October 17, 2020

Strictly Come Dancing First Look Pics Show Just How Different This Year’s Series Is Going To Look

We’ve finally been given our first peek at this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and in a Coronavirus world, things are looking very different indeed.
Strictly Come Dancing First Look Pics Show Just How Different This Year’s Series Is Going To Look

Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will return to our screens tonight - albeit in a safe, socially distanced way.The judges - Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse - are all present and correct too, but have their own individual podiums.

Bruno Tonioli won’t feature on this year’s live shows due to travel restrictions and his work commitments on the US version of the show, Dancing With The Stars.
Earlier this year, show bosses revealed that he’ll still be appearing remotely in the pre-recorded Sunday night results show, while there are also plans for him to return to Strictly “full time towards the end of the series”.There are big changes with the Strictly audience too. This year they will be safely spaced apart and appear behind protective screens. All audience members also have to wear masks (in black) for the duration of the show.
Because of the shorter run time of this year’ series, there are also fewer contestants than usual on the 2020 line-up, with 12 stars competing rather than the usual 15.The first three confirmed were Actor Caroline Quentin, former NFL player Jason Bell and The Wanted Singer Max George, with broadcaster Ranvir Singh and Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo announced shortly afterwards.
Also taking part are soap star Maisie Smith, singer HRVY, comedian Bill Bailey, former home secretary Jacqui Smith and Invictus Games competitor JJ Chalmers.
Completing the line-up are Olympic boxer Nicola Adams – who will make up half of the show’s first ever same-sex pairing – and reality star Jamie Laing, who was supposed to appear on the show last year, but had to pull out due to an injury.
Strictly returns to BBC One tonight at 7.50pm.MORE STRICTLY: Got Questions About How This Year's Strictly Will Work? Well, We've Got Answers Sequins And Spandex At The Ready: This Year's Stars Get Strictly-Fied (Well, Except For One Absentee)

Headlines

World rings in 2023

Country by country, the world welcomed 2023 early Sunday morning — and bid goodbye to a year marked by war, economic uncertainties, and COVID variants. Many cities were celebrating New Year's in full force for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 100,000 gathering on the Embankment of the Thames in London for a firework show that paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, while an estimated million people braved the rain for the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square. Roni Bintang/Getty Images Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Alexi Rosenfeld/ Getty Images Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images "I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace, and love," Tina Wright, a reveler visiting New York City from the Phoenix area, told the Los Angeles Times.