Strictly Come Dancing is back tonight, bringing with it all the usual glitter, pizzazz and show-stopping routines.

The BBC dance competition is back this month for its 24th series, the first in its history without longtime host Tess Daly after her departure alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman last year.

Alongside the new trio of hosts, there are also five new professional dancers gearing up to make their entrance onto the dance floor.

Saturday’s show will see the 15 celebrities paired up with 15 dancers, before they are sent off to rehearse ahead of the first live show on Saturday, September 26, ready to be judged by Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and head judge Shirley Ballas.

This year, the launch show begins at 7.25pm on BBC and BBC One. This is slightly later than last year, when the show began at 6.40pm.

This will then be followed by the first live show a week later on Saturday, September 26, which is the first time that the new couples will perform in front of the judges and be given scores.

Just days before the launch show drops, new host Emma Willis revealed that fans can expect a never-seen-before twist.

During an appearance on The One Show on Thursday, September 17, Willis teased how “exciting” the first episode will be while appearing alongside her new co-hosts.

The celebrities will meet their professional partners for the first time on the dance floor, rather than during a pre-recorded video, as the show returns to a format similar to how it operated before Covid.

“This is something that they’ve never done on the show before,” Willis said.

“Everybody is paired during a dance,” she explained, likening the new format to “speed dating”.

Here is the list of celebrities who will be hitting the dance floor for the first time tonight.

And here are the professional dancers here to guide the stars to success.