It’s that time of year again when sequins meet skeletons and the nation’s favorite dance floor becomes a cauldron of ghoulish glamour. Strictly Come Dancing is back with its annual Halloween Special, airing live on BBC One this Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 6:35 pm BST, and fans are bracing for a frightfully fun night. With just ten couples left in the competition, the stakes are higher, the costumes are wilder, and the routines promise to keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very last step.
This year’s Halloween Week—officially week six and nearly halfway through the season—follows a dramatic shake-up. According to BBC and Metro, last week’s show saw Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley eliminated after a tense dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin. Meanwhile, Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell were forced to withdraw due to an injury, leaving the competition with a noticeably smaller field and fans unsure of what surprises might be lurking in the shadows this week.
For those eager to catch every spine-chilling moment, the live show will run for one hour and 43 minutes, wrapping up at 8:20 pm GMT. The slightly later start time reflects the trimmed-down cast, with only ten couples left to perform their Halloween-themed routines. But don’t let the smaller group fool you—if anything, the pressure is on, and the remaining contestants are ready to bring their A-game.
As always, the creative team behind Strictly has pulled out all the stops for Halloween. The dancefloor will transform into a haunted ballroom, complete with eerie fog, gothic attire, and the kind of theatrical flair that only this show can deliver. Choreographer Elizabeth Honan summed up the spirit of the week, telling Asian Media Group, “It’s really fun to choreograph a Halloween number, because you have the theatrics, it allows for you to be daft, but cool at the same time.”
The professional dancers are set to invite the audience to The Monsters’ Ball, a group number that promises to be as quirky as it is spooky. Amy Dowden teased the routine in a video shared on social media, saying, “Grab your invite, seal your fate at this weekend’s spookiest ball.” She added, “There’s a part where Carlos and I are dancing a swing jive, and then all of a sudden we literally leap off the table!” Fellow pro Karen Hauer described the choreography as “very in your face, very military and abrupt,” warning viewers to expect “a lot going on, and it’s very, very exciting and very spooky.”
Of course, the heart of Halloween Week lies in the show-stopping routines and the music that gets everyone moving. This year’s song list is a treat for pop culture fans and Halloween enthusiasts alike. The ten couples and their routines are:
- Alex and Johannes – Salsa to “Horny” by Mousse T. feat. Hot ‘n’ Juicy
- Amber and Nikita – Viennese Waltz to “I See Red” by Everybody Loves an Outlaw
- Balvinder and Julian – Samba to “Stay” by Shakespears Sister
- Ellie and Vito – Tango to “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
- George and Alexis – Cha Cha Cha to “Apple” by Charli XCX
- Harry and Karen – American Smooth to “Mystical Magical” by Benson Boone
- Karen and Carlos – Argentine Tango to “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- La Voix and Aljaž – Paso Doble to Beethoven’s 5th
- Lewis and Katya – Couple’s Choice to “Creep” by Radiohead
- Vicky and Kai – American Smooth to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
According to BBC and Metro, Lewis and Katya are the ones to watch after topping the leaderboard last week with their Johnny Cash-inspired Quickstep. Amber and Nikita and Vicky and Kai followed close behind, while Alex and Johannes secured the third spot. With the competition heating up, it’s anyone’s guess who will rise—or fall—this weekend.
But Halloween Week isn’t just about the competition. The Sunday night results show, airing November 2 at 7:15 pm, will feature a special musical performance by Cat Burns, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter known for her hit song “Go” and her UK top 10 album “Early Twenties.” Burns, fresh from her appearance on The Celebrity Traitors, will team up with Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu for a dance number that’s sure to keep the Halloween spirit alive. As Yahoo! News reports, the group dance will see the professionals transform into half-skeleton, half-human figures, trading Strictly’s usual glitz for an eerie, fog-laden spectacle.
Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke are also expected to join in on the spooky fun, donning Halloween costumes of their own and, no doubt, delivering some terrifyingly honest critiques. The panel’s reactions are always a highlight, especially as the routines become more daring and the stakes get higher. With Halloween Week marking a turning point in the competition, the judges’ scores could make or break a couple’s journey to the coveted glitterball trophy.
For fans, Halloween Week is more than just a theme—it’s a tradition that signals the competition is entering its most unpredictable phase. As Asian Media Group notes, “Every year, Halloween week feels like a shift. The pressure climbs. Costumes get madder. You can almost see the makeup budget doubling.” It’s when Strictly stops pretending to be serious and fully embraces the chaos and creativity that make the show such a beloved part of British television.
Beyond the dancing, there’s a buzz about the future of Strictly. This year’s Halloween Special arrives amid speculation over who will replace long-time presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced last week that they’ll be leaving at the end of the current series. According to BBC, fans outside Elstree Studios are already floating names like Alesha Dixon, Zoe Ball, and Alison Hammond as possible successors. The grand finale is set for December 20, with Daly and Winkleman’s final appearance scheduled for the Christmas Day special.
With all eyes on the dancefloor, the costumes, and the judges’ reactions, one thing’s for sure: Halloween Week on Strictly Come Dancing is set to deliver tricks, treats, and plenty of surprises. Whether it’s a haunting Viennese Waltz, a cheeky Salsa, or a dramatic Paso Doble, each performance will bring its own brand of magic—and maybe a few scares—to the ballroom. As the competition edges toward its climax, fans can expect nothing less than a night of unforgettable entertainment.
The curtain rises on a night where the only thing scarier than the costumes is the prospect of elimination. For the remaining couples, it’s do or die—because in the world of Strictly, you never know what might be lurking just behind the glitter and the fog.
