Strictly professionals and judges to perform ‘avant-garde’ tango on results show

Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers and judges will perform an “avant-garde gothic tango” on the first results show of the 2024 series.

They will dance to Prince’s When Doves Cry and New Order’s Blue Monday, before the first person to be eliminated from the BBC dancing show is revealed.

The show’s longest-serving judge, Craig Revel Horwood, will wear a blonde wig and sit on a golden throne.

Fellow judge Anton Du Beke will wear a purple jacket with a gold waistcoat and white shirt, while Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse will dance in all black outfits.

The professional dancers will wear white and black outfits as they surround the throne, for which the judges will battle.

Strictly Come Dancing’s first results show of its 20th anniversary series will air on Sunday, September 29 at 7.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer, while the next live show airs on Saturday, September 28 at 6.15pm.

Celebrity contestant Nick Knowles, presenter of DIY SOS, confirmed on Thursday that he would be able to perform on Saturday’s live show, after an injury had thrown his ability to perform into doubt.

Last week professional dancer Amy Dowden topped the judges leaderboard on her return to the series, after overcoming breast cancer, alongside her celebrity partner JLS singer JB Gill.

The new series is under way amid an investigation by the BBC after allegations were made about former professional dancer Giovanni Pernice by his 2023 celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington.

Pernice rejects the allegations, and his fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima has also left the show after the furore.

Before the new series the BBC said it would introduce new welfare measures, including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during rehearsals.