2018 - Series 16
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its sixteenth series with a launch show on 8 September 2018 on BBC One, and the first live show on 22 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Zoe Ball returned to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Shirley Ballas, Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges.
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24*
Competitive shows
10.59*
Av. viewers (m)
15
Couples
142
Total scored dances
4,215
Total points scored
7.42
Av. judge score (10)
29.68*
Av. total score (40)
96
Total 10s awarded
9*
Perfect scores (40)
Stacey & Kevin
Winning couple
| # | Couple | Celebrity | Pro | Dances | Av score (10) | Av score (40) | 10s | Perfect scores | Total pts | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley & Pasha | Ashley Roberts | Pasha Kovalev | 16 | 9.23 | 36.94 | 32 | 5 | 591 | 2nd | |
| Charles & Karen | Charles Venn | Karen Hauer | 11 | 7.43 | 29.73 | 2 | 0 | 327 | 6th | |
| Danny & Amy | Danny John-Jules | Amy Dowden | 8 | 7.06 | 28.25 | 1 | 0 | 226 | 9th | |
| Dr Ranj & Janette | Dr Ranj Singh | Janette Manrara | 7 | 6.07 | 24.29 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 10th | |
| Faye & Giovanni | Faye Tozer | Giovanni Pernice | 16 | 9.13 | 36.50 | 31 | 4 | 584 | 2nd | |
| Graeme & Oti | Graeme Swann | Oti Mabuse | 10 | 6.50 | 26.00 | 0 | 0 | 260 | 7th | |
| Joe & Diane | Joe Sugg | Dianne Buswell | 16 | 8.19 | 32.75 | 14 | 0 | 524 | 2nd | |
| Kate & Aljaž | Kate Silverton | Aljaž Škorjanec | 9 | 6.25 | 25.00 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 8th | |
| Katie & Gorka | Katie Piper | Gorka Màrquez | 4 | 4.38 | 17.50 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 13th | |
| Lauren & AJ | Lauren Steadman | AJ Pritchard | 13 | 6.67 | 26.69 | 0 | 0 | 347 | 5th | |
| Lee & Nadiya | Lee Ryan | Nadiya Bychkova | 3 | 5.58 | 22.33 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 14th | |
| Seann & Katya | Seann Walsh | Katya Jones | 6 | 5.63 | 22.50 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 11th | |
| Stacey & Kevin | Stacey Dooley | Kevin Clifton | 16 | 8.50 | 34.00 | 16 | 0 | 544 | 1st | |
| Susannah & Anton | Susannah Constantine | Anton du Beke | 2 | 3.00 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 15th | |
| Vick & Graziano | Vick Hope | Graziano Di Prima | 5 | 6.05 | 24.20 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 12th |
Couples & progress
| Couple | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Dance Type | Total Dances | Av Score (40) | 10s | Perfect Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jive | 13 | 27.00 | 6 | 1 | |
| Cha Cha Cha | 12 | 23.92 | 0 | 0 | |
| Quickstep | 12 | 27.92 | 5 | 0 | |
| Samba | 11 | 27.91 | 4 | 0 | |
| Paso Doble | 11 | 32.00 | 11 | 0 | |
| Viennese Waltz | 10 | 30.00 | 5 | 1 | |
| Charleston | 10 | 34.30 | 16 | 2 | |
| Foxtrot | 9 | 29.89 | 6 | 0 | |
| American Smooth | 9 | 29.33 | 6 | 1 | |
| Salsa | 9 | 30.44 | 5 | 1 | |
| Waltz | 8 | 27.50 | 3 | 0 | |
| Tango | 8 | 30.00 | 2 | 0 | |
| Couple's Choice | 8 | 35.13 | 12 | 1 | |
| Rumba | 4 | 30.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Argentine Tango | 4 | 29.25 | 3 | 0 | |
| Showdance | 4 | 38.75 | 12 | 2 |
Distribution & average score
| Strictly Come Dancing | |
|---|---|
| Series 16 | |
| Presented by | Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman |
| Judges | Shirley Ballas Darcey Bussell Craig Revel Horwood Bruno Tonioli Alfonso Ribeiro (guest) |
| Celebrity winner | Stacey Dooley |
| Professional winner | Kevin Clifton |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 8 September (Launch show) 22 September 2018 – 15 December 2018 (Live shows) |
| Series chronology | |
2018 - Series 16 facts and stats
- 9 perfect scores are awarded in S16, the most ever in a single Series (since matched in S19 and S22)
- Ashley & Pasha receive 5 perfect scores, the most ever for one couple in a Series. These are for: Week 9 Jive in Blackpool; Semi-Final American Smooth; 3 Final dances – Salsa, Showdance and Charleston. They are one of 3 couples in Strictly history to score perfectly in a Final; others to do this are Faye & Giovanni (in this Series) and Caroline Flack & Pasha in the S12 Final
- Craig awards 9 tens; this is the most he has handed out in a Series and the only other year he did this was 2024 (S22). Bruno awards 34 tens which is the most by one judge in a Series
- S16 sees the introduction of a new Couple’s Choice dance style, which is selected from three possible genres: Contemporary, Street/Commercial, and Theatre/Jazz. Faye & Giovanni dance the first perfect routine in this style with their Theatre/Jazz performance to Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’ in the Final. The first ever Couple’s Choice is danced in Contemporary style by Lauren & AJ in Week 5 and receives just 24 points. This takes the number of regular dance styles to 16 (its current total)
- Ashley & Pasha dance a perfect Jive at Blackpool to ‘Shake a Tail Feather’ from The Blue Brothers; this is the 3rd of 4 perfect Jives danced in consecutive Series. S14 Ore & Joanne’s ‘Runaway Baby’ routine scored 40 in the Final; S15 saw Alexandra & Gorka awarded 40 for their dance to ‘Proud Mary; finally in S17 Karim & Amy achieve a ‘double-40’ score for their Hairspray-themed dance
- Ashley joins Alexandra Burke in terms of ‘Most 10s’, both with 32; they will remain joint first until S22 when Tasha earns 33 tens
- With 96 tens awarded overall, S16 takes 3rd place on this stat, beaten only by S20 and S22
- Kevin Clifton wins on his fifth attempt, with Stacey; they receive 16 tens but no perfect total scores. This makes them 1 of 7 couples to win without a perfect routine (others are Natasha & Brendan, S1; Darren & Lilia, S3; Alesha & Matthew, S5; Tom & Camilla, S6; Kara & Artem, S8; Jay & Aliona, S13)
- In Week 5, Alfonso Ribeiro stood in as a guest judge for Bruno; this was after he had won the 19th season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in the US (2014), and since 2023 he has been the main host on the US show
- Series 16 is the only one to date in which the average total score for the Argentine Tango drops below 30 points; it’s average in 2018 was 29.25 (4 dances)