The Aporia · Strictly 2026: What time does tonight's launch show start?

Strictly 2026: What time does tonight's launch show start?

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Bishop, H. (2026, September 19). Strictly 2026: What time does tonight's launch show start? Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/strictly-2026-start-time-tonight-bbc-b1297521.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

The new season of "Strictly Come Dancing" will debut tonight, featuring 15 celebrities paired with professional dancers during the show rather than in pre-recorded videos. The first live performance night is set for Saturday, September 26, where the celebrity-dancer pairs will perform and receive scores from judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood. New host Tess Daly, alongside former Strictly contestants Amy Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood, teased this new format as a return to pre-Covid show traditions during an appearance on The One Show.

Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The articles discuss the 24th season launch of the British television dancing competition "Strictly Come Dancing." Here are key points from these articles:

New hosting trio: Emma Willis (broadcaster), Josh Widdicombe (comedian), and Johannes Radebe (former Strictly professional) debuted as hosts, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Celebrity contestants:
Lacey Turner
Dani Dyer
Chris Appleton
Delta Goodrem
Cach Mercer
Will Best
Dame Sarah Storey
Jaime Winstone
Bethany Antonia
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Graeme Hall
Lawrence Robb
Tabby Stoecker
John Nellis
Melanie Walters

New format: Celebrity and pro pairings were revealed through dance routines rather than pre-recorded video segments.

Notable pairings:
Dani Dyer reunited with Nikita Kuzmin after last year's partnership was cut short due to injury.
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu formed the third all-female pairing in Strictly history.

Judges returned including Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Motsi Mabuse.

Viewers reacted positively on social media, particularly to the same-sex pairings and new hosting lineup.

The show aims to impress viewers with 15 celebrity contestants paired with pro dancers over 13 weeks of competition.

This marks a significant change for Strictly as it introduces new hosts while maintaining its iconic format of pairing celebrities with professional dancers in ballroom dancing competitions.

Written for “Strictly 2026 Launch Show” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Strictly returns with new hosting trio as celebrities find out dance pairings Same event

BBC News

Hedges 0 of 24 claims Outlet record 68/100

Emma Willis says Strictly is a ‘genuine honour’ as new hosts open new series Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 0 of 20 claims Outlet record 64/100

“While both articles discuss the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing show on September 26, Article A focuses on general information about the cast and premiere date, while Article B discusses Emma Willis's comments as a new host.”

Strictly 2026 guide: Line-up, new hosts and judges as ‘speed dancing’ twist revealed Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 1 of 52 claims Outlet record 64/100

“The articles cover different aspects of Strictly's upcoming season, but not the exact same occurrence.”

Strictly 2026 launch show LIVE: Couples lineup, guest stars and fan reaction Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 64/100

“Article A describes the schedule and setup for upcoming shows, while Article B appears to be a live update for the launch show on September 19th.”

Strictly 2026: All the pairings and fan reaction after launch show Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 64/100

“Article A describes the schedule for upcoming Strictly shows, while Article B discusses the pairings revealed in a pre-recorded launch show that has already aired.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 8 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

64/100

Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Entertainment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Holly Bishop

90 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 “I hope it inspires people to be more creative and do stuff, and get experimenting with stuff that they maybe haven't tried before.

2026-10-31 · assertive framing · 'Any excuse to wear armour': Londoners embrace second round of Lime e-bike jousting

🔮 Will they lick their wounds and go on to outwit the Faithfuls to win the prize pot?

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · BBC addresses James Acaster 'welfare' after shocking Celebrity Traitors confession

🔮 Celebrity Traitors: How James Acaster’s explosive admission may mean the Faithful win against the odds

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Celebrity Traitors: How James Acaster’s explosive admission may mean the Faithful win against the odds

🔮 Fans are in for a treat as the finale will last for an extra 20 minutes, ending at the slightly later time of 9.20pm.

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · What time is the final of Celebrity Traitors tonight?

🔮 After months of speculation, Lost has revealed it will be returning and has confirmed the venue, one that will likely appeal to many of its patrons.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Mysterious 'no-phones' London nightclub loved by celebrities announces new home in heart of the city

🔮 But whether he and his wife, Nitsa Tavadze, who he married in 2023, will attend the ceremony in London this evening remains unclear after the star suffered a serious injury.

