Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twenty-first series with a launch show on 16 September 2023 on BBC One, with live shows beginning on 23 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Janette Manrara returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, alongside Fleur East, who was announced as the new co-host after Rylan Clark's departure in April 2023. In April 2023, the BBC announced that Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood would return to the judging panel.

Amanda Abbington is an English actress. In a career spanning over thirty years on stage and screen, her most prominent roles include Josie Mardle in Mr Selfridge (2013–2016) and Mary Morstan in Sherlock (2014–2017).