The Strictly Come Dancing world was rocked this week by the revelation that longtime presenting double act Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman would be stepping down as the program's presenters. It was a shock, especially as the 21st series is ongoing (and is about to head into its fifth week). But even so, the show must go on.
Tess and Claudia will return to screens this Saturday night to present Week 5, which is now known as Icons Week. The theme week received an incredibly mixed response last year, but the-powers-that-be have decided to give it another go this year. And it will no doubt provide us with some unique, memorable, and potentially show-stopping performances.
But, as we must ask each week, with the number of contestants going down on a weekly basis, when does the show begin, how will it affect its runtime, and what can expect?
Strictly Week 5 start time (and how long the episode is)
Strictly Come Dancing Week 5 airs on BBC One on Saturday, October 26, at 6:25 pm BST. This is slightly earlier than last week's episode aired, but it's in the same range, which will continue for the next few weeks as the show still features 10 couples. As the competition heads towards its final in December, the length of the episodes will significantly decrease, meaning that it will be on further into the evening.
Speaking of length, this week's episode has a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes, as it will conclude at 8:20 pm BST. That makes it the shortest episode of the live installments thus far, which can be explained by the fact that the competition is now two couples down after Chris and Nadiya's elimination in the Results Show last weekend and Stefan and Dianne's exit from the competition midweek.
Week 5's songs and dances bring the iconic to Icons Week
Bring out the glitter, put on the wigs, and prepare to belt your hearts out for Strictly is ready to give us a host of legendary performances for its second ever Icons Week. On hand, we have tracks from the one and only Dolly Parton, the incomparable Celine Dion, the larger-than-life Cher, and captivating Harry Styles.
After teasing us with some of what we can expect on last weekend's Results Show, Strictly officially confirmed which dances, songs, and icons that the couples would be taking on this week via a post on the official BBC Strictly social media accounts. And we have some absolute crackers!
Read the full list below:
- Alex and Johannes – Foxtrot to "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton
- Amber and Nikita – Cha Cha to "Break Free" by Ariana Grande
- Balvinder and Julian – Quickstep to "Texas Hold ‘Em" by Beyonce
- Ellie and Vito – Salsa to Spice Girls Medley
- George and Alexis – Jive to "As It Was" by Harry Styles
- Harry and Karen – Argentine Tango to "Caught Up" by Usher
- Jimmy and Lauren – American Smooth to "Purple Rain" by Prince
- Karen and Carlos – Samba to "Think Twice" by Celine Dion
- La Voix and Aljaž – Salsa to "Strong Enough" by Cher
- Lewis and Katya – Quickstep to "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash
- Vicky and Kai – Couple's Choice to "Fight For This Love" by Cheryl
As you can see above, Stefan and Dianne are no longer in the competition after they were forced to pull put due to Stefan sustaining an injury last weekend. It will be sad to see the dancing duo go but they went out on a high with their highest-scoring dance on Week 4.
After topping the Leaderboard last weekend, will Alex and Johannes be able to keep the momentum going with their Foxtrot? Alex is an elegant performer and it doesn't get more elegant than this dance. And what about Vicky Pattison taking on the Couple's Choice to that 2000s classic from Cheryl in a performance that will undoubtedly have us all marching alongside her? She's on the right track - could this be the dance that takes her into the stratosphere?
Balvinder will also look to bounce back with a lively Quickstep to Beyoncé, while Harry takes on the Argentine Tango to none other than Usher.
Last year's Icons Week gave us Sarah Hadland's iconic Cha Cha to Madonna's "Like A Prayer". Can we expect more legendary performances this year? Judging by that slong / dance listing, there is a very strong possibility indeed!