Strictly Come Dancing: BBC cancels 2020 Christmas special ahead of series return

Celebrity dance competition will return this autumn with a ‘slightly shorter’ season

Strictly Come Dancing has been forced to cancel its Christmas special due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The hugely popular Saturday night competition series will return to our screens this autumn with a “slightly shorter” series in compliance with social distancing measures.

However, due to the extra measures being put in place to ensure that the forthcoming series can go ahead, the BBC has decided to scrap the show’s annual festive special, which usually airs on Christmas Day.

Instead, a clip special titled Strictly: The Christmas Countdown will air, with viewers voting for the show’s 25 most memorable dances of all time. It will still be hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who will be joined by the judges and professional dancers.

It is currently unclear how filming will go ahead for the 18th season of Strictly Come Dancing, with some reports suggesting that the professional dancers will face a six-week lockdown and will not be allowed to see friends and family once rehearsals begin.

Debbie McGee and Kevin Clifton (centre) win the 2019 ‘Strictly’ Christmas special (PA)

The show has already faced filming setbacks and is a month behind schedule, with the show expected to return on 24 October for a nine-week run in lieu of its usual September start.

In a statement, the BBC said: “The Strictly Come Dancing team are doing everything they can to bring the nation plenty of Strictly magic later this year.

“To ensure we deliver the high standards audiences know and love, and in light of the ongoing considerations around Covid-19, this year’s series of Strictly will have a slightly shorter run than usual… The safety of our cast and crew is of the utmost importance to us.”