Strictly Come Dancing week 3 airs live on BBC One tonight, Saturday 10 October 2026, as 14 celebrity couples take to the floor for the third live show of the series. The results show follows on Sunday, when a second couple will leave.
This is the first standard show of the series, with no overarching theme after last week’s Movie Week, according to Yahoo News UK. That shifts attention from concepts to technique, and tests whether the public stays loyal to the couple who survived a dance-off a week ago.
Strictly Come Dancing Tonight: What Time Does It Start?
What time is Strictly Come Dancing on tonight? According to Brit Brief, the show starts at 6.15pm UK time on BBC One and runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes, finishing at 8.35pm. Yahoo News UK gives the same window. For readers abroad, 6.15pm in the UK is 1.15pm Eastern and 10.15am Pacific.
Viewer voting opens once the show ends, Brit Brief reports, ahead of the second elimination.
Why Strictly Come Dancing Week 3 Matters After the First Exit
Last Sunday, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and professional Amy Dowden became the first couple eliminated this series. The key facts, from Yahoo News UK and Brit Brief:
- Appleton, 43, and Dowden, 36, lost a dance-off to actress Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu after both pairs repeated their cha-cha.
- Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke voted to save Winstone and Gu. Craig Revel Horwood, who held the deciding vote, said he would have chosen the same couple.
- Fourteen couples remain in the competition.
- Dowden was also the first professional out last year, when she danced with The Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner.
Early dance-offs are decided on the night, which is why a single weak routine can end a run.
Where the 2026 Series Stands
The 24th series launched on BBC One on 19 September 2026, with the live shows starting a week later, according to Wikipedia. Tonight is therefore the third live Saturday show. Fourteen of the original 15 couples remain.
Last week’s Movie Week gave couples film-themed routines. This week’s dances are a mix of styles, including a Charleston, a Paso Doble and an Argentine Tango.
Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and the Ballroom v Latin Dance Showdown
This week’s group routine splits the professionals into two teams for a Ballroom versus Latin contest. Anton Du Beke captains Ballroom and Shirley Ballas captains Latin, while Craig Revel Horwood and Neil Jones referee, according to Brit Brief.
The reports do not say whether either judge will dance in it, so the Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke dance segment may simply be about leading their teams. The pairing still fits: Du Beke built his name as a ballroom professional, while Ballas is best known for Latin, so each leads the style they know best.
Strictly Come Dancing Week 3 Line-Up: Every Couple and Dance
The final dances were confirmed on Friday 9 October, Brit Brief reports. In alphabetical order by celebrity:
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu: American Smooth
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby: Couple’s Choice
- Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon: Paso Doble
- Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: Tango
- Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington: Salsa
- Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley: Jive
- Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu: Viennese Waltz
- John Nellis and Katya Jones: Cha Cha
- Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola: Samba
- Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał: Rumba
- Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec: Charleston
- Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr: Quickstep
- Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita: Argentine Tango
- Will Best and Dianne Buswell: Waltz
Routines to Watch Tonight
In Strictly Come Dancing week 3, Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, fresh from the dance-off, dance a Viennese Waltz to Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby perform a Couple’s Choice to a RAYE track, while John Nellis and Katya Jones take on a Cha Cha to Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake.
Scores and the running order were not available at the time of writing.
What Comes Next on Sunday
- Results show: Sunday 11 October at 7.10pm, lasting 50 minutes, so it should finish around 8pm.
- Dance-off: the two lowest-scoring couples will face each other in the second dance-off of the series, according to Yahoo News UK.
- Professionals: the show will also include a performance from the professional dancers.
- Strictly: Lights Up: on BBC iPlayer, Tyler West and Abi Clarke will interview the eliminated couple moments after they leave.
How to Watch and Vote
- Quick answer to what time is Strictly on tonight: 6.15pm on BBC One. The show is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer, which is generally limited to UK viewers.
- Voting: it is online only. The BBC ended premium-rate phone voting from the 2025 series, and a BBC account is needed, according to The Scotsman.
- Timing: in 2025 reporting, voting opened only after every couple had performed, with presenters announcing when lines close. Check the BBC Strictly page during the show for this week’s instructions.
The Bigger Picture
Strictly Come Dancing week 3 is the first real test of who can dance without a theme to lean on. One exit has already shown that a dance-off can end a celebrity’s run after a single routine, and the judges were united on who to save. Tonight’s Ballroom versus Latin showdown also puts the show’s two big dance families head to head, a reminder that Strictly rewards craft as much as charm. The scores tonight and the public vote that follows will show which couples can keep improving week on week, and which are relying on a head start.
