Strictly Come Dancing is on earlier tonight with shorter show as much-loved star faces axe

Strictly Come Dancing viewers need to switch on earlier tonight to avoid missing the start of this week’s shorter show.

The BBC1 dance contest, now down to just five couples, will begin at 6.40pm – a quarter of an hour earlier than last week.



Strictly hosts Claudia and Tess will be on screen earlier this week

It will also finish earlier, making way for Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel at 7.40pm, then Blankety Blank at 8.40pm.

It’s another change from last week’s Saturday show on 27 November, which began at 6.55pm and lasted for an hour and 15 minutes.

Strictly‘s start time often changes depending on what else is happening and has jumped about the schedules throughout its 2021 run.

Tonight’s show – the quarter-finals – will see the remaining stars perform two salsas, an American Smooth, an Argentine Tango and a regular Tango.

EastEnders’ Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice after dancing the American Smooth to This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole.

BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker and Nadiya Bychkova are doing the Tango to Santa Maria by Gotan Project.

TV presenter AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington will perform a salsa to Rhythm Is Gonna Get You by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine.

Bake Off star John Whaite and Johannes Radebe are also doing a salsa to We are Family by Sister Sledge.

Finally, CBBC’s Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu are dancing an Argentine Tango to In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins.

The results show tomorrow will air at 7.20pm on BBC1, as it did last week.

Earlier this week Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood took a swipe at contestant Dan – saying all of the final celebs left in the competition were “amazing” but not him.

Speaking to host Lorraine Kelly, Craig, 56, said: “Amazing, amazing, amazing, and then, Dan.”

The catty remark made the presenter giggle, but Craig said he actually loved that Dan had made it this far with the Strictly final just three weeks away.

He continued: “He represents a lot of the men in this country and if it inspires them to dance then great.”



Nadiya and Dan Walker are among the celebrities competing on Strictly tonight