has finally announced their launch date - and fans won't have to wait long to see it. Fans of the beloved dance competition have been highly anticipating the return of the reality show, as they gear up for the 20th anniversary special. The star-studded line-up has already been announced, with the likes of JLS hunk JB Gill and beauty Tasha Ghouri set to take to the stage.
Now, telly bosses have revealed that the show will return to our screens next month, and fans are already snapping up tickets to watch the glitz and glamour live. The first live show is scheduled for Saturday, September 21, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman ready to introduce a fresh batch of celebrity couples to the dance floor, reports Securing tickets to Strictly is notoriously difficult, but dates are now open for September 21 and 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 23, 30 and December 7 and 14. All shows are filmed at the BBC's Elstree base in Hertfordshire, except for the iconic Blackpool show, which takes place later in the series.
Tickets for this special event are available for Saturday, November 16. TV bosses are hoping the return of the programme will take the spotlight away from the various scandals they have faced over the past 12 months. Following Amanda Abbington's sudden exit last year, the broadcaster launched an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of celebrity contestants.
The flagship channel spent three months looking into allegations of rehearsal room bullying, sparked by a complaint against professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. The Italian dancer was axed from the dance show but vehemently denies any wrongdoing. But he wasn't the only pro dancer to be given the boot this year.
Graziano Di Prima was also fired from the competition after he admitted to "kicking" his co-star Zara McDermott while training together. Despite the lengthy investigation, the results of the report have been kept under wraps. Following the complaints, the BBC has implemented tougher safeguards for its stars including a chaperone who will be present "at all times" in the training rooms.
This year's star-studded line-up includes comedian Chris McCausland, singers JB Gill, Wynne Evans and Toyah Willcox, and TV doctor Punam Krishan. Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, Towie's Pete Wicks and actors Shayne Ward and Sarah Hadland are also set to join the show. But the list doesn't end there, with Gladiators' Montell Douglas, swimmer Tom Dean, ' Jamie Borthwick, DIY: SOS host Nick Knowles, Sam Quek and former footballer Paul Merson also making an appearance.
But the glamorous line-up has received mixed reviews from fans online, with many noticing a lack of women competing on the show. This year, only six women signed up to take part on the show, meanwhile nine men will be showing off their new dance moves. Previous reports have underlined that this is the “fewest” female celebrities Strictly has signed up before.
A Strictly spokesperson made their opinion on the upcoming show very clear. They said: “We are really excited about this year’s line-up and look forward to the series starting. There are many factors that influence the casting process to ensure we have a good mix of celebrities from a broad range of backgrounds.
"There is no hard and fast rule regarding the gender split on the show and it’s never been about ticking boxes.”.
