Strictly returns with a movie night special!

Saturday: Strictly: The Best of Movies; (BBC1, 7.30pm)
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Sep 2020, 17:00 BST
Singing In The Rain group dance 2018, The Strictly Come Dancing Professional DancersSinging In The Rain group dance 2018, The Strictly Come Dancing Professional Dancers
Singing In The Rain group dance 2018, The Strictly Come Dancing Professional Dancers

It’s that time of year when people who have never attempted a dance more technical than the Macarena suddenly become experts on fleckerls, samba bounce action and the correct posture for the paso doble – yes, Strictly Come Dancing season is upon us.

Well, sort of. Many people feared that the series would be cancelled this year. After all, it’s hard to socially distance while tangoing, especially if you don’t want to be marked down by Craig Revel Horwood for gapping, but the good news is that the BBC are going ahead.

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They’ve even announced the line-up. Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, popstar HRVY, EastEnder Maisie Smith, former Royal Marine JJ Chalmers, comedian Bill Bailey, Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh, actress Caroline Quentin, the Wanted’s Max George and NFL star Jason Bell will all be taking part.

It’s movie week and Mary Poppins appears thanks to Pixar Group Dance 2019 and The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancersIt’s movie week and Mary Poppins appears thanks to Pixar Group Dance 2019 and The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers
It’s movie week and Mary Poppins appears thanks to Pixar Group Dance 2019 and The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers

Perhaps the most intriguing signings though are boxer Nicola Adams, who is set to form the show’s first same-sex partnership, and reality star Jamie Laing, who was due to take part last year but was forced to quit after injuring himself during the launch show.

That was bad news for him, but ended up working out quite well for his partner Oti Mabuse, who found herself paired with ex-Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher and went on to lift the Mirrorball trophy. Will Jamie show that she could have done just as well if he’d been able to stick around?

They’ll all be taking to the floor in October for a shortened run, but in the meantime, BBC One is tiding us over with four special episodes, each looking back at some incredible routines.

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Hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, future shows will recapture the magic of Blackpool and the show’s Musical weeks, as well as the best of the finals, which will also contain a tribute to 2014 champion Caroline Flack.

2014 Scott Mills, Joanne Clifton2014 Scott Mills, Joanne Clifton
2014 Scott Mills, Joanne Clifton

But we’re beginning with a look back at Movie Week. Along with the Halloween specials, it’s a chance for the make-up and wardrobe departments to really let loose – over the years we’ve seen Ed Balls transformed into the Mask and Stacey Dooley turned into a jiving Minion. Last year, we also got DJ Dev Griffin as the genie from Aladdin, who scored an impressive 36 for a street-dance inspired routine to A Friend Like Me (making it all the more shocking when he was eliminated the following week, but we’ll draw a veil over that).

Now, judges Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli will be sharing some of their favourite moments, and the Strictly professional dancers and special guests will also be reminiscing about some of the most iconic numbers.

Who knows, the class of 2020 might also tune in to pick up some pointers. However, we could forgive Max George for hoping that his Wanted bandmate (and 2015 winner) Jay McGuiness’ extraordinary Pulp Fiction jive doesn’t make the cut – after all, that could really raise the viewers’ expectations for his Strictly debut.

A message from the Editor:

2018 Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev2018 Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev
2018 Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev
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Related topics:Nicola Adams