Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two (also known as Strictly: It Takes Two or simply It Takes Two) is a British television programme, the companion show to the BBC One programme Strictly Come Dancing. It premiered on 25 October 2004, and it is broadcast from Monday to Friday during the run of the main show on BBC Two at 6:30 pm.
History It Takes Two premiered during the second series of the main show in Autumn 2004, replacing the companion show to the first series, Strictly Come Dancing: On Three, which had been broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three and hosted by Justin Lee Collins. Before the 2010 series, BBC Two Scotland did not broadcast the show on Thursdays, when locally produced Gaelic language programming aired in the slot instead, though during the 2008 and 2009 series the Thursday night show was carried as an alternative digital stream via BBC Red Button.
The show was originally hosted by Claudia Winkleman until 2010. In 2011, Zoe Ball replaced Winkleman as host.Zoe Ball announced as new host of Strictly – It Takes Two – BBC Press Office, 6 July 2011 On 18 April 2019, it was announced that Rylan Clark would be joining the show as a co-host alongside Ball. On 17 May 2021, Ball revealed that she would be leaving the show after ten years. On 10 June 2021, it was announced on The One Show, that Janette Manrara would be replacing Ball, hosting alongside Clark. On 12 April 2023, it was announced that Clark would be leaving the show after four years. Fleur East was announced as his replacement in June 2023. In August 2026, the BBC announced that Ellie Taylor would take over the hosting role in a new version of the show, replacing Manrara and East.
Format The programme features interviews and training footage of the couples competing in the main Saturday night show, opinions from the judges on the previous Saturday show and the training footage for the next, and interviews with celebrities who have been watching the show. The show features half-hour episodes each Monday to Thursday, with an extended one-hour episode on Friday in front of a live studio audience. During the show, the presenters are joined each week by regular dance experts, with Ian Waite, Karen Hardy, Neil Jones and Chloe Hewitt all being former contributors.
Presenters scheduling For the 2019 series, it was announced that Rylan Clark would join the programme as a co-host. He would present on Mondays and Tuesdays, interviewing both the eliminated pair, and the other pair in the dance-off. Zoe Ball would then present the Wednesday and Thursday shows with Ian Waite and Vicky Gill. Clark and Ball co-presented on Friday, with Gethin Jones remaining as a roving reporter.
This schedule was changed in 2020, with Ball presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Clark presenting on Thursdays and Fridays. In the 2021 series, with Manrara replacing Ball, Clark was presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays while Manrara did so on Wednesdays and Thursdays. In 2023, Fleur East replaced Clark and began hosting Monday and Tuesdays with Manrara continuing to host Wednesday and Thursday. The pair alternate duties on a Friday.
In 2025, Tasha Ghouri joined the team as a roving reporter.
Current segments
Studio segments Clifton's Choreography Corner: Every Tuesday (and Monday earlier in the series), a former professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing reviews the previous week's choreography. They also demonstrate the moves in a mini-segment called "Demo Time". Following Karen Hardy's departure in 2017, various former professionals co-hosted, including Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, Joanne Clifton, Natalie Lowe, Erin Boag, Kevin Clifton and Vincent Simone. In 2022, Joanne Clifton became permanent host, appearing every week. In the 2023 series, Joanne's brother Kevin guest hosted in her place on several episodes. Manrara's Masterclass: Every Wednesday, Janette is joined by a former celebrity contestant to teach viewers (and the It Takes Two crew) some steps from one of the dances on Strictly. So far, celebrity guests have included Ashley Roberts, Ranj Singh and Kimberly Walsh. Viewers are invited to send in clips of them attempting the steps to be shown at the start of the following week's masterclass. Puttin' on the Glitz: On Thursday, Janette chats with the show's head dress designer Vicky Gill about the costumes that the couples will be wearing that week. Friday Panel: On Friday, three or more celebrity fans of the show review music, costumes and training room footage of the celebrities ahead of the Saturday Show. Since 2019, they also predict which couple will be eliminated that week.
Other recurring segments Strictly Pro Challenge
The professional dancers put various different dance techniques to the test against one another in a yearly competition.
Year WinnerDance Step Number achieved 2011 Artem Chigvintsev Botafogos 79 2012 Flavia Cacace Kick ball change 76 2013 Kevin Clifton Drunken sailors 77 2014 Karen Hauer and Aljaž Skorjanec New Yorkers 39 2016 Giovanni Pernice Jive kicks and flicks 55 2017 Giovanni Pernice Charleston swivels 24 2018 Oti Mabuse Toe-heel swivels 48 2019 Graziano Di PrimaBotafogos 90 2020 Nadiya Bychkova Fleckerls 25 2021 Nadiya Bychkova Patacakes 38 2022 Amy Dowden Back Charleston kick-steps 19 2023 Lauren Oakley Quickstep pendulums 15 2024 Kai Widdrington Cha-cha-cha time steps 15 2025 Neil Jones Samba Whisks 58
Global Glitterballs: A look into the various different versions of Strictly Come Dancing from across the globe. Strictly CV: One of Strictly Come Dancing's cast members talks through their time on the show, including all of their highlights. Previous guests have included Oti Mabuse, Anton du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood. Strictly Pro Down: The professional dancers compete against each other in a series of fun challenges including building the largest marshmallow and stick house and painting with a very long paintbrush. The other pros all attempt to guess who will win.
