Overview

• BBC confirms Amber Davies replaces Dani Dyer, who fractured her ankle, and will dance a week-one waltz to Adele with Nikita Kuzmin after about 24 hours of training.
• There is no elimination in the first week, with judges’ scores carrying into next weekend when the public vote opens.
• Bookmakers report a shake-up, with Slingo pricing Davies at around 5/1 to win behind frontrunner Lewis Cope at 7/4, and ahead of several established contenders.
• Her West End background has prompted debate over competitive fairness, though the BBC has said it has seen no evidence to support claims of cast unrest.
• The series continues under scrutiny from prior misconduct inquiries, including a BBC probe that partly upheld Amanda Abbington’s bullying complaint against Giovanni Pernice, as producers rely on contingency planning to keep the launch on track.