Strictly Come Dancing sidesteps controversy as launch show ignores scandal

Before we sign off tonight's Strictly 2024 live blog-a-thon, here's a little Brucey Bonus for you that we missed earlier.

It wouldn’t be the 20th anniversary without a special mention of late Strictly presenter Bruce Forysth, or Brucie, as he was affectionately known.

It was a blink and you'll miss it moment through the colourful opening number. In the professional group dance, Aljaz Skorjanec got behind the wheel a fake glittering bus prop with a fake number plate which read: Brucie.

Did you catch it? It was nice to see it, to see it was nice.

The excitement is all beginning as the Strictly 2024 contestants take to the dance floor for the first time in front of the audience. We start to get a glimpse of what the contestants are going to be like on the dancefloor.

Aljaz Skorjanec and Tasha Ghouri look like they are having fantastic fun as they dance at the front of the stage. Toyah Willcox struts her stuff with pro Neil Jones while Chris McCausland shows off his moves alongside Dianne Buswell.

The dance floor is an explosion of colour once again with confetti in blues, red, purple and yellow falling from the ceiling and covering the dancers as well as their celebrity partners.

Tess has thrown the conversation over the judges, inviting them to share their sage advice.

Shirley urges the celebs not to be intimidated by the live element of the series. "Being on live TV, there's going to be a lot of nerves and I'd say embrace every single nerve... work with it and you'll be fine."

Hopefully, she's right.

Craig Revel-Horwood is sure we're in for a banger of season too, especially if the celebrities' energy levels hold up. "They have a lot to say and they're very funny," he told Tess. "The banter upstairs [backstage] was brilliant and I know the show is going to be just as good because of it."

Paul Merson has swapped the football pitch for the dance floor to be on Strictly this year - and he'll be joined by Karen Hauer every step of the way. Their first dance will be an American Smooth to Vindaloo by Fat Les. Very fitting for a former footy star.

Olympic swimmer Tom Dean told Strictly viewers about his delicate feet but he's sure they'll be taken care of by his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova. "He’s not just a swimmer... he’s a winner!” smiled the Strictly pro. Time will tell if she's right.

And last but by no means least, DIY SOS star Nick Knowles' celebrity dance partner will be... Luba Mushtuk. He seems more than happy with the choice, as he was hoping to be paired with someone with the patience and determination to transform him into a Glitterball Trophy-winning dancer.

"She’s a world-class dancer, so how can it possibly go wrong?" he told Claudia and Tess. "Although, it’s a bit like taking an F1 world champion and putting them in a beaten-up old builder’s van to race... we’ll see how it goes."

"Hopefully, I'll be as good at dancing as I am at football," laughs Paul Merson, the next celebrity contestant we meet on tonight's show. He's danced three times and they've all been at his weddings he tells Tess and Claudia. Still, it hasn't put him off. Merson wants to "make sure [he] definitely has fun."

Nick Knowles admits that he's "always wanted to dance and this felt like the golden opportunity." That said, he's still nervous: "I want to do well and I'm honestly not sure if I can dance."Apparently, his family have a dancing motto which is "leave your dignity at home" - maybe he'll bring that to the show?

"My dance experience up to now has been zero to none," admits Olympic swimmer Tom Dean " I don't do anything on land... I've never had to go against gravity." We also saw a video of him doing ballet that his parents shared that he'd probably prefer stayed hidden.

Clean Bandit and Anne-Marie take to the stage now to perform their hit Cry Baby accompanied by a handful of Strictly professional dancers bringing the track to life.

It's a moment that perfectly showcases the prowess of the show's pros, all while whetting the appetite for things to come. That stage is about to see some serious action over the next few weeks!

TV medic Dr Punham has been paired with Gorka Márquez, someone who - as Claudia just reminded us - has bagged a record number of 10s than any of his professional counterparts. Márquez seemed more focused on food though, telling Dr Punham that he can't wait to try haggis when she takes him to Scotland.

Singer Toyah Wilcox says the atmosphere at Strictly tops the vibes at Glastonbury and she's hoping to channel her inner Dolly Parton to win this year’s show with professional dancer Neil Jones at her side. "I met Neil and I was in heaven," she smiles. She's also looking forward to getting stuck in. "I'm going to be the first pensioner to abseil through this studio," she says. Talk about commitment.

Love Island's Tasha Ghouri will be dancing alongside returning pro Aljaž Škorjanec who's laced up his dancing shoes after a two-year break. "I am absolutely ecstatic!" smiles Ghouri, "he’s so fun – chaos, but I love a bit of chaos energy."

Current Strictly champion Vito Coppola will be dancing alongside Quantum of Solace actor Sarah Hadland - it's a pairing that she manifested by sniffing his shoe, apparently. Who knew that works?

