Overview

• The pre-recorded launch aired on BBC One and iPlayer at 6:40pm, unveiling all 15 celebrity–professional pairings and a pro group routine that featured pregnant reigning champion Dianne Buswell.
• Ellie Goldstein becomes the first contestant with Down’s syndrome on Strictly, and La Voix is the show’s first drag-queen contestant on a full-length series.
• The BBC says strengthened welfare measures continue this year, including dedicated welfare producers, a constant production presence in training rooms and enhanced staff training.
• Public voting moves to an online-only system after the discontinuation of phone services, with the broadcaster pledging clear guidance for viewers on how to participate.
• Two new professionals, Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon, join the line-up as early betting markets place Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope among the frontrunners and tip Ross King as vulnerable to an early exit.