Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly says show has "evolved for the better"

Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly has been reflecting on how much the show has evolved throughout the years.

Daly, who has hosted the show since its launch in 2004, said Strictly has evolved and changed "for the better" over time, highlighting the importance of breaking ground and increasing representation across the board.

"We never stop growing and pushing ourselves," Daly told Metro, thanking "the most incredible production team" and namechecking the show's "genius" executive producer, Sarah James.

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strictly come dancing host tess daly stands on the studio floor during week 2's show

Guy Levy//BBC

"Last year, we had our all-male partnership [John Whaite and Johannes Radebe] dancing in the final and it was absolutely wonderful," Daly added.

"I think it really showed how important it is to see representation on our screens."

Great British Bake Off winner John and Johannes were Strictly's first all-male partnership. That 2021 series was won by EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, with the actress being the first deaf contestant to appear on the show.

strictly come dancing 2022, series 20 launch show, tess daly, claudia winkleman, cast and partners

Guy Levy//BBC

Daly continued: "Our audience has grown up with us, I meet people all the time who say, 'I've watched the show since I was a child, I watch it with my family on a Saturday night, it's the only show we've sat together as a family to watch, we plan our weekends around it'.

"It feels like a huge privilege to be part of people's lives. It's feel-good TV at its best, and, let's be honest, all of us need more of the feel-good factor in our lives right now."

Strictly's 20th series premiered with a launch show on Friday (September 23), hosted by Daly and Claudia Winkleman, where this year's celebrity-pro partnership were officially confirmed.

The first live show aired the following night (September 24), with all 15 couples performing for the first time – and there was a brief moment of drama when Shirley Ballas had to clarify a score live on air, due to a difference between the points shown on her scoring paddle and those on the on-screen graphics.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One, while spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two airs every weeknight on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.