Strictly Come Dancing series 21

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twenty-first series with a launch show on 16 September 2023 on BBC One, with live shows beginning on 23 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Janette Manrara returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, alongside Fleur East, who was announced as the new co-host after Rylan Clark's departure in April 2023. In April 2023, the BBC announced that Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood would return to the judging panel.

Actress Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola were announced as the winners on 16 December.

Format
The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points.

The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with Shirley Ballas, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote if needed.

Professional dancers
In April 2023, the BBC announced that Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Vito Coppola, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Lauren Oakley, Giovanni Pernice, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Michelle Tsiakkas, Kai Widdrington, and Nancy Xu would be returning to the series. The only professional dancer who did not return was Cameron Lombard, who had been part of the professional group routines since the nineteenth series.

In May 2023, Dowden announced she had been diagnosed with grade III breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, but added she was "determined" to get back on the dance floor and that she was hoping to take part in the series if she was able to. Despite her initial plans to return for the series, Dowden confirmed in July that she had been diagnosed with "another type of cancer" and would be unable to partner a celebrity due to undergoing chemotherapy.

During the launch show, Lauren Oakley received a celebrity partner for the first time, while Neil Jones, Nadiya Bychkova, and Michelle Tsiakkas did not receive a partner. The rest of the pros were paired to a celebrity, including Luba Mushtuk, who did not have a celebrity partner for the last two series.

Couples
This series features fifteen celebrity contestants. On 4 August 2023, the first three celebrities announced as participants in the series were Amanda Abbington, Angela Rippon, and Layton Williams. Celebrity contestants continued to be revealed until 11 August 2023, when the full line-up was announced.

On 23 October, it was announced that Amanda Abbington had withdrawn from the competition after having missed the previous week.

On 2 December, hours before the live episode was set to air, it was announced that Nigel Harman had been forced to withdraw from the competition due to a rib injury.

Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in  with a double-dagger (‡).

• {{legend|gold|Winners}}
 * Colour key:

• {{legend|silver|Runners-up}}

• {{legend|fff383|Excused from competition for the week}}

• {{legend|lightgreen|Withdrew from competition}}

• {{legend|lightblue|Bottom two}}

• {{legend|#f4c7b8|Eliminated}}
 * Notes

Weekly scores
Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke.

Launch show

 * Musical guest: Jessie Ware — "Free Yourself"

Week 1
There was no elimination this week; all scores carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2
Musical guest: Jorja Smith — "Try Me"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Nikita & Gorka
 * Mabuse: Nikita & Gorka
 * Du Beke: Nikita & Gorka
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Nikita & Gorka

Week 3: Movie Week
Musical guest: Madison Beer — "Showed Me (How I Fell in Love with You)"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Zara & Graziano
 * Mabuse: Zara & Graziano
 * Du Beke: Zara & Graziano
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zara & Graziano

Week 4
Musical guest: Beverley Knight— "I'm on Fire"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Eddie & Karen
 * Mabuse: Eddie & Karen
 * Du Beke: Eddie & Karen
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Eddie & Karen

Week 5
Musical guest: Bastille — "Pompeii"

Amanda Abbington announced that she would be unable to perform on the live show for medical reasons. Under the rules of the show, she was granted a bye to the following week.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Zara & Graziano
 * Mabuse: Zara & Graziano
 * Du Beke: Zara & Graziano
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Zara & Graziano

Week 6: Halloween Week
Musical guest: Rick Astley — "Forever and More"

After having missed the previous week, Amanda Abbington withdrew from the competition.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Adam & Luba
 * Mabuse: Adam & Luba
 * Du Beke: Adam & Luba
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Adam & Luba

Week 7
Musical guest: Zara Larsson — "On My Love"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Angela R. & Kai
 * Mabuse: Angela R. & Kai
 * Du Beke: Angela R. & Kai
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Angela R. & Kai

Week 8
Musical guests: Andrea Bocelli & Virginia Bocelli – "Hallelujah"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.
 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Angela R. & Kai
 * Mabuse: Angela R. & Kai
 * Du Beke: Angela R. & Kai
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Krishnan & Lauren

Week 9: Blackpool Week
Musical guests: Madness – "C'est La Vie"

This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower in Blackpool, Lancashire. Couples are listed in the order they performed.


 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Bobby & Dianne
 * Mabuse: Bobby & Dianne
 * Du Beke: Bobby & Dianne
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Bobby & Dianne

Week 10
Musical guests: Texas – "Inner Smile"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.


 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Layton & Nikita
 * Mabuse: Layton & Nikita
 * Du Beke: Layton & Nikita
 * Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Angela S. & Carlos

Week 11: Musicals Week (Quarter-final)
Musical guest: Joss Stone – "This Time" (from The Time Traveller's Wife)

Hours before the live performance was to begin, Nigel Harman announced that he had to withdraw from the competition after sustaining an injury. As a result, there was no elimination this week and all scores carried over to the following week.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 12 (Semi-final)
Musical guests: Take That – "This Life"


 * Judges' votes to save
 * Horwood: Annabel & Johannes
 * Mabuse: Bobby & Dianne
 * Du Beke: Bobby & Dianne
 * Ballas: Bobby & Dianne

Week 13 (Final)
Musical guest: Cher — "DJ Play a Christmas Song"

Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
 * Weeks 1–11: One unlearned dance
 * Week 12 (Semi-Finals): Two unlearned dances
 * Week 13 (Finals): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series

Ratings
Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB.