STRICTLY COME DANCING ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF THE DANCE-A-THON

Strictly Come Dancing announces the return of the much-loved Dance-A-Thon. On Saturday November 23rd, the remaining Strictly couples will take to the Ballroom floor together to impress the judges with their best Samba moves in this series Samba-Thon.

Strictly's first Dance-A-Thon challenge took place in the show’s seventh series in 2009 and has reappeared numerous times throughout the show’s 22 series. The Dance-A-Thon format is a staple of Ballroom and Latin dance competitions around the world and its timely return for this special 20th anniversary series is a nod towards the world of professional Ballroom and Latin dancing.

After all of the couples have performed their main dance in the show, they’ll shimmy back on to the Ballroom floor to Samba as a group before the judges eliminate couples one by one, until the winner is crowned. Couples will need to quickly impress the judges as their final position in the Samba-Thon will have an impact on the overall score for the night.

The first couple to be eliminated in the Samba-Thon will be awarded one point, with the second couple eliminated earning two points and so on, through to the winner who will have seven points added to their leaderboard position which is made up of the judges scores from their main dance in the show that evening. This means that the Samba-Thon could have a real impact on who stays and who leaves the competition.

The Samba-Thon will feature in the show on Saturday 23rd November on BBC One and iPlayer.