Strictly Come Dancing is getting a new spin-off show for 2026, with Strictly: Lights Up launching on BBC iPlayer alongside this year’s live competition. Hosted by comedian Abi Clarke and former Strictly contestant Tyler West, the new show will take viewers straight back onto the dance floor after each Sunday results show, with immediate reaction from the eliminated couple, the pair they faced in the dance-off, the judges, presenters and other Strictly guests.

When Does Strictly: Lights Up Start?

Strictly: Lights Up will begin on Sunday, 4 October, immediately after the first results show of the 2026 series. The programme will be available exclusively on BBC iPlayer each Sunday night once the main results show has finished. The timing means Abi and Tyler will be able to speak to the departing couple while the emotions are still fresh, alongside others involved in the night’s show, giving fans extra reaction that would previously have remained off screen.

What Else Is Coming to BBC iPlayer?

The BBC is also launching a dedicated Strictly Come Dancing hub on iPlayer for the 2026 series, bringing the main shows together with a range of new digital extras.

Alongside Lights Up, Abi Clarke will visit different celebrity and professional couples in rehearsals for new weekly training-room episodes, while a separate weekly highlights show will round up the biggest moments from across the competition. Every dance from the series will also be available to watch individually, and episodes of the main show will include chapters for the first time, allowing viewers to jump directly to particular couples or performances.

The additions arrive as the main competition prepares to begin, with the first live show airing on Saturday, 26 September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following last weekend’s launch show.

For CultureCues, this sounds like a really fun addition for Strictly fans. Getting the eliminated couple straight after the results show should give us those first reactions before they have had much time to process what has happened, and Tyler West already knows exactly what it feels like to be in that position, which should make those conversations even better. We also like the idea of having more rehearsal footage and individual dances easier to find on iPlayer, because once the live shows get going, there is never really such a thing as too much Strictly. We will see how Lights Up works once it gets going, but for now, it is 10s across the board.

Strictly: Lights Up begins on BBC iPlayer on Sunday, 4 October after the results show.

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