Strictly Come Dancing series 16

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its sixteenth series with a launch show on 8 September 2018 on BBC One, and the first live show on 22 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Shirley Ballas, Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. On 20 October, actor Alfonso Ribeiro stood in as a guest judge to cover for Tonioli.

In this series, three new dance styles were introduced — contemporary, theatre/jazz, and street/commercial — as part of a new category called "couple's choice".

Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton were announced as the winners on 15 December 2018, while Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell, Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice, and Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev 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 30 May 2018, the list of professionals returning for the sixteenth series was revealed. Professionals from the last series who did not return included Brendan Cole and Chloe Hewitt. Graziano Di Prima, Luba Mushtuk, and Johannes Radebe replaced them. Mushtuk and Radebe did not have celebrity partners; however, Di Prima did.

This series featured fifteen celebrity contestants. On 13 August 2018, the first three celebrities announced to be participating in the series were Katie Piper, Faye Tozer, and Danny John-Jules. Celebrity reveals continued across that month before concluding on 21 August on Good Morning Britain.

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.

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.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Musical guest: George Ezra — "Shotgun"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

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

Musical guest: Gladys Knight — "Licence to Kill"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Charles & Karen
• Bussell: Charles & Karen
• Tonioli: Charles & Karen
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Lee & Nadiya

Musical guests: Backstreet Boys — "Larger than Life", "I Want It That Way" & "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

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

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

Musical guest: Paloma Faith — "Loyal"

Actor Alfonso Ribeiro filled in as a guest judge while Bruno Tonioli was unavailable while filming for Dancing with the Stars.

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Vick & Graziano
• Bussell: Seann & Katya
• Ribeiro: Seann & Katya
• Ballas: Seann & Katya

Musical guest: Rita Ora — "Let You Love Me"

Judges' votes to save

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

Musical guests:

• The Kingdom Choir — Aretha Franklin medley
• Jess Glynne — "Thursday"

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Dr. Ranj & Janette
• Bussell: Charles & Karen
• Tonioli: Charles & Karen
• Ballas: Charles & Karen

Musical guests:

• RAF Spitfires Choir — "Rise Up"
• Andrea & Matteo Bocelli— "Fall on Me"

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Danny & Amy
• Bussell: Graeme & Oti
• Tonioli: Graeme & Oti
• Ballas: Graeme & Oti

Musical guests:

• Gloria Estefan — "Dr. Beat", "Conga", "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "1–2–3" & "Get on Your Feet"
• Take That — "Out of Our Heads"

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

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

Musical guest: Rod Stewart — "Farewell"

Each couple performed one routine and then all couples participated in a Lindy Hop marathon for additional points. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha
• Bussell: Ashley & Pasha
• Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha

Musical guests:

• Trevor Dion Nicholas — "The Rhythm of Life" (from Sweet Charity)
• Adam Lambert — "We Are the Champions" (from We Will Rock You)

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha
• Bussell: Ashley & Pasha
• Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha

Musical guests: Little Mix — "Woman Like Me"

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

Judges' votes to save

• Revel Horwood: Ashley & Pasha
• Bussell: Ashley & Pasha
• Tonioli: Ashley & Pasha
• Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Ashley & Pasha

Musical guest: Michael Bublé — "Such a Night"

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

The couples performed the following each week:

• Weeks 1–9: One unlearned dance
• Week 10: One unlearned dance & Lindy Hop 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.

• bbc.co.uk/strictlycomedancing