Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two (also known as Strictly: It Takes Two or simply It Takes Two) is a British television programme, the companion show to the popular BBC One programme Strictly Come Dancing. First aired on 25 October 2004, it is broadcast from Monday to Friday during the run of the main show on BBC Two at 6:30 pm.

History

It Takes Two started broadcasting during the second series of the main show in Autumn 2004, replacing the companion show to the first series, Strictly Come Dancing: On Three, which had been broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three and hosted by Justin Lee Collins. Before the 2010 series, BBC Two Scotland did not broadcast the show on Thursdays, when locally produced Gaelic language programming aired in the slot instead, though during the 2008 and 2009 series the Thursday night show was carried as an alternative digital stream via BBC Red Button. The show was originally hosted by Claudia Winkleman until 2010. In 2011, Zoe Ball took over as host. On 18 April 2019, it was announced that Rylan Clark would be joining the show as a co-host alongside Ball. On 17 May 2021, Ball revealed that she would be leaving the show after 10 years. On 10 June 2021, it was announced on The One Show, that Janette Manrara would be taking over from Ball, hosting alongside Clark. On 12 April 2023, it was announced that Clark would be stepping down from presenting the show after 4 years. Fleur East was announced as his replacement in June 2023.

Format

The programme features interviews and training footage of the couples competing in the main Saturday night show, opinions from the judges on the previous Saturday show and the training footage for the next, and interviews with celebrities who have been watching the show. The show features half-hour episodes each Monday to Thursday, with an extended one-hour episode on Friday in front of a live studio audience. During the show, the presenters are joined each week by regular dance experts, with Ian Waite, Karen Hardy, Neil Jones and Chloe Hewitt all being former contributors.

Presenters scheduling

For the 2019 series, it was announced that Rylan Clark would join the programme as a co-host. He would present on Mondays and Tuesdays, interviewing both the leaving pair, and the other pair in the dance-off. Zoe Ball would then present the Wednesday and Thursday shows with Ian Waite and Vicky Gill. Clark and Ball co-presented on Friday, with Gethin Jones remaining as a roving reporter. This schedule was changed in 2020, with Ball presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Clark presenting on Thursdays and Fridays. In the 2021 series, with Manrara replacing Ball, Clark was presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays while Manrara did so on Wednesdays and Thursdays. In 2023, Fleur East replaces Clark and will host Monday and Tuesdays with Manrara continuing to host Wednesday and Thursday. The pair will alternate duties on a Friday.

Current segments

Studio segments

Other recurring segments

The professional dancers put various different dance techniques to the test against one another in a yearly competition.

Previous segments

In 2013, a new feature was shown, where dancer Natalie Lowe was set a challenge to teach a normal couple, known only as Gordon and Mel from Southampton, how to dance ahead of their wedding. In 2014, Robin Windsor was set a challenge to teach the teachers of a school to dance for a performance for the school. A live phone-in segment featured during the autumn 2004 series of the main show, where viewers could speak to the contestants on air.

Series overview

Presenters

Studio

The show has been presented from many venues. In 2017, the programme returned to the newly refurbished Studio TC2 at the Television Centre complex in West London. For the 2018 series, the show was broadcast from The Hospital Club TV Studio in London's Covent Garden, due to ITV Daytime programmes now occupying the Television Centre studios. In 2020, The show moved to Stage 6 at Elstree Studios, the first time It Takes Two has been broadcast from the same studio complex as the main show since 2012.

Ratings

The show averages between two and three million viewers each evening and is regularly the most watched show of the day on BBC Two.