Judges

The judges are the panel who comment and score the dances that the celeb-pro couples perform.

The current judges are:

Craig Revel Horwood (2004-present)- Craig has judged the show from the very first series; and until 2021, had appeared on every single episode of the main show, before testing positive for COVID-19 in Series 19, and having Cynthia Erivo fill in for him. Revel Horwood is known for his cutting remarks and low scores, as well as very rarely giving any performances a perfect 10. Revel Horwood is also the director for the Strictly Live Tour. In addition to judging on Strictly, he also judges the live tours, and has judged the Australian and New Zealand versions of Dancing with The Stars.

Motsi Mabuse (2019-present)- Motsi is the sister of pro Oti Mabuse, which caused a lot of controversy and rumours of bias when she was first announced for the judge role. Motsi is known for her enthusiasm and focusing on the energy of the dance. Mabuse also judges the German version of Strictly, entitled 'Let's Dance'.

Shirley Ballas (2017-present)- Ballas is the head judge, who is known for being a stickler for technique, much like her predecessor Len Goodman. Ballas is highly regarded in the Ballroom-Latin world, and has trained many of the professionals from both the UK and US versions of the show. In fact, Shirley's son Mark Ballas was a long-time pro on the American Dancing with The Stars.

Anton Du Beke (pro 2004-2020; guest judge 2020; judge 2021-present)- A ballroom dancer, Du Beke was a profession dancer on the show for the first 18 series; he guest judged a couple of shows in Series 18 after being eliminated, and later got bumped up to permanent judge in Series 19, to replace Bruno Tonioli.

## Former judges

Bruno Tonioli (2004-2019)- A judge for the first 17 series, Tonioli left the show in 2020 to focus on the US version only. He was not replaced for the 2020 series which went ahead with just 3 judges; however in 2021, his place was taken by pro Anton Du Beke. Tonioli is known for being very expressive in his mannerisms- him and Revel Horwood would always tease each other. In 2021, Tonioli did a show with Revel Horwood travelling around the UK, entitled 'Craig and Bruno's Road Trips'. Despite Tonioli's departure from the main show, he continued to judge the tours.

Darcey Bussell (2009; 2012-18)- A ballet dancer, Bussell was known for being a calm presence on the panel, often discussing elements of dance that the other judges didn't, such as fluidity and musicality. Bussell initially joined the panel in Series 7 back in 2009, when the show were experimenting with a 5 judge panel- this didn't stick, but Bussell later rejoined the panel in 2012 when a vacancy became available and stayed with the show until 2018. The moments of Bussell's judging that fans seemed to enjoy were her reaction's to Craig's first 10 each series.

Len Goodman (2004-16)- head judge for the first 14 series, Len was always looking for tradition and accurate technique. Goodman was also known for his catchphrase like 'I'll pickle me walnuts', 'it's a 10 from Len' and often referencing the song a contestant had just danced to, in his critique. Goodman admitted his departure from the show was due to exhaustion from flying back and forth between the UK and America each week, and decided to focus his attention solely on the American show.

Alesha Dixon (contestant and champion 2007; judge 2009-2011)- Alesha joined the show in 2009, to replace Arlene Phillips, a move which was controversial at the time as Dixon was 36 years younger than Phillips. Dixon was known for being the 'nice judge' who the contestants could relate to, as she'd been a contestant (and won) two years prior. Dixon later departed the show to join Britain's Got Talent instead.

Arlene Phillips (2004-08)- Phillips was the original female judge on the panel, who was known for being somewhat harsh on the contestants sometimes, the female equivalent of Revel Horwood. The BBC later axed her as they felt she lacked a clear role on the judging panel. This caused a huge backlash at the time and was even discussed in the Houses of Parliament, as many people thought the BBC were discriminating against older women on TV.