Strictly Come Dancing series 15

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its fifteenth series in 2017 with a launch show on 9 September on BBC One, and live shows starting on 23 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two.

Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Len Goodman, who had retired from the show at the end of the previous series, would be replaced by Shirley Ballas. Tonioli missed the week 5 episode due to a scheduling conflict, but was not replaced by a guest judge.

Holby City actor Joe McFadden and Katya Jones were announced as the winners on 16 December; while Gemma Atkinson and Aljaž Škorjanec, Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice, and Alexandra Burke and Gorka Márquez were the runners-up.

The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points.

The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with Shirley Ballas, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote.

On 21 June 2017, the list of professionals returning for the fifteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who did not return included Joanne Clifton, Natalie Lowe, and Oksana Platero. They were replaced by former Dancing with the Stars Australia professional Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, and Amy Dowden. This series saw the final appearance of professional dancer Brendan Cole.

In the fifteenth series, there were fifteen celebrity contestants. On 7 August 2017, the first celebrity announced to be participating in the series was The Saturdays singer Mollie King. Celebrity reveals continued through the month with the line-up fully announced on The One Show on 21 August 2017.

The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).

Color key:

Notes

This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 40-point scale. Scores from Week 5, which were judged on a 30-point scale, have been scaled up accordingly.

Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli.

Musical guests:

• Shania Twain – "Life's About to Get Good"
• Rita Ora – "Lonely Together"

During the show, the professional dancers performed a tribute to former host Sir Bruce Forsyth, who had died just weeks before the series began.

There was no elimination this week; all scores and votes carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Musical guest: Emeli Sandé — "Starlight"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Chizzy & Pasha
• Bussell: Brian & Amy
• Tonioli: Brian & Amy
• Ballas: Brian & Amy

Musical guest: Sheridan Smith — "My Man"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Simon & Karen
• Bussell: Simon & Karen
• Tonioli: Simon & Karen
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Simon & Karen

Musical guest: Gregory Porter — "Smile"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Davood & Nadiya
• Bussell: Davood & Nadiya
• Tonioli: Davood & Nadiya
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Davood & Nadiya

Individual judges' scores given in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas.

Musical guest: The Script — "Arms Open"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Simon & Karen
• Bussell: Simon & Karen
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Simon & Karen

Musical guest: Steps — "Scared of the Dark"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Mollie & AJ
• Bussell: Mollie & AJ
• Tonioli: Mollie & AJ
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Mollie & AJ

Musical guest: Stereophonics — "Caught by the Wind"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Mollie & AJ
• Bussell: Aston & Janette
• Tonioli: Aston & Janette
• Ballas: Mollie & AJ (Since the other judges were not unanimous, Shirley Ballas, as head judge, made the final decision to save Mollie & AJ.)

Musical guest: Seal — "Autumn Leaves"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Jonnie & Oti
• Bussell: Jonnie & Oti
• Tonioli: Jonnie & Oti
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Jonnie & Oti

Musical guests:

• Tears for Fears — "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
• Alfie Boe & Michael Ball — "New York, New York"

This week's episode was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Debbie & Giovanni
• Bussell: Debbie & Giovanni
• Tonioli: Debbie & Giovanni
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Debbie & Giovanni

Musical guest: Kelly Clarkson — "Meaning of Life"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Alexandra & Gorka
• Bussell: Alexandra & Gorka
• Tonioli: Alexandra & Gorka
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Alexandra & Gorka

Musical guests: Amber Riley, Beverley Knight & Cassidy Janson — "I'm Every Woman"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Alexandra & Gorka
• Bussell: Alexandra & Gorka
• Tonioli: Alexandra & Gorka
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Alexandra & Gorka

Musical guests: Craig David & Bastille — "I Know You"

Each couple performed two routines, and are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Horwood: Gemma & Aljaž
• Bussell: Gemma & Aljaž
• Tonioli: Gemma & Aljaž
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Gemma & Aljaž

Musical guest: Ed Sheeran — "Perfect"

Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their favourite dance of the season, and their showdance routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

• Week 1–9: One unlearned dance
• Week 10: One unlearned dance & paso doble marathon
• Week 11 (Quarter-final): One unlearned dance
• Week 12 (Semi-final): Two unlearned dances
• Week 13 (Final): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series

Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB.

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