Somehow, someway, the Strictly Come Dancing Semi-Final is upon us. The 2025 series of the beloved BBC One entertainment show has been one of the most shocking in Strictly's 21-year history and last weekend's Dance-Off (and subsequent elimination) is the perfect example of that. It just hasn't been going at all like viewers expected - and the fact that Lewis and Katya isn't even the second shock elimination this series is proof.
But through 11 weeks of dancing, we've made to this point, as the four remaining couples look to secure a place in next week's Final, allowing them to get one step closer to winning that coveted Glitterball Trophy. But how will Amber and Nikita, Balvinder and Julian, George and Alexis, and Karen and Carlos fare in the Semi-Final?
Here's when it all kicks off, and everything you need to know about it.
Strictly Week 12 start time (and how long the episode is)
Strictly Come Dancing Week 12 will air on BBC One on Saturday, December 13, at 6:35 pm GMT. Now, you might notice that this is significantly earlier than last week's installment and that's because this is the Semi-Final - which, of course, means that all four couples will be performing two dances. Therefore, we're back to an earlier start and a longer episode (which can be streamed simultaneously on BBC iPlayer).
Speaking of which, the episode will indeed have a longer runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes, meaning that it will wrap up at 8:05 pm GMT. As the episode is live, and there will be double the dancing from each couple, double the VTS, double the judges comments, double the conversations with Claudia, and so much more, there is always the chance that it could run overtime slightly (it is live television after all!). But given that the vote will open shortly after the eighth dance of the night, it shouldn't really.
Strictly's Semi-Final features Charlestons, Salsas, Waltzes, and the last Couples Choice of the series
The Semi-Final's songs and dances line-up is arguably the most interesting of the whole series, and we don't say that in just the best of ways. While there are some cracking songs and dance styles in there, fans are particularly concerned about the fact that both Balvinder and Karen have exactly the same styles (as well as the fact that both Balvinder and Amber will dance to Michael Bublé!). They really are taking that whole idea of doubling up for the semis literally!
Here are both dance styles that each couple will perform, along with the songs for each of them:
- Amber and Nikita – Tango to "Higher" by Michael Bublé and Couples Choice to "Fly Me to the Moon" by Raye
- Balvinder and Julian – Waltz to "At This Moment" by Michael Bublé and Salsa to"‘Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"/"Get On Your Feet" by Gloria Estefan
- George and Alexis – Charleston to "We Speak No Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool and Samba to "Volare" by Gipsy Kings
- Karen and Carlos – Salsa to "Turn the Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson and Waltz to "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston
Looking at that list, we're definitely going to see some show-stoppers tonight. Amber's routines have the ability to be extremely high-scorers, particularly the fact that one is her Couples Choice. Meanwhile, Balvinder stunned with the Viennese Waltz last weekend, so there is always the chance that she could do exactly the same with the Waltz this weekend - we can't wait to see it! Karen and Carlos have fared well with Latin dances in the past so their Salsa has all the makings of a party-dance. And expectations are high for George's Inbetweeners-inspired Charleston.
That's only half of the show too, as there are the other dances to look forward to! It's certainly not the first time that our couples have danced twice - last week's Musicals Special featured a group relay dance and the week before that had the Instant Dance Challenge (and Balvinder is the Dance-Off Queen!) - so these four are ready for the new challenge of the Semi-Final.
We wish them all the best and can't wait to see them all take to the dancefloor!