Strictly Come Dancing 2026 goes live for the first time this series on Saturday night (September 26), with all 15 couples taking to the dancefloor for their first competitive routines.
The show airs at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer, and is set to finish at 8.4pm. It follows last Saturday's pre-recorded launch show, which was watched by more than five million people on September 19.
New Hosts and First Live Show
The launch introduced new hosts Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe, who took over from long-time presenters Tess and Claudia, who stepped down at the end of the 2025 series. In a change from previous years, the celebrities met their professional partners for the first time on the dancefloor rather than in a pre-recorded video.
Since the launch, the 2026 pairings have been training for their first live dance of the competition.
Opening Number and Week One Dances
The Strictly Professionals, along with the hosts and judges, will open the show with a group number set to an orchestral version of Joy by RAYE. The BBC has also teased: "And, in a Strictly first, Saturday's episode will begin with a journey like no other…"
The week one song and dance list is:
- Bethany & Nancy - Quickstep to Stop This Flame by Celeste
- Dani & Nikita - Samba to Lush Life by Zara Larsson
- Delta & Kai - Samba to Baianá by Barbatuques
- Jaime & Carlos - Tango to I Feel Love by Donna Summer
- Lacey & Vito - Cha Cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston
- Melanie & Aljaž - Cha Cha to Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
- Dame Sarah & Julian - Quickstep to C’est Magnifique by Kay Starr
- Tabby & Mark - Jive to Animal by KATSEYE
- Cach & Maddie - Quickstep to I Just Might by Bruno Mars
- Chris & Amy - Tango to No Roots by Alice Merton
- Graeme & Lauren - Cha Cha to Hound Dog (Smokey Joe's Café version)
- John & Katya - Foxtrot to Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Lawrence & Jowita - Paso Doble to Aperture by Harry Styles
- Shaun & Alexis - Cha Cha to Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell
- Will & Dianne - Samba to Rock DJ by Robbie Williams
The first live show marks the official start of the 2026 competition, with all couples performing for the judges and viewers for the first time.