Previous segments Len's Masterclass: Head judge Len Goodman had a weekly spot with Claudia Winkleman, in which he demonstrated the dances to be performed on the following Saturday. This was discontinued when Ball replaced Winkleman as the show's presenter. Stat Man: Russell Grant appeared on the 2012 series with a guide to the numbers of winners of Strictly. Dance Mat Challenge: The Pro-Dancers were challenged to get on an electronic dance mat and try to top a leaderboard.
In 2013, a new feature was shown, where dancer Natalie Lowe was set a challenge to teach a normal couple, known only as Gordon and Mel from Southampton, how to dance ahead of their wedding.
In 2014, Robin Windsor was set a challenge to teach the teachers of a school to dance for a performance for the school.
A live phone-in segment featured during the autumn 2004 series of the main show, where viewers could speak to the contestants on air.
Janette and Melvin's Cha Cha Chart Show: Professional dancer Janette Manrara and her 2016 partner Melvin Odoom host a chart-based countdown of various past performances and iconic Strictly moments. Ore's Overview: Former champion Ore Oduba gives his say on all the couple's journeys so far. Booth of Truth: The Strictly professional dancers each enter a booth and are individually asked questions the other pros' personal habits. Ballroom Bingo: Professional dancer Anton du Beke asks the pro dancers questions about the other pro dancers. Ballas Breakdown: Head judge Shirley Ballas explains and demonstrates steps from the dances. Dance Card: Zoe Ball chooses a dance for head judge Shirley to demonstrate. Craig's Rev-alations: Every Monday, Judge Craig Revel Horwood reviewed the celebrities previous choreography, performances and training room footage. Though this segment was removed, the chats with Horwood returned for the 2018 series, with him making regular appearances on the Friday show. Dance Master: Every Tuesday, renowned dance coach Carmen teaches Rylan the basic steps of one of the dances. As well as this, she explains the background and history of the different styles. Waite's Warm-Up: Every Wednesday (and Thursday earlier in the series), Ian Waite reviewed training room footage of the couples so far as they practiced their dances and suggested areas they needed to make improvements. It Takes Who: The pros play a game of guess who about each other, revealing some surprising, little-known secrets. Tunes on Tuesday: On Tuesday, there was usually a sneak peek of some of the songs.
Series overview Series Start date End datePresenters No. of weeks Location(s) 2 25 October 2004 10 December 2004Claudia Winkleman rowspan="15" 7h Studio 3 17 October 2005 16 December 2005 9 4 7 October 2006 22 December 2006 12 5 8 October 2007 21 December 2007 6 22 September 2008 19 December 2008 13TC11, BBC Television Centre 7 20 September 2009 18 December 2009 8 4 October 2010 17 December 2010 11 9 3 October 2011 16 December 2011 Zoe Ball 10 8 October 2012 21 December 2012 TC3, BBC Television Centre 11 29 September 2013 20 December 2013 12Studio 7, The London Studios 12 28 September 2014 19 December 2014 13 27 September 2015 18 December 2015 14 26 September 2016 16 December 2016 15 25 September 2017 15 December 2017 TC2, Television Centre 16 24 September 2018 14 December 2018h Studio 17 23 September 2019 13 December 2019Rylan Clark 18 26 October 2020 18 December 2020 8 Stage 6, Elstree Studios 19 27 September 2021 17 December 2021Janette Manrara12 Studio 2, Riverside Studios 20 26 September 2022 16 December 2022Stage 6, Elstree Studios 21 25 September 2023 15 December 2023Fleur East 22 23 September 2024 13 December 2024 23 29 September 2025 19 December 2025
Presenters + Main cast members Presenters Main series accompanied 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Claudia Winkleman colspan="7" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="7" colspan="4" Zoe Ball colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="10" colspan="6" Rylan Clark colspan="15" colspan="4" colspan="4" Janette Manrara colspan="8" colspan="9" colspan="5" colspan="1" Fleur East colspan="18" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="1" Ellie Taylor colspan="18" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="1"
Studio The show has been presented from many venues. In 2017, the programme returned to the newly refurbished Studio TC2 at the Television Centre complex in West London. For the 2018 series, the show was broadcast from The Hospital Club TV Studio in London's Covent Garden, due to ITV Daytime programmes now occupying the Television Centre studios. In 2020, The show moved to Stage 6 at Elstree Studios, the first time It Takes Two has been broadcast from the same studio complex as the main show since 2012.
Ratings The show averages between two and three million viewers each evening and is regularly the most watched show of the day on BBC Two.
Notes
References
External links