Strictly Come Dancing bosses reveal there will be FOUR tours over the next 18 months

Strictly Come Dancing bosses have announced there will be four tours over the next 18 months, after the long-running COVID-19 pandemic scuppered previous plans.

Fans who have been eager to see the stars from the hit BBC ballroom show in the flesh will now be spoilt for choice with performances across the UK from June. 

First up will be Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals, which was originally planned to open in May, but will now kick off on 26 June in Salford at The Lowry. 

Strictly have announced there will be four tours over the next 18 months, after the long-running COVID-19 pandemic scuppered previous plans. Strictky pros are picttured

The roadshow will feature a line-up of Strictly professional dancers, who will hit also hit the stage in Blackpool, Liverpool, Halifax, Hull, Birmingham, and Portsmouth.

It will also heads to Plymouth, Reading, Bournemouth, Sheffield, Nottingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff, before finishing in London on 24 July.

Included in the line-up are Dianne Buswell, Katya, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Johannes Radebe, and Dancing With The Stars Ireland pro Kai Widdrington.

Next on the roster will be Strictly Presents: The Power of Dance, which was also rescheduled due to theatre closures.

Originally planned to open in June 2021 this brand-new show under the Strictly banner will now tour the UK from June 2022, with casting to be announced soon.

The tour will open in Tunbridge Wells before playing Basingstoke, Cambridge, Halifax, Wolverhampton, Northampton, Grimsby, New Brighton, and Stockton.

It will continue to Aberdeen, Dundee, Llandudno, Leicester, Croydon, Bath, Eastbourne, Canterbury, Warrington, Bridlington, Carlisle, Southend, Poole, High Wycombe, Aylesbury, and Torquay. 

Directed by the TV show’s head judge Craig Revel Horwood, Strictly Come Dancing Live Arena Tour will return in 2022.

The shows will kick off in Birmingham on 20 January, as a host of the celebrity and professional dancers from the BBC One series foxtrot their way around the country performing in 33 shows.

They will hit a number of the UK’s biggest arenas in Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow, Nottingham and London.

Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals tour will also take place in 2022, kicking off on 28 April 2022 in Salford and then going on to Cardiff, Hull, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Brighton, and London.

Also included in the list of cities are Bournemouth, Plymouth, Oxford, Nottingham, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.

The pro dancer line-up for the tour is expected to be announced later this year.

Tickets are currently available for all shows, with those who already hold tickets for 2021 postponed shows being able to use them for the appropriate tours. 

The announcement comes weeks after Strictly judge Shirley Ballas revealed that the show would be back on track from later this year.   

The 2020 series was severely cut down due to the pandemic, but Shirley, 60, seems confident that won’t be the case this year.

Shirley was asked by a fan on Cameo what she knows about Strictly 2021, revealing: ‘Just a little something: I heard they’re trying to do all 13 episodes this year.

‘Last time we had nine. We’re trying to get 13 shows on. I think they’re getting used to the COVID thing.’

Like most TV productions amid the pandemic, measures were enforced to make Strictly COVID-safe.

Judges weren’t allowed to sit at one panel – placed at three socially-distanced desks.

Pro dancers and their partners formed bubbles, unable to live at home with their loved ones between shows, and the singers performed behind screens.

A reduced audience were in the studio when the series first kicked off, but this was scrapped when the UK’s November lockdown was enforced.

Judge Bruno Tonioli had to miss the series due to being unable to travel from the UK to the US in between shows as he normally does. He made a few appearances via video link. 

Judge Motsi Mabuse also missed a show as she had a COVID scare, and boxer Nicola Adams had to pull out of the show entirely after testing positive for coronavirus.

The show was able to soldier on regardless, with Bill Bailey taking home the trophy.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One in the autumn, with the latest line-up of contestants expected to be announced later this year.

Britons are expected to flock to beaches over the next few days to enjoy this week’s mini-heatwave after the Government confirmed families from London and elsewhere can now travel to the seaside.

Back to normal? Strictly Come Dancing seems to be back on track in 2021, according to judge Shirley Ballas

Back to normal? Strictly Come Dancing seems to be back on track in 2021, according to judge Shirley Ballas

People in England will be taking advantage of the relaxation of lockdown measures as outdoor gatherings and sport events resume, with highs of 75F (24C) in the South East on Tuesday.

There is now no legal limit on how far people can travel to enjoy day trips at the countryside or coastline, although overnight stays are still banned at hotels, self-catering accommodation and other people’s homes. 

But there will be concerns among Ministers that the unseasonably warm weather will make social distancing very tricky on beaches after the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth were swamped with visitors last summer.  

The Government’s ‘stay at home’ order ended on Monday morning, with messaging moving to ‘stay local’, but people are still being asked to continue to work from home where possible and overseas travel remains banned.

2m rule: Like most TV productions amid the pandemic, measures were enforced to make Strictly Covid-safe. Judges weren't allowed to sit at one panel - placed at three socially-distanced desks

2m rule: Like most TV productions amid the pandemic, measures were enforced to make Strictly Covid-safe. Judges weren’t allowed to sit at one panel – placed at three socially-distanced desks

Government officials confirmed to the Evening Standard that it is now legal to travel from London to the seaside for a day on the beach, and there is no limit on the distance you can travel to see friends or family.

The newspaper also put two examples to the Government, which it confirmed were acceptable. These were driving to the New Forest in Hampshire to ride a trial, or taking a windsurfer or kayak to the coast for the day.

A Government spokesman said: ‘Whilst the ‘stay at home’ rule has ended, many restrictions remain in place. We ask everyone to act responsibly and cautiously and minimise travel where possible as these restrictions ease.’

Temperatures in parts of the UK are expected to be significantly warmer this week as families and friends are reunited and sporting activities are allowed to resume in England. 

The warm weather coincides with the major easing of England’s coronavirus lockdown measures as families and friends are reunited under the outdoor ‘rule of six’ and sporting activities are allowed to resume in England.