What time is Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC tonight?

A peak of 5.8 million viewers watched the launch episode last Saturday (September 19), which revealed the pairings for the new series.

The programme also introduced its new presenting team of Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.

They replaced long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down last year.

Judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood have returned for the new series.

Dances and songs for week one of Strictly Come Dancing 2026

The full list of dances and songs that will be performed on the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has already been revealed:

• Bethany Antonia & Nancy Xu - Quickstep (Stop This Flame by Celeste)
• Delta Goodrem & Kai Widdrington - Samba (Baiana by Barbatuques)
• Jaime Winstone & Carlos Gu - Tango (I Feel Love by Donna Summer)
• Lacey Turner & Vito Coppola - Cha Cha (How Will I Know by Whitney Houston)
• Melanie Walters & Aljaz Skorjanec - Cha Cha (Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee)
• Dame Sarah Storey & Julian Caillon - Quickstep (C'est Magnifique by Kay Starr)
• Tabby Stoecker & Mark Karmalita - Jive (Animal by Katseye)
• Cach Mercer & Maddie Ingoldsby - Quickstep (I Just Might by Bruno Mars)
• Chris Appleton & Amy Dowden - Tango (No Roots by Alice Merton)
• Graeme Hall & Lauren Oakley - Cha Cha (Hound Dog from Smokey Joe's Cafe)
• John Nellis & Katya Jones - Foxtrot (Ordinary by Alex Warren)
• Lawrence Robb & Jowita Przystal - Paso Doble (Aperture by Harry Styles)
• Shaun Wright-Phillips & Alexis Warr - Cha Cha (Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell)
• Dani Dyer-Bowen & Nikita Kuzmin - Samba (song not yet announced)
• Will Best & Dianne Buswell - Samba (Rock DJ by Robbie Williams)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly)

What time is Strictly Come Dancing on tonight?

Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

The first live show will open with the hosts, professionals and judges performing a group number set to an orchestral version of Joy by Raye.

Each couple will then make their dance floor debut, giving viewers and the judges their first chance to see them in action.

Will there be a week one elimination?

There will be no elimination on Strictly Come Dancing this week.

Scores will instead be carried over to week two, when viewers will have their first opportunity to vote for their favourites.

The BBC said: "For now, our couples can enjoy their dance floor debut safe in the knowledge that they’ll be back for more."

Who do you think is going to win Strictly Come Dancing 2026? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.