When asked if he can dance her to victory, Coppola kept things hopeful: “Honestly you know I love to enjoy and live in the moment and the present. Sarah and me have the same energy. I see Sarah as sparkling water, bubbly. We are going to live this journey as a bubble!”

Nice dodge, Vito.

"None of us can believe we've managed to get in the same room as a GP," quips Chris McCausland at being in the presence of Dr. Punham on the Strictly sofa.

The gag generated the biggest laugh of the evening with plenty of applause.

He's got a point, to be fair.

Dr Punam Krishan watches strictly every year and her kids are ecstatic about her doing the show. She'll also be continuing her medical work whilst appearing on it. Talk about amazing!

Meanwhile, former Love Island winner Tasha Ghouri took viewers inside her hearing impairment and how it has formed part of her life and creative journey.

Elsewhere, legendary singer Toyah Wilcox took us on a whistle-stop tour of her epic musical career while actor Sarah Harding said she "cannot wait" to get going with her Strictly routines.

We just saw an emotional Ellie Leach explain how much the Strictly experience meant to her before she and current Strictly champion Vito Coppola return to the stage for another spin... or another Paso Doble to be specific.

What does it take to get to this level of expertise? "Halfway through something clicked... and that was through your hard work and determination," said Craig Revel-Horwood, reflecting on Ellie and Vito's show-winning collaboration last year. "That dance was spectacular," smiled the judge.

As for advice for this year's hopefuls? Ellie says just take it day by day. "Take every minute in... It goes so so fast, so just enjoy it, guys. It's the best, best time ever.”

Time for some more team-ups.

Montell Douglas - perhaps better known by her Gladiators name Fire - was next, with Strictly fave Johannes Radebe selected as her pro-pairing. Both were left smiling - they even have their own team name. Here's hoping Dougless is as good on the dance floor as she is on the Eliminator.

Meanwhile, winning an Olympic gold medal is no biggie to Sam Quek. The real nerve-shredder? Strictly, apparently. "I've never felt nerves like it," he told Claudia and Tess.

After her glowing (and let’s be honey, pretty emotional) return earlier in the show, Amy Dowden is officially back in the game with JLS star JB Gill as her partner. Amy’s clearly overjoyed to be back, telling Claudia and Tess “It just feels like my first year all over again.”

Meanwhile, we've just seen The Only Way is Essex alum Pete Wicks' reaction to being paired with Jowita Przystał, someone who he seemed more than happy with, calling Przystal his own "little pocket rocket!"

We also learned Pete's first dance will be a Paso Doble to The Prodigy's Breathe.

It's all happening.

EastEnders' own Jamie Borthwick is no Strictly stranger having appeared on last year's Christmas special - but now he's in it to win it and will have help from his new partner Michelle Tsiakkas. This pairing is an extra special one as it marks the Tsiakkas’ first celebrity dancer since she joined the show in 2022.

"What better partner than Jamie to dance with," she smiles. Apparently, Jamie has a strong nap habit so we'll see how long that sentiment lasts as the competition heats up. He's also keen to get some negative comments from Craig. Be careful what you wish for.

Elsewhere, we learned that former X Factor champion Shayne Ward will be dancing with Nancy Xu. It's clear Ward feels he's in safe hands, quickly labelling Xu as a "phenomenal dancer" during his post-pairing sofa chat.

It's time. Strictly’s new batch of celebrities has started being paired off with the professional dancers that’ll keep them on their toes until December.

Just now, we’ve seen our first five celebs start their Strictly journies, each meeting them in an old theatre before doing a salsa dance. First, stand-up Chris McCausland was delighted to find Dianne Buswell as his new pro-dancer.

That said, he wasted no time joking about his odds on the show. “She is absolutely over the moon having me because she [Dianne] really wants November off,” joked McCausland.

Next, opera singer and familiar telly face Wynne met his new partner, Katya Jones, who seemed like her celeb was a safe bet to go all the way: “This man was born to win!” she gushed, to Tess and Claudia after the pairing had been made official.

Who doesn't love a good pun?

We also learned that Wynne's first song will be a Samba to a track from a fellow Welsh icon - Tom Jones. Apparently, he has a history with Jones, having wee'd next to him at a urinal.

Too much information? Too late now.

Strictly Come Dancing’s pros gave Amy Dowden a huge hug following the performance. All the stars gathered around her and threw their arms around her as the music came to a finish. This show of support and friendship is what Strictly is all about.

Nikita Kuzmin, with a little help from some of the other dancers, lifted Amy up into the air so she could take centre stage once again. The dancer was twirled around in the air and she blew kisses to the cheering crowd.

Everyone is delighted to welcome Dowden back as the audience cheers and gives a big round of applause.

Welcome back Amy Dowden, we missed you!

