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Strictly Come Dancing series 23
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twenty-third series with a launch show on 20 September 2025 on BBC One, with live shows beginning from 27 September.[1][2] Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, whilst Janette Manrara and Fleur East returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.[3] Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke returned to the judging panel.[4][5] It was the last series to be presented by Daly and Winkleman, who announced their departures on 23 October 2025.[6][7]
The series concluded on 20 December 2025, when footballer Karen Carney and her partner Carlos Gu were announced as the winners, with Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, and George Clarke and Alexis Warr finishing as the runners-up.[8]
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Format
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Judges for Strictly Come Dancing series 23
The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. After all the couples have danced they are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the highest ranked couple receiving a number of points equal to the number of couples dancing that week e.g. 7 points where there are seven couples dancing. When there are no tied scores the lowest scored couple will receive one point. However, in the event of a tie where two or more couples obtain the same judges score, the couple below those in the tie will be awarded one point below the points awarded to each of the tied couples. So, for example, if two couples obtain the same rank and obtain 7 points each, the couple immediately below them will be awarded 6 points. When couples are ranked equally by the judges the scoring of all other couples underneath will follow in the same descending order. Should there be any tied scores the lowest scored couple will therefore receive more than one point from the judges scores. The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; The couple with the most votes receiving the most points. Again in the unlikely event of a tie in the public vote the points are awarded in the same way as the points from the judges score.[9]
The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave.[9] For the first time in the show's history, the casting vote was not made solely by the head judge in the dance-off and was instead rotated, with a different judge making the decision each week.[10]
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Professional dancers
In April 2025, the BBC announced that all the professional dancers from the previous series; Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola; would be returning to this series.[11] On 27 July, the BBC announced that two new professional dancers, Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon, would join the series.[12] Warr won the seventeenth season of So You Think You Can Dance and was a troupe member on the American version of Dancing with the Stars.[12] Caillon appeared as a professional dancer on three series of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.[12]
During the launch show, Julian Caillon and Alexis Warr received a celebrity partner for the first time, while Neil Jones, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Nancy Xu did not receive a partner. The rest of the pros were paired to a celebrity.[13][14]
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Couples
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On 11 August 2025, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was announced as the first contestant to be competing in the series on Newsround.[15] Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were subsequently confirmed later that evening on The One Show.[16] The celebrities continued to be revealed until 15 August 2025, when the full line-up was announced.[17] Game of Thrones actor and DJ Kristian Nairn was initially announced as the final celebrity to be competing in the series, however on 21 August 2025, he withdrew from the competition due to health reasons.[18] Former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope was subsequently announced as his replacement on The One Show later that evening.[19][20] On 23 September 2025, Love Island winner and actress Dani Dyer, who was initially announced as a contestant and was paired up with Nikita Kuzmin during the launch show, was announced to be withdrawing from the series after fracturing her ankle during training,[21][22] Love Island winner and West End actress Amber Davies was announced as her replacement on 26 September, and began training with Kuzmin ahead of the first live show the following evening.[23][24]
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Scoring chart
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The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Winners
Co-runners-up
Bottom two
Excused from competition for the week
Withdrew
Eliminated
Average chart
This table only counts for dances scored on a 40-points scale. The extra points for the Instant Dance are not included.
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Weekly scores
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Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke.
Launch show
Week 1
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. There was no elimination this week; all scores carried over to the following week.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 2
- Musical guest: Zara Larsson — "Midnight Sun"[29]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[29]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[29]
- Ballas: Chris & Nadiya
- Du Beke: Chris & Nadiya
- Horwood: Chris & Nadiya
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Chris & Nadiya.
Week 3: Movie Week
- Musical guest: Lang Lang — "Reflection" (from Mulan)[33]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to famous film songs. Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[33]
Stage and screen star Cynthia Erivo mentored the couples and provided comments alongside the judges, but did not score the routines.[34]
Stefan and Dianne, who were due to dance a Waltz to "It Is You (I Have Loved)" from the movie Shrek, announced that they would be unable to perform on the live show due to illness. Under the rules of the show, they were granted a bye to the following week.[35]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[33]
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 4
- Musical guest: Leigh-Anne Pinnock — "Been a Minute"[39]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[39]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[39]
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Chris & Nadiya
- Du Beke: Chris & Nadiya
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
Week 5: Icons Week
- Musical guest: Rachel Zegler — "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"[43]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song by a popular musical icon, with the celebrity appearing in the guise of their icon. Anton Du Beke had the casting vote this week.[43]
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell were forced to withdraw from the competition on 20 October as Dennis had torn his calf muscle during their performance the previous Saturday.[44] Dennis was due to dance as Jon Bon Jovi to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".[42]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[43]
- Horwood: Amber & Nikita
- Mabuse: Amber & Nikita
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 6: Halloween Week
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to Halloween themes. Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[48]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[48]
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 7
- Musical guest: James Morrison — "Fight Another Day"[52]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[52]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[52]
- Ballas: La Voix & Aljaž
- Du Beke: La Voix & Aljaž
- Horwood: La Voix & Aljaž
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save La Voix & Aljaž.
Week 8
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[56]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[56]
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Balvinder & Julian
- Du Beke: Balvinder & Julian
- Horwood: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Balvinder & Julian.
Week 9: Blackpool Week
- Musical guests: Steps — "Summer of Love", "Last Thing on My Mind", "Better the Devil You Know" and "Tragedy"; Lewis Capaldi — "Something in the Heavens"[60]
- Special guests: Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac, Jay McGuiness and Layton Williams[60]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance. This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower in Blackpool, Lancashire.
La Voix, who was due to dance a Samba to "Love Is in the Air" by John Paul Young, was granted a bye to the following week due to an injury sustained in rehearsals.[61] However, during the live show on 22 November, it was revealed that La Voix was unable to continue in the competition due to her injury. As a result, there was no elimination this week and all scores and public votes were carried over to the following week.[62]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 10
- Musical guest: Myles Smith — "Stay (If You Wanna Dance)"[65]
Each couple performed one unlearned and one instant dance.[66] Shirley Ballas had the casting vote this week.[65]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[65]
- Du Beke: Alex & Johannes
- Horwood: Balvinder & Julian
- Mabuse: Balvinder & Julian
- Ballas: Balvinder & Julian
Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-final)
- Musical guests: Tom Fletcher — "The Explorer and the Bear" (from Paddington: The Musical); The cast of Titanique[71]
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to famous musicals songs. Motsi Mabuse had the casting vote this week.[71]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[71]
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Amber & Nikita
- Horwood: Amber & Nikita
- Mabuse: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 12: Semi-Final
- Musical guests: Kylie Minogue — "XMAS"; James — "Sit Down"[75]
Each couple performed two unlearned dances. Craig Revel Horwood had the casting vote this week.[75]
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
- Judges' votes to save[75]
- Mabuse: Amber & Nikita
- Ballas: Amber & Nikita
- Du Beke: Amber & Nikita
- Horwood: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Amber & Nikita.
Week 13: Final
- Musical guests: Five — "Everybody Get Up", "Got the Feelin'", "If Ya Gettin' Down" & "Keep On Movin'"[79]
Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their showdance routine, and their favourite dance of the series.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
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Dance chart
- Week 1–9: One unlearned dance
- Week 10: One unlearned dance and one instant dance (previously learned style)
- Week 11: One unlearned dance
- Week 12: Two unlearned dances
- Week 13 (Final): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series
- The second listed dance is the couple's instant dance, revealed immediately prior to their performance.
- This couple withdrew from the competition without performing their planned dance.
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Ratings
Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB.[82]
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References
External links
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