Strictly Come Dancing has unveiled the lineup of songs for week one of the competition, ahead of Saturday night’s first live show of the series.
The show returned to screens last week with a dazzling pre-recorded show to mark the beginning of its 20th anniversary series after months of scandal surrounding the programme’s professional dancers.
However, the pressure will rise this week as the 15 celebrity contestants perform live for the first time before the voting – and first elimination of the series – happens next weekend.
This week’s routines include three cha chas, two foxtrots, two tangos, two sambas and a Viennese waltz.
Comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell will perform a cha cha to “Twist and Shout”’ by The Beatles, with TV doctor Punam Krishnan and Gorka Márquez performing the same style to Kylie Minogue’s “Love at First Sight”.
Former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec will also dance a cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s summer anthem, “Espresso”.
As announced last week, former Arsenal/England player Paul Merson will be paying homage to his sport by performing the intriguing combination of an American Smooth to the popular football chant song “Vindaloo” by Fat Les.
Gladiators star Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe will be foxtrotting to “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” by Dinah Washington, while Olympic Hockey player Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin are also performing a foxtrot to The Supremes’ hit “Where Did Our Love Go”.
Tango-ing this week are Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova dancing to Harry Styles’s “Golden”, while Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones performing Madonna’s “Ray of Light”.
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In the samba corner are Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu, dancing to Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do”, and Wynne Evans and Katya Jones performing Tom Jones’s “Help Yourself”.
TOWIE’s Pete Wicks and his partner Jowita Przystał will be performing what will likely be a fiery paso doble to “Breathe” by The Prodigy.
EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas will dance a Viennese Waltz to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and JLS’s JB Gill and Amy Dowden will perform a classic waltz to “When I Need You” by Leo Sayer.
Tasha Ghouri, Love Island’s first ever deaf contestant taking to the Strictly stage
Love Island contestant and model Tasha Ghouri appeared on the ITV reality show in 2022, becoming its first deaf contestant. She trained as a dancer at Creative Academy and has since competed at major dance events and performed in music videos.
Ghouri also hosts the podcast Superpowers with Tasha and released the book Hits Different in June, about a girl who is an aspiring dancer and goes on tour with a global superstar.
Read more about the reality star below:
Meet Sarah Hadland, the comedian and Miranda star taking to the dance floor
Actor Sarah Hadland is best known for her role as Stevie in the BBC comedy Miranda, which she starred in alongside the show’s creator Miranda Hart.
She is also one of the original cast members of the children’s series Horrible Histories and has appeared in numerous films, including the Bond epic Quantum of Solace.
Read more about the comedy actor here:
Tom Dean’s journey from gold medals to glitterballs
Tom Dean will follow in the footsteps of many sportsmen before him as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The swimmer is a three-time Olympic champion and made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the first British man to win a gold medal for the men’s 200m swim freestyle in over 100 years. At the Paris Olympic Games this year, Dean brought home his third gold medal for Team GB in the team 4 x 200m freestyle relay.
Read more about the Olympian here:
Jamie Borthwick, the EastEnders star whose casting might irk purists
Actor Jamie Borthwick is known for his long-term role in the BBC soap EastEnders, having starred as Jay Brown/Mitchell since 2006. He is now one of the longest-serving actors on the show.
His inclusion on Strictly might frustrate purist fans who believe contestants should not have prior dancing experience; The 30-year-old soap star won the Strictly Christmas special alongside Nancy Xu in December 2023.
Read more about the actor below:
Paul Merson, the former footballer looking for success on Strictly after rollercoaster career
Merson, a 56-year-old father of eight, will follow in the footsteps of fellow footballers John Barnes, Robbie Savage, Alex Scott and his ex-Arsenal teammate Tony Adams when he puts on his dancing shoes for the 22nd season of the long-running BBC show.
Read more about the former footballer below:
Dr Punam Krishan: The TV medic hoping to prescribe some entertainment this autumn
Strictly fans will most likely know Krishan from appearing as the resident GP on BBC Morning Live as well as BBC Radio Scotland, not to mention numerous other broadcasting appearances. She has also written her own children’s book.
Read more about the celebrity contestant below:
Shayne Ward’s journey from X Factor audition to Coronation Street and now Strictly
Born in Manchester to parents who were Irish travellers, the 39-year-old spent the earlier part of his life in a band called Destiny performing in pubs, clubs, and weddings before his big break on the ITV show in 2005.
Read more about the Strictly contestant below:
Meet Montell Douglas, the Gladiators star and multi-sport Olympian
Before her time fighting off hopeful Gladiators contestants on our screens, the 38-year-old sprinter represented Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she reached the second round in the women’s 100 metres.
She previously held a British woman’s record for fastest 100m sprint and won a Commonwealth Gold in the 4x100m relay race in 2010.
Get to know the Strictly contestant below:
Strictly Come Dancing 2024 viewing figures for launch revealed
Strictly Come Dancing’s 2024 launch show was watched by almost a million fewer viewers than last year, figures have indicated.
Read more below:
Janette Manrara explains why she won’t be rooting for husband Aljaz on Strictly
Speaking to The One Show alongside her co-presenter Fleur East, Manrara was asked by host Roman Kemp: “Janette, I know someone you’ll be cheering on. Aljaž, of course. Is it nice to see him back out there?”
Read more below: