running time.
There is no public vote this week since the first elimination is not until next week, allowing each pair two chances to wow the judges and the viewers before one couple is eliminated early.
The points awarded by the judges on tonight’s episode will be added to those awarded next weekend, along with fan voting, to determine who will compete in the first dance-off of the series.
What are the Strictly routines for week one?
Here’s what you can expect to see everybody dancing tonight:
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 routines and song choices for week 1
- Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin: Samba to Touch by Little Mix
- Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington: The Cha Cha to Get The Party Started by Shirley Bassey
- Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell: Foxtrot to All About You by McFly
- Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystal: Quickstep to I’m Sitting On Top Of The World by Bobby Darin
- Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu: Tango to Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa
- Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe: The Cha Cha to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel
- Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer: Quickstep to Two Hearts by Phil Collins
- Les Dennis and Nancy Xu: Tango to Don’t You Want Me by the Human League
- Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk: The Cha Cha to Waffle House by the Jonas Brothers
- Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice: Viennese Waltz to Pointless by Lewis Capaldi
- Nigel Harman and Katya Jones: Paso Doble to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
- Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez: Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston
- Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima: The Cha Cha to Rush by Jennifer Paige
- Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley: The Cha Cha to Boom Shack-A-Lack by Apache Indian