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Who is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's wife and mother of his child? Meet Nitsa Tavadze

🔮 While Norway did not emerge victorious at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 26-year-old’s goals propelled his national team from one victory to another over the summer tournament, and cemented himself as a national hero by bringing the squad into the quarter-finals for the first time ever. Alongside him every step of the way was his long-term girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen, with whom he shares a child. Here’s everything we know about Isabel, as she is expected to appear alongside Haaland at this evening’s Ballon d’Or ceremony. How did the couple meet?

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend and mother of his child? Meet Isabel Haugseng Johansen

🔮 Paul Whitehouse pays tribute to 'amazing' dog Ted just days after broad daylight London mugging Appearing on The One Show on Thursday, October 22, Mortimer said it was “so sad” that the upcoming episode will be Ted’s last.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Paul Whitehouse pays tribute to 'amazing' dog Ted just days after broad daylight London mugging

🔮 While it has not been announced who will star in the series, Murphy previously said he has been in touch with “around ten of the original cast members” of the show.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Glee reboot confirmed more than decade after hit musical show last hit screens

🔮 He will make his GALA debut next year on the opening day of the festival.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · GALA announces 2027 lineup: Four Tet set to headline London festival for first time ever

Also by Holly Bishop

'Any excuse to wear armour': Londoners embrace second round of Lime e-bike jousting

2026-10-31 · Evening Standard

BBC addresses James Acaster 'welfare' after shocking Celebrity Traitors confession

2026-10-30 · Evening Standard

Celebrity Traitors: How James Acaster’s explosive admission may mean the Faithful win against the odds

2026-10-30 · Evening Standard

What time is the final of Celebrity Traitors tonight?

2026-10-30 · Evening Standard

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 90 articles by Holly Bishop →

Claims (8 extracted, 0 hedged)

Saturday’s show will see the 15 celebrities paired up with 15 dancers, before they are sent off to rehearse ahead of the first live show on Saturday, September 26, ready to be judged by Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and head judge Shirley Ballas. asserted

they → see → Beke

This will then be followed by the first live show a week later on Saturday, September 26, which is the first time that the new couples will perform in front of the judges and be given scores. asserted

couples → follow → scores

During an appearance on The One Show on Thursday, September 17, Willis teased how “exciting” the first episode will be while appearing alongside her new co-hosts. asserted

episode → tease → hosts

The celebrities will meet their professional partners for the first time on the dance floor, rather than during a pre-recorded video, as the show returns to a format similar to how it operated before Covid. asserted

it → meet → Covid

“This is something that they’ve never done on the show before,” Willis said. asserted

Willis → do → show

“Everybody is paired during a dance,” she explained, likening the new format to “speed dating”. asserted

she → pair → dating

Here is the list of celebrities who will be hitting the dance floor for the first time tonight. asserted

who → hit → time

- Lacey Turner - EastEnders star - Dani Dyer - Love Island winner and daughter of actor Danny Dyer - Delta Goodrem - Australian singer - Chris Appleton - Celebrity hairstylist - Cach Mercer - Love Island winner and content creator - Will Best - Presenter - Dame Sarah Storey - Paralympic cyclist and swimmer - Jaime Winstone - Actor and daughter of Ray Winstone - Bethany Antonia - House of the Dragon star - Shaun Wright-Phillips - Former footballer and pundit - Graeme Hall - Dogs Behaving Badly host - Lawrence Robb - Emmerdale star - Tabby Stoecker - Skeleton racer - John Nellis - YouTuber - Melanie Walters - Gavin and Stacey star And here are the professional dancers here to guide the stars to success. - Dianne Buswell - Julian Caillon - Amy Dowden - Katya Jones - Neil Jones - Nikita Kuzmin - Jowita Przystał - Aljaž Škorjanec - Alexis Warr - Kai Widdrington - Nancy Xu - Carlos Gu - Lauren Oakley - Vito Coppola - Aleksandra Isaeva - Cristian Priori - Lethabo Monametsi - Maddie Ingoldsby - Mark Karmalita asserted

here → behave → success

Strictly 2026: What time does tonight's launch show start?

Quick Summary

AI analysis

Story

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (8 extracted, 0 hedged)