Strictly Come Dancing returned for its nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, with the live shows beginning on 25 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Rylan Clark-Neal returned to host Strictly: It Takes Two, alongside new presenter Janette Manrara, who replaced Zoe Ball following her departure from the show. In June 2021, the BBC announced that Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse would return to the judging panel. It was also announced that original professional Anton Du Beke, who served as a guest judge in the previous series, would join the panel in place of Bruno Tonioli, who did not return for the second year in a row due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.