It's finally time; Strictly Come Dancing is coming back to Blackpool! You can bet that anticipation for the spectacular special is high, as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have mentioned it repeatedly in recent weeks as part of their ongoing gags, and they weren't the only ones, as the judges namedropped the extravaganza once or twice as well.
And speaking of Tess and Claudia, this will undoubtedly be a bittersweet episode for them as the longtime hosting duo will be leaving Strictly after this series - meaning that it's their last time hosting the Blackpool special.
But which couples will rise to the razzle dazzle of the occasion? We'll find out when the beloved program's annual special kicks off this Saturday. And here's when you can expect it to do just that.
Strictly Week 9 start time (and how long the Blackpool episode is)
Strictly Come Dancing Week 9 will air on BBC One on Saturday, November 22, at 6:45 pm GMT. That's 15 minutes later than last week's episode as the show once again moves closer to the 7pm start time that the back end of the competition is renowned for. And, as there are less couples than there were in the earlier stages of the competition, that's to be expected.
The episode will finish at 8:05 pm GMT, meaning that it will have a runtime of 1 hour and 20 minutes. While that makes it the shortest Saturday Night episode of the series thus far, it's also slightly shorter than expected, as La Voix and Aljaž won't be dancing tonight due to the former sustaining an injury in training. Therefore, they have been given a one-week bye through to next week.
Strictly's Blackpool songs and dances promise some legendary moments
Blackpool always provides Strictly Come Dancing with some legendary moments that will live on in the history of the show. There are countless epic routines from across the annals of the show's two-decade run that have become etched into its history, with some even landing among the all-time greatest.
Remember Susanna and Kevin's Paso Doble? What about Kellie and Kevin's Quickstep? We also can't forget Karim and Amy's Charleston, Angela and Carlos' Argentine Tango, Alexandra and Gorka's Quickstep, Faye and Giovanni's Paso Doble, Ellie and Vito's Charleston, Annabel and Johannes' American Smooth, Fleur and Vito's Couples Choice, and Saffron and AJ's Quickstep. Yes, there are a lot of classic routines that have gone down in Strictly history, but whose will join them from this year's lineup?
Here are the tunes and dances for you to make some early predictions from:
- Alex and Johannes – Couple's Choice to "History Repeating" + "Look At Me" by Propellerheads ft. Shirley Bassey and Geri Halliwell
- Amber and Nikita – Quickstep to "Reach" by S Club 7
- Balvinder and Julian – Argentine Tango to "The Logical Song" by Supertramp
- George and Alexis – Salsa to "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)" by Bob Sinclar
- Karen and Carlos – Paso Doble to "O Fortuna" by Carmina Burana
- Lewis and Katya – Charleston to "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor" by Arctic Monkeys
Historically, the best dances to get at Blackpool are the Quickstep, Paso Doble, and Charleston as they can either benefit from the drama or the sprung floor - in some occasions both! However, over the years there have been plenty of surprises as we have seen Argentine Tangos, Couples Choices, and American Smooths make their presences felt on the Leaderboard.
It's undoubtedly going to be a spectacle for the ages as Strictly never holds back when it goes to Blackpool (or, well, ever) and we have no doubt that it will be going all out once again. With those epic routines, plus a group dance featuring returning contestants Danny Mac, Jay McGuinness, Layton Williams and Ashley Roberts, as well as performances from Steps and Lewis Capaldi, we're in for a real treat this weekend!