When does Strictly It Takes Two start this year?

Strictly Come Dancing fans won’t have long to wait for their nightly dose of ballroom gossip, backstage secrets and training-room drama.

Strictly – It Takes Two returns on Monday, September 28 at 6:30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

The popular Strictly Come Dancing companion show will then air every weekday at 6:30pm, bringing viewers all the latest news, interviews and behind-the-scenes access from the new series.

This year’s show is getting an updated format as well as a new presenter, with comedian, presenter and former Strictly contestant Ellie Taylor taking over as host.

The BBC says the refreshed It Takes Two will offer viewers “more access, more insight and more Strictly magic than ever before”.

For the first time, the programme will be broadcast from the home of Strictly, Elstree Studios, throughout the week.

When does Strictly It Takes Two start?

Strictly – It Takes Two starts on Monday, September 28 at 6:30pm.

The show will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer every weekday at 6:30pm, giving Strictly fans a regular companion programme alongside the main Saturday night show.

The new series will see Ellie Taylor step into the role previously held by presenters including Janette Manrara and Fleur East.

Taylor is already familiar with the Strictly ballroom, having competed on the main show herself.

She said: “What a total joy to return to Strictly in this new role. I feel incredibly honoured to follow in the footsteps of the phenomenal line-up of hosts who’ve made Strictly – It Takes Two so loved over the years. I can’t wait to immerse myself in all the gossip and sequins flying out of the ballroom in order to bring my fellow Strictly fans everything they need to know. I’m so excited, I could cha cha! (But I won’t – don’t worry… no one needs to see that again.)”

Strictly It Takes Two gets a new look

The BBC has described the 2026 edition as an updated version of the long-running Strictly companion show, with a number of new features being introduced.

Costume Design Queen Vicky Gill will remain part of the programme, keeping viewers up to date with the outfits being worn by this year’s celebrities and professional dancers.

There will also be a deeper look at the creative process behind the main show, with key members of the Strictly team explaining what goes into creating some of the biggest performances.

One of the new features will see groups of celebrities and groups of professional dancers take part in discussions, sometimes without their usual dance partners.

There will also be a new Strictly alumni panel, with former contestants returning to the ballroom to offer their own insight into each weekend’s show.

Alongside the new features, fans can expect some of the familiar It Takes Two ingredients, including training-room VTs, exclusive interviews, announcements and reveals.

Rhe-an Archibald, Strictly – It Takes Two Executive Producer, BBC Studios, says: “This is Strictly – It Takes Two, reinvented for the 2026 season. With a wealth of new features and deep dives, we want to reflect the conversations happening in living rooms up and down the country – full of opinions, laughs, surprises and those moments everyone wants to talk about. With the fun and funny Ellie at the helm, it will be an utterly unmissable companion to Strictly Come Dancing.”

Ellie Taylor’s new Strictly role

Taylor’s appointment marks a new chapter for It Takes Two, with the BBC promising to give fans even more access to the Strictly world.

The new host will be at the centre of the weekday show as it follows everything happening in the ballroom and training rooms throughout the series.

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