Yahoo News How long do Strictly's Christmas special cast train for?
Strictly Come Dancing's festive episode is a much smaller time commitment than the main show - but what does it involve?
Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special has become a Christmas Day TV staple over the years, giving a last hit of ballroom glitz and glamour after the main series ends.
The celebrity cast for the 2024 special is being revealed, but how long do the festive dancers get to train for their big performance?
We take a look at what goes into preparing for and making the Christmas Day episode as excitement builds ahead of the big day.
How long do Strictly's Christmas special cast get to train?
It's no walk in the park preparing for a Strictly Come Dancing routine, but the festive episode is certainly less of a time commitment than the main series.
The festive episode sees each couple perform just one routine, while in the main series there is a new routine every week with two dances each in the semi-final, and three dances to perform in the final. Those making it to the final can expect to perform 13 live shows, with training beginning a couple of weeks before the first episode, long rehearsals most days throughout each week, and a live tour commitment after the series ends.
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Earlier specials saw some of the fan favourites from the year's main competition take on new guest stars at Christmas, but in more recent years the Christmas cast has been entirely made up of celebrities who are new to the ballroom.
It's an opportunity for celebrities who don't have the time in their schedule to commit to four months of training to take part in Strictly.
However, for the pro dancers involved, some of them may be training alongside their current series partners while others might have already been knocked out of the contest or not have been given a celebrity partner that year.
Announcements for the Christmas cast began dropping on 11 November this year and with the episode set to be recorded in early December, the cast should get around a month of training at least – although it's unlikely to be the intense, hours-every-day arrangement of the main series cast.
When is the Strictly Christmas special filmed?
Unlike the full series of Strictly which features weekly live shows, the Christmas special is pre-recorded in advance – so no-one has to give up their Christmas dinner to take part.
That also means there are no public votes involved in who will win, with the decision made instead by the judges and studio audience as it is recorded.
Some years, the episode has been filmed as early as November, but this year it is set to take place on Tuesday, 3 December with the result kept a closely guarded secret until it airs on BBC One on Christmas Day.
As with the main weekly shows, it's possible to apply to be in the audience via the BBC shows and tours site, although the ballot for this year's special has already closed.
Who is taking part in Strictly's 2024 Christmas special?
Celebrities are still being announced for this year's festive cast, but four names have been revealed so far.
Comedian Josh Widdicombe was the first person to be named for the special, closely followed by RuPaul's Drag Race star Tayce.
Joining them on the dance floor will be model and TV presenter Vogue Williams, and Gladiator, former Olympic sprinter and recent Celebrity MasterChef contestant Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
The full cast will include six celebrities paired with six pro dancers from Strictly.
Do Strictly's Christmas celebrities take part in the main show?
When the Christmas specials first began, the cast was made up of a mix of cast from that year's main series, celebrities from previous series, and others who were completely new to Strictly.
However, in recent years the Christmas show has moved towards an entirely new cast, although some of them do get a taste for ballroom and end up making their way onto the main show.
That isn't always without controversy, though, as this year some viewers have complained about JB Gill and Jamie Borthwick both having taken part in Christmas specials before which critics claimed gave them an advantage.
On the other hand, Christmas special cast member Vogue Williams has already taken part in Australia's Dancing with the Stars, which ruled her out of the main series of Strictly but not the festive episode.
She has claimed that it will not have bestowed any kind of advantage on her, though, as she commented: "You're not allowed to do both. So I never ever get asked to do [Strictly].I'm an absolutely crap dancer. I'm one of those ones that never got better. As the weeks went on, I think I might have got slightly worse. I cannot dance."
Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special airs on BBC One on Christmas Day.
