Strictly: How 2020 Will Look

A number of changes which have been introduced to Strictly Come Dancing for 2020 were communicated in a press briefing yesterday.

Hello! reports that producer Sarah Jones confirmed the four pros who will not have a partner this year: "We have four professional dancers who won’t be partnering celebrities this year. They are Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Graziano Di Prima and Nancy Xu. So we have two males and two females, and they will be forming some CCCs [close contact cohorts] together, so that they are able to dance to the guest music acts."

I'm a little bit sad for Neil. I really enjoyed watching him with Alex last year, and I thought he had proved his worth as a competitor. Graziano and Nancy are spending a second consecutive year on the subs bench, and to be completely honest, I don't think Nadiya will be missed. After Graziano's brilliant performance with Johannes and Emily Sandé last year, I was looking forward to him getting another chance after a less than stellar first series.

There were be changes in the studio as well. Should there still be a public audience as planned, they will be masked and sitting at cabaret tables (series 1 vibes!). And the couples will be sat at tables to watch as well, with only one couple in the Clauditorium at a time. As reported in the Daily Mirror, Sarah Jones said: "Claudia will obviously only be able to speak to one couple at a time in her area upstairs. And we won't be able to have all of the cast up there like usual and the fact Claudia is so brilliant with people and with the contestants, I have no doubt that she'll still be able to have lots of fun just with one couple.”

Sounds like more Series 1 vibes. Remember Tess' original 'Red Room' backstage? The other couples were there, but they were quiet and largely ignored while the couple who had just danced were interviewed.

The worst news is that there is no Halloween special planned, despite the fact that there will be a show that evening. I guess it is a victim of a reduced glam squad. Series 1 again! Although, Series 1 was broadcast in the spring, so that's not a fair comparison. There will be movies and musicals.

All we need now is Arlene as a guest judge in place of Bruno...

The BBC have also announced that participants will be regularly tested for Covid-19, and anyone testing positive will have to self isolate for 14 days, and therefore will loose their place in the competition. Remember the 'rule book'?

The band will be present, but socially distanced. Some music may have to be pre-recorded if the band cannot all be together.

It's going to be very different this year, but I am beside myself that Strictly is still going ahead. As winter draws in, and the prospect of more lockdowns on the horizon, we all need a little bit of Saturday night sparkle.