New Order

Aug 6, 2026 by Rob

After a massive shake-up, including the departure of co-hosts Claudia and Tess, a very new-look Strictly 2026 will air on BBC1 on September 19. Pre-recorded on Wednesday September 9, this will offer a first glimpse of new presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

Out with the old, in with the new… Five former pros have left the show in Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Gorka Marquez. And five new pros have been drafted in.

Johannes, along with Neil Jones and Nancy Xu, will not be assigned celebrity partners, and it will probably be a case of two of the new pros being benched.

It’s also all-change on the spin-off show, It Takes Two, with Janette Manrara and Fleur East departing and former Strictly contestant Ellie Taylor taking over presenting duties. The show is having a major digital facelift, shifting to a vodcast format.

One element that will remain the same in this upcoming 24th series is the judging panel of Shirley, Craig, Motsi and Anton.

Dani Dyer, who had to pull out pre-series last year due to injury, is back and it would appear likely she will be paired with Nikita Kuzmin again. The 2026 field in full:

• Lacey Turner: 38 | 5ft 3in (160 cm)
• Dani Dyer: 30 | 5ft 1in (155 cm)
• Delta Goodrem: 41 | 5ft 10in (178 cm)
• Dame Sarah Storey: 48 | 5ft 8in (173 cm)
• Jaime Winstone: 41 | 5ft 3in (160 cm)
• Bethany Antonia: 28 | 5ft 5in (165 cm)
• Tabby Stoecker: 25 | 5ft 7in (170 cm) 
• Melanie Walters: 64 | 5ft 6in (168 cm)
• Chris Appleton: 43 | 6ft 3in (191 cm)
• Cach Mercer: 25 | 6ft 1in (185 cm)
• Will Best: 41 | 5ft 11in (180 cm)
• Shaun Wright-Phillips: 44 | 5ft 5in (165 cm)
• Graeme Hall: 59 | 6ft 2in (188 cm)
• Lawrence Robb: 34 | 6ft 1in (185 cm)
• John Nellis: 33 | 5ft 10in (178 cm)

We should see the biggest weeks fall like this:

week 1 (launch show) – 26th September
week 3 – 10th October – Movie Week
week 5 – 24th October – Icons Week
week 6 – 31st October – Halloween Week
week 9 – 21st November – Blackpool Week
week 11 (quarter-final) – 5th December – Musicals Week
week 13 (grand final) – 19th December

The autumn 2026 subscription is now officially open. Last year, it achieved a +24pts profit, which equated to a 35% ROI. It is averaging a profit of +47pt per year dating back to 2014.

2014 = +41pts
2015 = +73pts
2016 = +82pts
2017 = +26pts
2018 = -2pts
2019 = +140pts
2020 = +8pts
2021 = +53pts
2022 = +52pts
2023 = +1.5pts
2024 = +67pts
2025 = +24pts

Last year Karen Carney was advised pre-lives at 12-1 to win the series:

And during the series run, 10-1, 9-1 and 13-2 elimination winners were unearthed.

As usual, the subscription will also cover the other big TV betting events in the lead up to Christmas including the Primetime Emmys, I’m A Celebrity… and SPOTY 2026.

It’s always a lot of fun to dig into the show and try and work out what the producers are striving for, with the added incentive of seeking to forge a nice profit along the way.

Grab a piece of the action for the bargain price of £80 by clicking on the link below, or top left on the home page.