It’s officially that time of year again as the BBC released its first trailer for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 on Saturday. 

With the countdown on until 15 new celebrities hit the dancefloor, they aren’t the only ones who will be nervous as new hosts Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe also take to the floor for the first time. 

Making their debut in the all-singing all-dancing trailer, the pair looked positively ‘Strictly-fied’ as they emerged out of a golden Strictly trailer alongside their fellow host Johannes Radebe. 

After Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down at the end of last year’s series – the BBC are now trialling a three-host format for the first time. 

After Johannes assured fans they would still get to see him dancing, the trailer sees him performing alongside his fellow professionals and much-loved judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke. 

As the celebrities and professional dancers perform a high-energy routine on a studio backlot, Josh, Emma and Johannes are then unveiled in a burst of golden light as they emerge out of a Strictly trailer. 

Performing a few moves themselves, it is all gold and glamour ahead of this year’s series which will launch on September 19. 

Strictly Come Dancing first look: Hosts Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe get glammed up as they make their dancing debut alongside Johannes Radebe in new series trailer

It is all gold and glamour ahead of this year’s series which will launch on September 19 (pictured Anton Du Beke dancing with Katya Jones) 

However, the couple pairings will work slightly differently this year. 

While in the past the celebrity has had their professional dancer unveiled to them in a pre-filmed clip, this year the stars will discover the identity of their partner in front of the Strictly studio audience via three specially-choreographed group dance routines.

The full routine will open this year’s Strictly launch show – which will feature more dancing than ever before.

The launch show will also take viewers behind the scenes as the celebs begin their dance rehearsals.

Plus the return of last year’s champion Karen Carney, who will dance her iconic football jive with Carlos Gu.

The professionals returning this series are Amy Dowden, Dianne Buswell, Carlos Gu, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington , Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley, Julian Caillon and Vito Coppola.

It was revealed earlier this year that Nadiya Bychkova, 37, Karen Hauer , 44, Michelle Tsiakkas, 31, Luba Mushtuk , 36, and Gorka Marquez, 35, have all been given the boot.

Meanwhile, the line-up itself has come under fire as many of the celebrities have been deemed unrecognisable to viewers.

Some of the best-known of the line-up are Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Jaime Winstone, Will Best and Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters.

Stars such as Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist Chris Appleton might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with four million fans on Instagram.

John Nellis has an even bigger fanbase, with 15.7 million YouTube subscribers.

Indeed, while bosses may be keen to attract Gen Z (14 to 29 years old), the majority of Strictly viewers are currently Gen X (46 to 61 years old) and Baby Boomers (62 to 80 years old).

Completing the line-up is Lacey Turner, Cach Mercer, Dame Sarah Storey, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme ‘The Dogfather’ Hall, Lawrence Robb and Tabby Stoecker. 

This year the stars will discover the identity of their partner in front of the Strictly studio audience via three specially-choreographed group dance routines

Shirley Ballas wowed in a sparkly red dress as she danced alongside professionals Vito Coppola and Neil Jones 

Craig Revel Horwood was seen partying behind the DJ decks with two of this year’s celebrities Delta Goodrem and Graeme Hall 

Aljaž Škorjanec is back once again as he read a copy of ‘The Dancefloor Gazette’ 

Making their debut in the all singing all dancing trailer, the pair looked positively ‘Strictly-fied’ as they emerged out of a golden Strictly trailer alongside their fellow host Johannes Radebe

Anton Du Beke is once again returning as a fan favourite judge 

Neil Jones posed in a red convertible in the glitzy trailer 

It was previously reported that Strictly bosses are prioritising celebrities with big social media followings.

An insider has revealed the broadcaster has a casting strategy as part of its major overhaul of the show, which has been running for 22 years. 

It has been suggested this is to follow a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars. 

‘Although your traditional Strictly audience might not know who some of the signings are, that’s not as important as bringing in new viewers who are more than familiar with them,’ the source revealed.

‘Their followers are vast in numbers, enthusiastic and, by sharing content on Strictly, raise the profile of the show massively.

‘And, in time, the viewers who don’t know these people get to know them. If anything they end up going on much more of a “Strictly Journey” than the stars you’d describe as “household names,”‘ the source added to The Sun.

It’s understood pros with bigger online followings have been chosen over dancers who are not so TikTok friendly as the series tries desperately to attract a younger audience.

One example appears to be axed Bychkova, who has 214,000 Insta followers, while Dianne Buswell, with 1.2million Instagram followers and 973,000 on TikTok, has kept her place in the line-up.

Meanwhile five new young pros have been recruited with ballroom champ Maddie Ingoldsby boasting 364,000 TikTok followers. 

Former Strictly judge and renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips recently criticised the pro hirings, telling Good Morning Britain last month: ‘The new pros, as long as they can dance. I mean, most of them are sort of influencers and they talk an awful lot. As long as those pros can dance.’

And the trio of new hosts also have a strong online presence. Comedian Josh Widdicombe has more than half a million Instagram followers on his personal account whilst the Insta page for his hugely popular podcast Parenting Hell has 250,000.

Emma Willis has 2million Instagram followers and fan-favourite dancer Johannes Radebe, who will act as a co-presenter this year, has 458,000 followers.   

The insider has explained that the BBC struggles to attract big-name celebrities these days, because the landscape has changed.

The source continued: ‘Crucially the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed.

‘Boyband and girlband stars aren’t as prevalent any more and, once upon a time, getting someone from a soap or a big drama was a massive deal, but now even that has diminished somewhat.

‘Now, though, social media is continuing to boom and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society.’

STRICTLY COME DANCING 2026: MEET THE CONTESTANTS

LACEY TURNER 

AGE: 38

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Stacey Slater on BBC’s EastEnders 

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor.’

DELTA GOODREM

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight music albums

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor!’

CACH MERCER

AGE: 25

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Won Love Island 2025 and is a TikTok influencer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!’

DAME SARAH STOREY

AGE: 48

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Britain’s most successful Paralympian 

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.’

BETHANY ANTONIA 

AGE: 28

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill.’

GRAEME ‘THE DOGFATHER’ HALL

AGE: 59

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Channel 5 series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking!’

TABBY STOECKER 

AGE: 25

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Olympic champion skeleton racer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!’

MELANIE WALTERS 

AGE: 64

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Gwen West in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.’

DANI DYER

AGE: 30

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Winning Love Island and being the daughter of actor Danny Dyer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!’

CHRIS APPLETON

AGE: 43

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hairdresser to the stars – including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining Strictly and coming home to the UK for this incredible experience. I’ve always believed that the best things happen when you take a chance and try something new.’

WILL BEST

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Big Brother and previously TV

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this. And I cannot wait!’

JAIME WINSTONE

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Starring in films such as Kidulthood and Tomb Raider

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.’

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS 

AGE: 44

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Footballer who played for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’

LAWRENCE ROBB

AGE: 34

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Mackenzie Boyd on ITV’s Emmerdale

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time!’

JOHN NELLIS 

AGE: 33

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Face of a popular football-focused YouTube channel

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!’