The essential episodes of Strictly Come Dancing
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Strictly Come Dancing — each pick states its reason.
- 01
- 02
It's the first live show of Strictly 2025, and our judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke kick things off with an incredible opening number that sees them dancing through the decades.Fresh from the training room, our 15 couples join Tess and Claud in the ballroom, ready to perform their first routines of the competition. Whilst they may not have to face the public vote this week, they do have to face the judges, who will be handing out the first scores of the series.As our couples are making their dance floor debuts this week, no-one is going home, and the judges' scores will be carried over to next weekend, when viewers will have their first chance to vote for their favourites.
- 03
Tess and Claud welcome our couples back to the ballroom, where they perform brand new routines. Whilst they'll all be aiming for good scores from the Judges, they're hoping to impress you at home too. At the end of the show, the public vote will open for the very first time this series. Who will you be backing?
- 04
It's the first results show of the series, and our couples nervously wait to find out the results. There's a beautiful group routine with our professional dancers and a performance from Zara Larsson. The bottom two couples will face the dance-off - which celebrity will be the first to depart Strictly in 2025?
- 05
Our couples are back on the dance floor. Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will be keeping a close eye on proceedings, providing valuable insight and awarding scores, before the public vote opens at the end of the show. Who will take the top spot on the leaderboard this week?
- 06
Prepare for a thriller of a night in the ballroom - it's Strictly's annual Halloween spectacular. Our couples undergo truly terrifying transformations to perform routines they hope will bewitch the judges and you at home. As usual, Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are embracing the Halloween spirit and ready to offer both tricks and treats when it comes to the scores. When the vote opens at the end of the show, who will you keep alive and kicking in the competition?
- 07
The frights keep coming on Strictly's Halloween weekend as our couples find out the results. Our professionals invite you along to a Monsters Ball, and there's music from Cat Burns. As the witching hour approaches, two more couples will be sent down into the dreaded dance-off, and for one, the die is cast. Who will be banished from the ballroom for good?
- 08
Tess and Claud welcome you to our annual Blackpool extravaganza, live from the iconic Tower Ballroom. The show begins with a spectacular routine from our professionals featuring the one and only Steps. Our couples then take to the world-famous sprung floor for their biggest performances to date. When the vote opens at the end of the show, who will you think has delivered a show-stopping performance?
- 09
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are back at Blackpool Tower Ballroom, where there will be no dance-off this week after La Voix had to drop out of the competition, with all judges' scores and viewer votes rolling over to next week's show. The professionals perform a group number, there is music by Lewis Capaldi, and former Strictly celebrities Danny Mac, Ashley Roberts, Layton Williams and Jay McGuiness return to the dancefloor to revisit some iconic routines.
- 10
Tess and Claud welcome our remaining couples back to the Strictly ballroom for another Saturday night of dancing. Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will be keeping a close eye on the latest set of routines and delivering their scores, before you can cast your votes at the end of the show. Our stars also face a brand new challenge that's never been seen in the ballroom before. As the competition intensifies, who can handle the pressure?
- 11
Our couples' fate is sealed. As the results are revealed, who will be through to next weekend's double header - musicals week and the quarter-final? Our professionals perform another incredible group number, and there's music from the brilliant Myles Smith. Another dance-off awaits two more couples, and with the competition entering its final stages, nobody wants to be next to leave.
- 12
Get ready for a jam-packed night in the ballroom, as it's the quarter-final and the last themed week of the series: musicals! Our couples take centre stage and transport us to the glittering West End for some showstopping routines.Tom Fletcher provides music and marmalade sandwiches, as he performs a song from the brand new musical adaptation of Paddington, with the iconic bear joining us in the ballroom.Our couples then return to the floor to take part in another Strictly first: a brand new high-stakes dance challenge. As the curtain falls on the night's performances, who will have five-star reviews from the judges? And who will you be awarding a standing ovation?
- 13
It's a big night in the ballroom as this year's competition nears its climatic conclusion. Tess and Claudia welcome the remaining couples to the 2025 semi-final, where they must dance twice to win a place in the grand final. Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will once again provide their critiques along with the scores before the vote opens at the end of the show. Who will you decide deserves to be a finalist?
- 14
The Glitterball trophy is now within touching distance. The remaining couples nervously wait to find out who has secured a place in the grand final. Kylie Minogue joins our professionals for a very special group performance, and there's music from James. Two couples will face the agony of the final dance-off of the series, where the prize is a coveted spot in the Strictly final. Who will make it through and get the chance to compete to be your champion?
- 15
It's the biggest night in the ballroom – the grand final. After three months of hard-fought competition, the 2025 Strictly champion is crowned.The show begins with a dazzling group routine from our professional dancers and this year's finalists, before they each perform three times in a bid to be your winners. They revisit a previous routine, having had a masterclass with the judges, perform a spectacular show dance and then take to the floor with their favourite dance from across the series. The complete cast of 2025 also return to the dance floor one last time for a fabulous group number.Your votes alone will decide who walks away with the Glitterball, as the judges' scores are purely for guidance. On what is set to be a momentous night in the ballroom, who will be your champions?
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