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.
Format
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.
Professional dancers 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.
Couples 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.
Celebrity Notability Professional partner Status Chizzy Akudolu Holby City actress & comedian Pasha Kovalev Eliminated 1ston 1 October 2017 Broadcaster, musician & Church of England priest Dianne Buswell Eliminated 2ndon 8 October 2017 Charlotte Hawkins Good Morning Britain presenter & journalist Brendan Cole Eliminated 3rdon 15 October 2017 Brian Conley Comedian, singer & actor Amy Dowden Eliminated 4thon 22 October 2017 Simon Rimmer Chef & Sunday Brunch presenter Karen Clifton Eliminated 5thon 29 October 2017 Aston Merrygold JLS singer Janette Manrara Eliminated 6thon 5 November 2017 Ruth Langsford Television presenter Anton Du Beke Eliminated 7thon 12 November 2017 Jonnie Peacock Paralympic sprinter Oti Mabuse Eliminated 8thon 19 November 2017 Susan Calman Stand-up comedian & television presenter Kevin Clifton Eliminated 9thon 26 November 2017 Davood Ghadami EastEnders actor Nadiya Bychkova Eliminated 10thon 3 December 2017 Mollie King The Saturdays singer AJ Pritchard Eliminated 11thon 10 December 2017 Alexandra Burke Singer-songwriter Gorka Márquez Runners-upon 16 December 2017 Debbie McGee Radio presenter & magician's assistant Giovanni Pernice Gemma Atkinson Actress & model Aljaž Škorjanec Joe McFadden Holby City actor Katya Jones Winnerson 16 December 2017
Scoring chart The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger ().
Color key:
+Strictly Come Dancing (series 15) - Weekly scores Couple Week 1 2 1+2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Joe & Katya 1st 29 22 51 32 24 26 32 36 33 34 38+6= 3735+35=70 39+39+40=118 Alexandra & Gorka 2nd 24 60 33 23 35 39 32+7=39 39+40= 40+39+40= Debbie & Giovanni 30 34 29 27 35 33 38+5=43 34+36=70 39+38+40=117 Gemma & Aljaž 20 26 46 31 35 24 30 26 28 38 25+3=28 30+32=62 38+37+39= Mollie & AJ 5th 23 25 48 30 27 24 27 27 22 29 31+2=33 31 24+32= Davood & Nadiya 6th 27 27 54 25 29 22 25 35 35 35+4=39 Susan & Kevin 7th 20 22 42 20 30 18 29 27 21+1= Jonnie & Oti 8th 20 29 49 26 31 24 20 27 21 26 Ruth & Anton 9th 20 36 15 24 22 Aston & Janette 10th 32 63 32 24 38 25 Simon & Karen 11th 17 19 36 19 Brian & Amy 12th 19 35 22 21 Charlotte & Brendan 13th 22 17 14th 17 17 Chizzy & Pasha 15th 21 16 37 Notes
Average chart 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. Couple Rank byaverage Totalpoints Number ofdances Totalaverage Alexandra & Gorka 1st 583 16 36.4 Debbie & Giovanni 2nd 567 35.4 Joe & Katya 3rd 540 33.8 Aston & Janette 4th 225 7 32.1 Gemma & Aljaž 5th 496 16 31.0 Davood & Nadiya 6th 334 11 30.4 Mollie & AJ 7th 360 13 27.7 Jonnie & Oti 8th 232 9 25.8 Susan & Kevin 9th 233 10 23.3 Brian & Amy 10th 99 5 19.8 Ruth & Anton 11th 158 8 Chizzy & Pasha 12th 37 2 18.5 Simon & Karen 111 6 Charlotte & Brendan 14th 70 4 17.5 Rev. Richard & Dianne 15th 48 3 16.0
Weekly scores 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.
Launch show 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.
Week 1 There was no elimination this week; all scores and votes carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusic Gemma & Aljaž 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) Cha-cha-cha "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" — Shawn Mendes Brian & Amy 16 (3, 4, 4, 5) Tango "Temptation" — Heaven 17 Alexandra & Gorka 24 (5, 6, 6, 7) Waltz "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" — Aretha Franklin Simon & Karen 17 (3, 5, 5, 4) Paso doble "Song 2" — Blur Charlotte & Brendan 22 (5, 5, 6, 6) Foxtrot "The Best Is Yet to Come" — Michael Bublé Chizzy & Pasha 21 (4, 5, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Boogie Fever" — The Sylvers Jonnie & Oti 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) Waltz "When I Need You" — Luther Vandross Joe & Katya 29 (7, 7, 8, 7) Jive "Rockin' Robin" — Michael Jackson Susan & Kevin 20 (5, 5, 5, 5) Viennese waltz "Mad About the Boy" — Dinah Washington Debbie & Giovanni 30 (8, 8, 7, 7) Paso doble "Be Italian" — Fergie Davood & Nadiya 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" — Lloyd, feat. André 3000 Ruth & Anton 16 (3, 4, 4, 5) Waltz "This Nearly Was Mine" — Seth MacFarlane Rev. Richard & Dianne 17 (2, 4, 6, 5) Cha-cha-cha "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" — Eurythmics Mollie & AJ 23 (4, 6, 7, 6) Jive "Good Golly, Miss Molly" — Little Richard Aston & Janette 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) Foxtrot "It Had to Be You" — Harry Connick Jr.
