London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026

Strictly Come Dancing: Tom Fletcher, AJ Odudu and Robert Webb in line-up

Strictly Come Dancing: Tom Fletcher, AJ Odudu and Robert Webb in line-up

McFly's Tom Fletcher, TV presenter AJ Odudu and Peep Show's Robert Webb are the first celebrities to be announced for this year's Strictly Come Dancing.

The trio will be among the 15 stars who will take to the dancefloor when the hit BBC One show returns this autumn.

The other 12 contestants are expected to be named in the coming days.

The 19th series is expected to be the normal length, after being slightly shorter in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

It has already been announced that Bruno Tonioli will be absent from the judges' desk this year, replaced by long-serving professional dancer Anton Du Beke. Four new professionals have also been revealed.

Here are the 2021 celebrity contestants so far:

Tom Fletcher

The singer and guitarist, who scored seven UK number one singles with McFly between 2004 and 2007, is taking to the dancefloor exactly a decade after his bandmate Harry Judd lifted the coveted glitterball trophy.

Fletcher has also carved out a successful sideline as a children's author, and his family could do a unique reality TV double after wife Giovanna won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! last year.

He said he was "incredibly excited" but also "totally terrified" to do Strictly. "My kids were excited too until I started showing them my best dad-dancing in the kitchen," he said. "I'm not sure how far they'll get me in the competition but I can't wait to add some new moves to my embarrassing dad-dancing repertoire."

AJ Odudu

The Blackburn-born presenter rose to fame hosting Big Brother's Bit on the Side in 2013, and has since appeared on shows like The Voice UK and Trending Live!.

In September, she will co-present a one-off revival of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast alongside comedian Mo Gilligan.

She said she was "beyond chuffed" to be on Strictly. "I absolutely love the show and am fully committed to making the most of every second of the Strictly experience," she said. "Bring it on!"

Robert Webb

The comic actor is best-known for his double act with David Mitchell in TV shows like Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look and Back. Like Fletcher, he has also become an author.

And Webb has form on the dancefloor - he won Let's Dance For Comic Relief in 2009.

"It's a big, generous, joyful show and I can't wait to get packed into a spandex onesie and fired from a glitter cannon directly at Claudia Winkleman," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
Onshore Wind Planning Applications in England Reach Ten-Year High After Rules Eased
UK Government Demands Social Media Platforms Remove Dangerous Driving Content After A66 Crash
Thames Water Creditors Face Backlash Over Proposed Corporate Restructuring
Twelve Arrested After Fatal A66 Crash Linked to Organised Crime Investigation
UK Household Energy Debt Could Reach £7 Billion by Year-End
UK Defence Ministry to Use Ukraine Battlefield Data to Train AI Security Systems
UK Government Redirects £4 Billion of Affordable Homes Funding Away From Social Housing
UK Government Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Exceeding Forecasts
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Advanced Missile Support for Ukraine
8Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Risks Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Government Audit Reveals Pressure on UK Hospitality From Business Rates and Rising Costs
Kindertransport Survivor Prepares to Revisit European Sites Linked to Her Family’s Wartime Separation
Northern England Transport Operators Strengthen Contingency Plans as Travel Demand Rises
New Implant Trials Offer Treatment Prospects for Patients With Refractory Angina
South Wales Reviews Wildfire Response After Exceptionally Dry Summer
UK Treasury Prepares Autumn Fiscal Statement Amid Spending and Defense Pressures
Norfolk Records First Wild Beaver Births in More Than Five Hundred Years
Historic Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli Reported Missing From Parliament’s Art Collection
Five People, Including Police Officers, Killed in A66 Crash as Families Pay Tribute
Most English Secondary Schools Found to Fall Short of National Healthy Food Standards
UK Think Tank Says Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Shows
Reform Party Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born UK Citizens
UK Government Plans Business Rate Overhaul to Ease Pressure on Pubs and Hotels
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches Across NHS Pharmacies in England
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Fall to Lowest Level in a Decade
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Reaffirm Long-Term Military Support for Ukraine
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
Met Office Warns El Niño Could Bring Severe Autumn Storms and Higher Food Prices
Resolution Foundation Says UK Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Suggest
Andy Burnham Proposes Giving Regional Mayors Greater Planning Powers
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Links
Russia Withdraws Ambassador to Britain and Warns of Retaliation Over UK Drone Supplies to Ukraine
Iran-Linked Hackers Blamed for Cyberattack That Shut Down UK Power Plant
Andy Burnham Pledges UK Support for Long-Range Missile Production in Ukraine
Australia Combines Indigenous Fire Knowledge With Satellite Tech to Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Father and Son Jailed in Scotland Over £900,000 Airport Cannabis Smuggling Operation
UK Fraud Reports Surge Sevenfold as Criminals Exploit QR Codes in Parking Meters and Phishing Emails
×