BBC Strictly Come Dancing songs for celebrities' first dances revealed and what their choices tell us about what to expect

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 line-up ahead of Saturday's first live show
-Credit: (Image: PA)


The couples on this year's Strictly Come Dancing have revealed what tunes will be performed as they take to the stage for the first time.

Week one of Strictly Come Dancing series 22 will air on BBC One and iPlayer at 7pm this weekend on Saturday September 21. This year's competition features Comedian Chris McCausland, the show's first blind contestant, as well as former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson.

The 22nd series also sees a return for professional dancer Amy Dowden who has undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy after revealing she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Mirror reports.

READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro misses out as Helen Skelton admits she's 'glad'

The 34-year-old will mark her return to the show by dancing the Waltz to Leo Sayer's When I Need You, with celebrity contestant JB Gill while reality star Pete Wicks and partner Jowita Przystal will perform the Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy. We can expect two strong performances here.

Comedian Chris McCausland, the show's first blind contestant, will dance the Cha Cha to Twist And Shout by The Beatles, with partner Dianne Buswell.

This Morning resident doctor Punam Krishan and partner Gorka Marquez will dance the Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue, while former Olympic field hockey player Sam Quek will dance the Foxtrot with partner Nikita Kuzmin to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes.

Singer Toyah Wilcox, who recently said she would "channel my inner Ann Widdecombe" on the 20th anniversary series, will dance the Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna, with partner Neil Jones, and DIY SOS star Nick Knowles will Jive to We Built This City by Starship with partner Luba Mushtuk.

This is the first clue of a themed dance. Nick Knowles famous for building shows - dancing to 'We Built this City'. Safe to say we can expect a few props and probably some light heartedness around his day job. There may even be a hard hat in there - who knows?!

Actor Jamie Borthwick, who won the 2023 Christmas special, will Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone with partner Michelle Tsiakkas - this should be another standout performance - expect high marks.

And former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson will dance the American Smooth to Fat Les's football anthem Vindaloo, with partner Karen Hauer. Paul was reportedly not amused at this choice of song. It suggests another themed dance - and Paul along with Nick could be in for a rough ride with the judges.

Miranda actor Sarah Hadland and partner Vito Coppola will perform the Quickstep to 9 To 5 by Dolly Parton, while former X Factor winner Shayne Ward and partner Nancy Xu will dance Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder. Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and partner Aljaz Skorjanec will dance the Cha Cha to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter.

Olympic swimmer Tom Dean will perform the Tango with partner Nadiya Bychkova to Golden by Harry Styles, and opera singer Wynne Evans will dance Samba with partner Katya Jones to Help Yourself by Tom Jones.

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