The BBC has unveiled first-look photos of the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 celebrity contestants in their sequinned costumes ahead of the September 19 launch. The long-running BBC One ballroom competition returns for its 24th series after undergoing a major revamp of its hosting team and casting strategy. Returning contestant Dani Dyer and Gavin & Stacey star Melanie Walters lead the lineup of stars pictured in their glittery outfit transformations.
Dyer, 30, was forced to drop out of last year's series after sustaining an injury during rehearsals. She leads the female transformations in a purple fringed dress paired with lashings of fake tan.
Lacey Turner, who becomes the 31st EastEnders actor to take part in the show, matches Dyer in an orange version of the fringed dress. Australian singer Delta Goodrem, 41, glitters in a gold outfit for the official launch shoot.
Gavin & Stacey icon Melanie Walters, 64, underwent the most dramatic change for the series. Famous for playing apron-wearing Gwen in the hit comedy series, Walters swapped floral aprons for a plunging metallic dress featuring tassels and high heels.
Celebrity lineup and male contestant transformations
The male contestants are styled in matching shades of red and purple satin. Big Brother host Will Best, 41, poses head-to-toe in red satin and velvet, unbuttoning his shirt alongside celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, 43, to show off their tans.
Appleton is best known as the hairstylist to Kim Kardashian. Joining them on the dancefloor is actress Jaime Winstone, who was pictured already showing off her dance moves in the first-look images.
The 2026 lineup also features former professional footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and two Olympic athletes. Dame Sarah Storey, a decorated British cyclist and swimmer who has won multiple gold medals at the Paralympic Games, joins Team GB skeleton athlete and Olympic gold medallist Tabby Stoecker.
The cast is completed by House of the Dragon star and West End actress Bethany Antonia, TV presenter Graeme Hall, Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb, Love Island champion Cach Mercer, and sports YouTuber John Nellis. Hall is widely known as The Dogfather for his work as a British dog trainer, while Robb plays Mackenzie "Mack" Boyd on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
New presenting trio for revamped series
The 24th series of Strictly Come Dancing marks the start of a major overhaul for the BBC flagship show. Long-standing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman made a shock announcement during last year's series that they were stepping down, triggering months of speculation over who would take over the main stage.
In May, the BBC confirmed that seasoned presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and professional dancer Johannes Radebe would form a new three-person hosting team. Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast hosted by Richard Osman, the trio addressed their new setup in their first major joint interview.
Willis explained that having three presenters was a "wild card" decision by show producers, noting that the setup remains "very open" only weeks before the live broadcasts begin. "There's no like for like, so no one's kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it's all very kind of open," Willis said.
She added that the team is currently conducting rehearsals behind the scenes. "We're having lots of production days where we go in and we play around and we're kind of feeling each other out - well, they're feeling us out really," Willis said.
Widdicombe compared their fluid dynamic to a famous football tactic, telling podcast host Richard Osman: "It's going to be like total football, Richard. We're going to be moving everywhere." Willis also dismissed earlier rumors regarding Radebe's role, clarifying that the professional dancer "definitely" will not be restricted to a backstage roving reporter position.
Targeting younger viewers through social media
The revamped casting strategy has sparked criticism from some long-time viewers, who described the 2026 lineup as "weak" and argued that it lacks sufficient "household names." However, television insiders revealed that the BBC deliberately targeted stars with massive social media followings to draw younger audiences to the show.
The broadcaster is reportedly taking inspiration from the American format Dancing With The Stars, which successfully boosted youth engagement by holding a TikTok Night last year. During that special episode, contestants performed viral internet dances, driving social media interaction. The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account has grown to over 5 million followers, compared to 670,000 for Strictly Come Dancing.
Although hairstylist Chris Appleton is not a household name to traditional television viewers, he commands 4 million followers on Instagram. Sports YouTuber John Nellis boasts an even larger audience, with 15.7 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
The new hosts also bring substantial social media reach. Willis has 2 million Instagram followers, Widdicombe has over 500,000 personal Instagram followers alongside 250,000 for his Parenting Hell podcast page, and Radebe has 458,000 followers on Instagram.
Changes to professional dancer roster
The emphasis on digital audience reach has also impacted the show's professional dance roster. Popular professional dancers Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk, and Gorka Marquez were all dropped from the series ahead of the new season.
Insiders state that professional dancers with stronger online followings were prioritized over those less prominent on platforms such as TikTok. For instance, Bychkova was released despite having 214,000 Instagram followers, whereas Dianne Buswell retained her spot with 1.2 million Instagram followers and 973,000 followers on TikTok.
To replace the departing pros, the BBC recruited five new young dancers, including ballroom champion Maddie Ingoldsby, who has 364,000 followers on TikTok.
An industry insider told The Sun that the changes reflect broader shifts in television broadcasting and talent acquisition. "Crucially the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed," the source explained.
"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," the insider added. "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 returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7:25pm on Saturday, September 19.