Dowden makes a wonderful return to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor after she was forced to miss last year’s series due to undergoing chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023.

All eyes were on the 34-year-old as she danced in a bright pink one-shoulder dress. The special celebratory dance is an incredibly special moment, with her husband Ben and family watching on in the audience of Strictly.

Dowden, whose doctors have found “no evidence of the disease”, is in her element while among her friends as she dances with her fellow professional dancers.

The music is fantastic fun. They all show off their best moves to a medley of Training Season by Dua Lipa, Busy Earnin’ and Keep Moving both by Jungle, and Candle Flame by Jungle and Eric the Architect, as performed by the wonderful Dave Arch and his band.

"I'm not sure if I can do this... logistically," jokes sight-impaired comedian Chris MacCausland on hitting the Strictly dance floor. We're finding out more about his journey to the show as Strictly kicks into gear.

"Doing strictly.. I just can't believe it. It feel like a competition winner," says Opera singer Wynne Evans on how he can't believe his luck on joining the show. Later, he told Claudia and Tess that he's wearing a special tight tee shirt that holds in his "dad bod."

Meanwhile, Shane Ward has made no qualms about wanting to win. He's even been practising in the mirror - standing up to show audiences a quick move. "Keep practicing," quips Wynne.

"Like Shane, I've also been practising in front of the mirror," jokes Chris. "I may as well get the jokes out now, I'm only here for three weeks." He also said that his friends' reaction to him doing the show was mainly "how?"

EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick has had experience with the show to which Wynne labelled him a "cheat" - jokingly!

The celebs have arrived - with each dancing their way onto the stage and each dressed in suitably colourful attire.

Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Jamie Borthwick, Tom Dean MBE, Montell Douglas, Nick Knowles, Paul Merson and Sam Quek - they're all here and raring to go.

"Huge thanks to Nick Knowles and his DIY SOS team for knocking up that stand," jokes Claudia, commenting on the Strictly trophy they're each hoping to bag.

Time to meet them in slightly better detail. Cue some touching video packages!

After a rocky few months, Strictly Come Dancing 2024 has officially begun, with hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daily taking to the stage and both looking as glamorous as ever.

Those hoping for a reference to the show's ongoing drama have been left disappointed for now, with neither host mentioning the show's recent scandals as they welcome viewers back to the ballroom for a special 20th-anniversary series.

Instead, they welcomed back this year’s resident judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke

Tess comments on Craig’s slick new look before reminding us that he’s used his one panel 10 times.

“They won’t know what nerves are like until they walk onto this floor,” says Anton, commenting on this year’s celebs and their impending Strictly experience.

Meanwhile, Shirley has some sage advice “Don’t forget to bring your personality…”

Here we go. Strictly is back for its 20th anniversary celebration.

This year’s professionals are enjoying a ride in the party bus… until it breaks down. Luckily, mechanics Claudia, Tess and band leader Dave Arch are here to help, with the professionals breaking into an impromptu pit-stop dance break.

Dressed in hot pinks, vibrant oranges and baby blues, the pros board the Strictly bus leading them straight into the studio.

Once here, the pros keep spirits high with more upbeat dancing to cheese dancefloor classics from bands like Steps. With Amy Dowden and Nancy Xu shared a sweet moment during the group dance as they made a heart with their hands. The dance is a feast for the senses with the professionals all dressed in bright colours for the electric performance.

Streamers in vibrant blue, yellow and purple are set off, marking the end of the group dance.

Make no mistake, Strictly is so back.

Ahead of the 2024 season, details about the Strictly Come Dancing controversy seemed to be emerging every day. Get up to speed on all the developments as they happened in this breakdown of how the Strictly scandal started.

Ellie Leach became the youngest Strictly Come Dancing winner ever in 2023, so while we wait for the start of the 2024 series, let's take a look back at every Strictly Come Dancing winner in the show's 20 year history.

15 celebrities are taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, but not all stars are created equally when it comes to their dancing skills. Here we take a look at who is the favourite to win and the least likely to take home the trophy in the latest odds.

Which professionals will compete in Strictly Come Dancing this year? Amy Dowden is returning to the dancefloor for the first time since 2022 following her breast cancer treatment. However, not every Strictly pro will be back for this year's competition.

Here's everything you need to know about Strictly's professional dancers in 2024.

There are 15 celebrities taking part in Strictly Come Dancing 2024, and they come from all walks in life ranging from pop stars to presenters, from Olympians to comedians, and everything in between. Meet the celebrities who are hoping to lift the 2024 Glitterball Trophy.

Welcome to Yahoo's live coverage of the Strictly Come Dancing launch show. The show gets underway at 7:20pm on BBC One, but to get you up to speed here's everything we know about Strictly Come Dancing's 20th year.