Week 2 Musical guest: Emeli Sandé — "Starlight"
Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Chizzy & Pasha 16 (3, 5, 4, 4) Foxtrot "I'm a Woman" — from Smokey Joe's Cafe Eliminated Aston & Janette 32 (7, 8, 8, 9) Salsa "Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, feat. Justin Bieber Safe Susan & Kevin 22 (3, 6, 7, 6) Charleston "If You Knew Susie" — Enoch Light & The Charleston City All-Stars Safe Charlotte & Brendan 12 (2, 4, 3, 3) Cha-cha-cha "Sugar" — Maroon 5 Safe Joe & Katya 22 (5, 6, 5, 6) Tango "Castle on the Hill" — Ed Sheeran Safe Brian & Amy 19 (3, 5, 5, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Shake Your Groove Thing" — Peaches & Herb Bottom two Gemma & Aljaž 26 (6, 6, 7, 7) Waltz "Un Giorno Per Noi (A Time for Us)" — Josh Groban Safe Rev. Richard & Dianne 17 (3, 4, 5, 5) American Smooth "Love Really Hurts Without You" — Billy Ocean Safe Ruth & Anton 20 (3, 5, 6, 6) Charleston "The Charleston" — Bob Wilson and his Varsity Rhythm Boys Safe Simon & Karen 19 (4, 4, 6, 5) Waltz "You'll Never Walk Alone" — Rodgers and Hammerstein Safe Mollie & AJ 25 (4, 6, 8, 7) Tango "Addicted to Love" — Tina Turner Safe Jonnie & Oti 29 (6, 7, 8, 8) Jive "Johnny B. Goode" — Chuck Berry Safe Debbie & Giovanni 34 (8, 9, 9, 8) Viennese waltz "She's Always a Woman" — Billy Joel Safe Davood & Nadiya 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) Quickstep "Last Nite" — The Strokes Safe Alexandra & Gorka Paso doble "Ven a Bailar" — Jennifer Lopez Safe Judges' votes to save Horwood: Chizzy & Pasha Bussell: Brian & Amy Tonioli: Brian & Amy Ballas: Brian & Amy
Week 3: Movie Week Musical guest: Sheridan Smith — "My Man"
Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicFilmResult Simon & Karen 19 (3, 5, 6, 5) Quickstep "You've Got a Friend in Me" Toy Story Bottom two Ruth & Anton 15 (3, 5, 3, 4) Rumba "Diamonds Are Forever" Diamonds Are Forever Safe Mollie & AJ 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) American Smooth "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" The Sound of Music Safe Rev. Richard & Dianne 14 (2, 4, 4, 4) Paso doble "Flash's Theme" Flash Gordon Eliminated Debbie & Giovanni 29 (6, 8, 7, 8) Quickstep "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" Shall We Dance Safe Brian & Amy 22 (5, 5, 6, 6) American Smooth "If I Only Had a Brain" The Wizard of Oz Safe Gemma & Aljaž 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) Charleston "The Bare Necessities" The Jungle Book Safe Charlotte & Brendan 17 (4, 5, 4, 4) Tango "Danger Zone" Top Gun Safe Jonnie & Oti 26 (6, 6, 7, 7) Paso doble "The Raiders March" Raiders of the Lost Ark Safe Susan & Kevin 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) Samba "Wonder Woman Theme" Wonder Woman Safe Joe & Katya 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Viennese waltz "Somewhere My Love" Doctor Zhivago Safe Aston & Janette 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) Cha-cha-cha "Can't Stop the Feeling!" Trolls Safe Alexandra & Gorka 33 (8, 8, 8, 9) American Smooth "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" My Fair Lady Safe Davood & Nadiya 25 (4, 7, 7, 7) Samba "Stayin' Alive" Saturday Night Fever Safe 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
Week 4 Musical guest: Gregory Porter — "Smile"
Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Debbie & Giovanni 27 (6, 6, 7, 8) Cha-cha-cha "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" — Cher Safe Brian & Amy 21 (4, 6, 6, 5) Paso doble "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" — The Darkness Safe Mollie & AJ 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) Salsa "Súbeme la Radio" — Enrique Iglesias Safe Davood & Nadiya 29 (6, 7, 8, 8) Viennese waltz "Say You Love Me" — Jessie Ware Bottom two Charlotte & Brendan 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) Jive "Marry You" — Bruno Mars Eliminated Joe & Katya 24 (5, 7, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "You Keep Me Hangin' On" — Human Nature Safe Ruth & Anton 24 (6, 6, 6, 6) Tango "Allegretto" — Bond Safe Aston & Janette 32 (7, 8, 8, 9) Quickstep "Mr. Blue Sky" — Electric Light Orchestra Safe Simon & Karen 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) Samba "Copacabana" — Barry Manilow Safe Gemma & Aljaž 35 (8, 9, 9, 9) Paso doble "Viva la Vida" — Coldplay Safe Alexandra & Gorka 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) Jive "Proud Mary" — Tina Turner Safe Jonnie & Oti 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) American Smooth "Cry Me a River" — Michael Bublé Safe Susan & Kevin 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) Quickstep "Bring Me Sunshine" — The Jive Aces Safe 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
Week 5