The BBC has announced the full list of dances and songs that will be performed on the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2026. The show will air on Saturday, following the launch episode last weekend.
Celebrity pairings and performances
Actress Bethany Antonia and her partner Nancy Xu will perform a quickstep to Stop This Flame by Celeste. Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington are dancing a samba to Baiana by Barbatuques. Actress Jaime Winstone and reigning champion Carlos Gu will take on a tango to I Feel Love by Donna Summer, while EastEnders actress Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola will perform a cha cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston.
Actress Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec are also dancing a cha cha, this time to Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee. Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon have a quickstep to C'est Magnifique by Kay Starr, while Olympian Tabby Stoecker and her partner Mark Karmalita are doing a jive to Animal by Katseye. Love Island winner Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby will perform a quickstep to I Just Might by Bruno Mars.
More dances announced
Other performances include a tango to No Roots by Alice Merton from Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden, and a cha cha to Smokey Joe's Cafe version of Hound Dog from Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley. Social media personality John Nellis and Katya Jones will dance a foxtrot to Alex Warren's Ordinary, while Emmerdale's Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal will perform a paso doble to Aperture by Harry Styles. Former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr will dance a cha cha to Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen will perform a samba with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin. TV presenter Will Best and dancer Dianne Buswell will also dance a samba, to Rock DJ by Robbie Williams.
Show details and viewing figures
The first live show will open with a group number from hosts, professionals, and judges set to an orchestral version of Joy by Raye. A peak of 5.8 million viewers tuned in to the launch episode on Saturday night, according to BBC overnight figures, which saw 200,000 more viewers at its peak than last year's launch show.
The show marked the first for new hosts Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe, who replaced long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down last year. Strictly will return for its first live show of the new season on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
