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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Why is Strictly Come Dancing not in Blackpool?

Strictly Come Dancing is back on screens tonight as the celebrities take to the floor again.

Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will also be back to oversee the BBC dance competition.

Judge Motsi Mabuse will still be absent from the show as she continues to self-isolate at home after returning to the UK from Germany in line with the latest government travel restrictions.

Instead, Strictly professional dancer Anton Du Beke will back on the panel alongside head judge Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood.

There's also another big change this week.

To mark the halfway point in the competition, the cast and crew usually pack everything up from Elstree Studios and head to the Blackpool Tower for the annual special.

However, the show is having to just celebrate the Blackpool magic from Hertfordshire as they can't head up north this year.

Show bosses announced that the Blackpool show had been cancelled in September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A BBC spokeswoman told us: "Blackpool is a milestone moment in every series of Strictly that our audience, our celebs and professional dancers look forward to.

"Whilst we'll be unable to physically go to Blackpool this series, we'll still be celebrating this iconic venue and bringing it to life from our studio in Elstree."

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