BBC Strictly Come Dancing confirms special guest for Blackpool special and more details 

Strictly Come Dancing has released details about its upcoming special as its stars prepare to perform in Blackpool this weekend. Week nine of the BBC One dance contest marks this year's special live from the iconic Tower Ballroom.

Every year, Strictly heads to the seaside town to bring one of its live episodes to viewers from the world-famous venue that is said to be the 'home of ballroom dancing'.

And as well as the performances from the eight remaining couples in the BBC One dance contest, this Saturday's (November 16) live show will also feature a performance from Pet Shop Boys, who will open it with a medley of hits as the Strictly professional dancers perform a routine.

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They'll then be back during Sunday night's (November 17) results show with their latest single, a cover of Mott The Hoople’s All The Young Dudes, which was written by David Bowie, on Sunday’s show.

During the show, JB Gill and Lauren Oakley will perform a quickstep to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, and former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and partner Aljaz Skorjanec will perform a paso doble to Torn by Nathan Lanier.

Former Olympian and Gladiator Montell Douglas and her partner Johannes Radebe will perform a salsa to Don’t Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston, while Miranda actor Sarah Hadland and her partner Vito Coppola will dance their own couples’ choice routine to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue.

Elsewhere, opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones will perform a Charleston to Carmen Suite No.1: 5 Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet, reality star Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal will cha cha to I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred.

EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas will jive to The Ketchup Song (Asereje) by Las Ketchup, while comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell will take on the American smooth to Paul Anka’s Jump.

In Blackpool, the quickstep has been the most successful Strictly dance, scoring 22 10s in the BBC dancing show’s 20-year history. It is followed by the American smooth, with 15 10s, and the Charleston, with 13 10s.

There have been 107 10s awarded by nine Strictly judges at the ballroom throughout the years, across a total of 99 celebrities and 52 professional dancers. Former judge Bruno Tonioli, who left the show permanently in 2022, has awarded the most 10s at the venue with 31.

Just five couples have scored a perfect 40 at Blackpool – actor Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse, Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev, singer Fleur East and Vito Coppola, McFly’s Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani – who achieved the feat twice – and singer Jason Donovan and Krishna Rihanoff.

Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special airs at 6.45pm on Saturday (November 16) on BBC One and iPlayer, with the results show on Sunday (November 17) at 7.20pm on the same channel.