Strictly Come Dancing live show start date 'rumbled' as fans clamour for BBC tickets

It's still one of the most watched programmes on British TV 20 years after its debut and now the start date for this year's Strictly Come Dancing live shows has been 'leaked' online as fans clamour to get their hands on tickets to be in the studio audience.

It was back in the summer of 2004 that Strictly first came into our lives. Then still a very much unknown quantity and hosted by still presenter Tess Daly and late showbiz legend Bruce Forsyth, Strictly, inspired by famous BBC series Come Dancing, quickly became a ratings hit for the broadcaster as news reader Natasha Kaplinsky went onto become the first ever champion.

A seconds series was swiftly ordered for later that year, with Geordie star Jill Halfpenny the second winner and, since then countless celebs have followed in their footsteps including Darren Gough, Louis Smith, Abbey Clancy, Harry Judd and more recent champions like Hamza Yassin and last year's champion Ellie Leach.

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The Strictly 2024 line-up includes famous faces of all ages, from Love Island's Tasha Ghouri to DIY SOS host Nick Knpwles and others, including pop star and former X Factor winner Shayne Ward, gold medal Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and EastEnders' Jamie Borthwwick, who actually won the Christmas Special last year.

The launch show for the new series is set to air on BBC One on Saturday, September 14 and, thanks to dates being made public online, fans have worked out that the live shows start a week later on Saturday, September 21.

The deadline for people to apply for tickets was 10pm on Monday, September 2 and the website also revealed that, as well as there being a return to Blackpool for a special from the Tower Ballroom, this year's live Strictly final will take place on Saturday, December 14.