Overview

• BBC One and iPlayer will air the pre‑recorded launch at 6.40pm on Saturday, when the 15 celebrity–professional partnerships are revealed.
• Vicky Pattison says she is "nervous" and "a mess" and has spoken about anxiety linked to a 2023 PMDD diagnosis, adding the production is being considerate of her needs.
• Ross King reported backstage emotion, saying Alex Kingston became "really emotional" during the opening routine, and he described rehearsals of up to eight hours a day.
• New professional dancers Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon join the cast this series, with Caillon calling his arrival on the show a "dream come true."
• Katya Jones teased her training-room partner in a blurred social post, quipping that "he's doing his research" ahead of the first live show on September 27.