Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Meet the judges

Strictly Come Dancing has returned to celebrate its 20th year in the entertainment industry with season 22, which premiered its launch show on September 14, 2024, on BBC One. The show will go live on September 21, 2024, on the same network. With all the glitz and glamor, the show has welcomed back its judges who will guide the contestants till the end. The judging panel for season 22 includes Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Head Judge Shirley Ballas.

The show combines the talent of celebrities and professional dancers to create a competitive series. The show will be hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who will welcome the celebrities to debut in this dance reality TV competition.

BBC launched the official trailer of the show on September 4, 2024, and the lineup of celebrities includes actors, athletes, reality TV stars, comedians, and so on.

The official synopsis of the show reads:

"Dazzling routines, sparkling sets and the glitziest of costumes - fifteen new celebrities are ready to take to the Strictly floor! Celebrities take to the dance floor to perform a dazzling display of ballroom routines. Strictly Come Dancing ✨ Series 22 ✨ BBC"

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The dazzling judges of season 22 of Strictly Come Dancing - Shirley Ballas and others

Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas, Strictly Come Dancing Judge (Image via BBC)

The Queen of Latin, Shirley Ballas, is back on the 22nd season of Strictly Come Dancing. Shirly replaced the Late Len Goodman in season 15 of the show as the head judge and has been a recurring face for the head judge since then. Shirley is 64 years old and has been dancing since she was seven.

Shirley started her journey in dancing at a very young age and was the youngest to win the World Latin American Championship.

In an interview with BBC on September 12, 2024, Shirley opened up on this special 20th year of Strictly Come Dancing. She described the show as 'Phenomenally joyous', and said:

"Well, to be honest with you, I’m absolutely, totally honoured to be part of Strictly’s 20th year because it’s a show that brings families together. "

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Motsi Mabuse

Motsi Mabuse, Strictly Come Dancing Judges (Image via BBC)

Motsi Mabuse, the 43-year-old Geman Latin Champion, has been in the judge's chair of the show since 2019. She is the older sister of Oti Mabuse, who has been a Strictly Come Dancing pro. She appeared as a professional dancer on the German spin-off of the show, Let's Dance, and later joined the show as one of the judges in 2011.

Motsi sat for an interview with BBC on September 12, 2024, and described that she still experiences butterflies when she hears the theme tune of the show. She shared that it was an honor for her to be back for this season. She said:

"Being part of Strictly’s 20th year is absolutely incredible. It’s a huge milestone, and I’m so honored to be part of a show that has become such an integral part of so many people's lives."

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Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood, Strictly Come Dancing Judge (Image via BBC)

Craig Revel has a multifaceted career as he has honed the skills of an author, dancer, former drag queen in the United Kingdom, choreographer, conductor, and theatre director.

Craig is also a part of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. The Ballroom dancer is regarded as the strictest judge of all and has been part of the show since season one.

Craig describes the show as 'life-changing' because he has seen it all from seasons 1 to 22. In an interview with BBC on September 12, he said:

"Well, for me, it's life-changing, obviously, because when I started back in May 2004, I had no idea it would last one season, let alone 20 years."

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Anton Du Beke

Anton Du Beke, Strictly Come Dancing Judge (Image via BBC)

Anton has been a part of the show since its very first season which aired in 2004 as a professional dancer and replaced Bruno Tonioli as one of the judges in 2021. He has expertise in British Ballroom and Latin dance.BBC during an interview on September 12, that this is his favourite time of the year.

He also opened up about his transition from professional dancer to one of the judges:

"When I was competing, part of the fun is seeing which partner turns up each week. I’m also delighted to go into the judge’s chair. My knees are always terribly grateful," he said.

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The launch show of Strictly Come Dancing aired on September 14 at 19:20 on BBC One & BBC iPlayer.